Who is going to play God?
Who is going to decide that a citizen is sick enough to use this plant?
Who is going to hold the stick that draws the line in the sand?
Commentary on the Medical Innovation Bill.
While we know that the issue of Cannabis is not the only issue covered by the Medical Innovation
Bill, it is this particular issue that has been highlighted by the media since the inception of the bill.
Where did the honourable late Dr Ambrosini get the Cannabis oil that prolonged his life? He didn’t get
it from a slick shiny dispensary staffed by men in white coats. He got it from the “black market”, the
“underground”. He got it from the people who are vilified as “drug dealers”, dirty scum who are
targeted by the police, risking their lives and liberty every day to supply medicine to the thousands of
South Africans who seek their help every week. Dr Ambrosini, along with other brave public figures,
spoke about his use of this “illegal drug” in public, in parliament. Did the police bash down his door in
the middle of the night looking for his Cannabis? No. Instead they trawled the streets looking for
ordinary citizens to arrest, victimise and criminalise.
We estimate that over 10 million South Africans use this plant every day, whether they consume it or
trade in it. Whether it is used as a safe relaxant or a commodity that ensures that the school fees are
paid at the end of the month, the reality of Cannabis use in South Africa is a universe away from the
talk and debate surrounding the Medical Innovation Bill. The issue of South Africans being “allowed”
to choose their medication is far too broad to simply mention Cannabis in passing. To deal with the
complex issue of Cannabis legalisation within this bill is doing a grave disservice to the citizens of
South Africa. Who is going to decide that a citizen is sick enough to use this plant? Who is going to
deal with the serious, everyday concerns of ordinary folk who are criminalised? This is not the work
of the Medical Innovation Bill as it stalls the issue at hand, glossing over the harsh, ugly reality of the
situation on the street. The citizens will just have to wait and deal with their lot cast by the police
while the politicians pontificate about medicine. They will be told to shut up while people with
serious illness are given the priority. Soften the blow as the people who hold the power never smell
the inside of a jail cell. Soften the blow while women in rural areas have their livelihood stolen by the
police. Soften the blow and ignore the reality.
Please see attached highlight of Page 6 of the Medical Innovation Bill. “Legalise and regulate the use
of cannabanoids for medical purposes and for beneficial commercial and industrial uses.” This point
within the bill is significantly vague to ensure that the harms associated with prohibition and
ignored and the interests of the politicians and the medical fraternity are served. Why use the word
“cannabanoids”. Does this mean that the alkaloids within the plant will become legal while the whole
plant remains illegal? One can’t use “cannabanoids” for industrial purposes, an alkaloid does not
produce food, fibre or building materials. Does the “beneficial commercial use” constitute putting
bottles of cannabanoids on the shelves of pharmacies while continuing to arrest Cannabis growers
and traders for producing their own medicine?
The wording of this bill is narrow and it does not serve the purposes of the Cannabis issue at hand.
Either the wording must be changed to include the issue of the criminalisation of thousands of South
Africans each week or the purveyors of the bill must stop purporting to address the real issues at
hand.
Should the Medical Innovation Bill result in the legalisation of Cannabis for medical uses it will be
both a step forward and a step backwards. It would be ironic if a step in the right direction leads to
lengthy delays in providing relief for the millions of healthy South Africans who are victimised by
the prohibition of this plant.
Cannabis use in South Africa goes back hundreds of years and its use is entrenched in our society.
Those who consider themselves to be part of this Cannabis culture have received the news of the
Medical Innovation Bill with both gratitude and apprehension. We are accustomed to being sidelined
in favour of medical and industrial uses of this plant but we are far from silent. Through our ongoing
engagement with all the various stakeholders, the media and the real people on the street we will
make our voices heard. We respect the efforts of those guiding the passage of the Medical Innovation
Bill through parliament but we will not be silent about the shortcomings of the proposals. Attached
please find a page out of our inbox this morning which illustrates our point quite succinctly.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Myrtle Clarke
Director: Fields of Green for ALL NPC
Johannesburg, 10 September 2014.
(On behalf of our company and its affiliates)