SA inches closer to legal dagga

A major shift in drug policy could have health benefits

THE decriminalisation of dagga in South Africa could contribute to improved public health, the Central Drug Authority argues in the latest issue of the SA Medical Journal.

And criminalisation of the drug had had little impact on how often people smoked it, the agency said.

The authority is a government advisory body which supports the decriminalisation of dagga. It switched its stance earlier this year, marking a major shift in drug policy.

Dagga is currently illegal in South Africa, both for personal and medicinal use.

But the authority has gone further, to say in the journal article that a “balanced and pragmatic” approach to dagga use and abuse was needed, especially in light of evidence to show decriminalisation could in fact contribute to improved public health.

Its support for decriminalisation is part of a shift away from a “war on drugs” approach focused on policing, to a public health approach where harm reduction is key.

“The evidence base indicates that decriminalisation can contribute to improved public health,” UCT’s Dan Stein and Eva Manyedi, of the North-West University’s School of Nursing, wrote in a joint statement.

The pair issued the statement on behalf of the authority’s 10-person executive committee.

“Harm reduction refers to policies and interventions to reduce the harmful consequences of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other psychoactive substance use,” they said, arguing criminalisation of dagga hadn’t worked.

“There is little evidence that focusing on supply reduction via criminalisation is effective in reducing alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other substance abuse.”

But while they supported decriminalisation, Stein and Manyedi also said legislation to make dagga commercially available would be a step too far.

Big business

“We are cognisant of not wanting policy to lead simply to ‘Big Tobacco’ being joined by ‘Big Marijuana’ – there is insufficient evidence this would be a gain for public health,” they said.

Stein and Manyedi also voiced support for research on medicinal cannabis, as scientific studies had found it to be harmful “for certain aspects of health”.

“Research on its health benefits remains sparse to date, with more research needed to establish safe dosages.”

The athority’s policy statement was answered in the journal by Cape Town doctor Keith Scott, who said decriminalisation was not enough.

“Decriminalisation rarely provides for users to legally obtain their drugs, but implicitly directs them to continue sourcing drugs of unknown purity and potency,” he said.

Scott said that rather than legalising the drug, South Africa should take an approach of “legal regulation”, which he described as strict policy control around its use.

“Any drug will be safer if its production and availability is regulated rather than left in the hands of criminals,” he said.

The journal’s acting editor Dr Bridget Farham, meanwhile, noted that dagga would “almost certainly be legally available in the not-too-distant future”.

She said South Africa needed to research the safety and dose range of cannabis.

There is evidence research institutions agree.

In January, the SA Medical Research Council published a policy brief on cannabinoids for medicinal use.

In a systematic review of scientific studies, the council concluded there was evidence “of moderate quality” to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain, and to reduce spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis sufferers.

The council concluded there was not enough information about the appropriate dosage for medicinal use.