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Masses Rally in South Africa

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According to local reports, around 3,000 protesters in Cape Town, South Africa recently took to the streets to oppose the country’s continued prohibition on cannabis. Activists donning red, green and gold gathered together in support for cannabis. The 10th Annual Cannabis Walk is recognized as one of a series of marches around the globe, called the Global Cannabis Campaign.

The march began at Tennant and Keizersgracht streets.“We were marching for the legalization and regulation of cannabis in South Africa,” lead organizer Johannes Berkhout told AFP. “There is more than enough evidence around the world about the medicinal benefits of cannabis.” A South African lawmaker, Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, submitted a bill proposal calling for the legalization of cannabis but it did not receive enough support to become a law.

Cannabis is commonly referred to as dagga in South Africa. Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel André Traut said that four marchers were arrested for the possession of dagga.

Alcohol, which is regarded as more harmful than cannabis, is legal in South Africa. For many, smoking dagga is a tradition handed down for generations. Donita Pockpas, from Hout Bay, said she used cannabis oil for arthritis. “I use the oils to make medicine and people order it from me. I was taught by my mother who is Khoi San, that marijuana is a herb and is to be used as a medicine and not abused for pleasure,” she said.

Some protesters have been waiting 40 years to see changes in South Africa’s cannabis law. “It will not only benefit people’s health, but it being legalized will also mean there will be control over its use,” Berkout told another source. “It is also less harmful than alcohol, yet alcohol is legal. People use it to make medicine and our aim is to save lives, and we are hoping to save South African lives.”

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