A dagga-smoking couple busted for possession have started a crowdfunding campaign to fly global experts to South Africa to argue for the legislation of cannabis in their high court case early next year.
Since they started social media fundraising 10 days ago, more than R200000 has been received to help Jules Stobbs and Myrtle Clarke challenge local dagga laws in Pretoria next March. “We were arrested in our home, charged with possession and dealing, and then got the hell-in,” Stobbs explained.
Stobbs and Clarke, who are known as the “Dagga Couple”, have already secured the services of world renowned researcher Dr Donald Abrams – who has produced more than 180 peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy of cannabis as medicine – to testify in the court case supporters have dubbed “the trial of the plant”.
They feel the laws that make dagga illegal are a relic of apartheid South Africa, and should be scrapped.
“To adequately present the facts to the court, we need the testimony of a number of expert witnesses, and we have launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the travel, accommodation and fees associated with bringing these experts to South Africa,” said Stobbs.
“We don’t believe we are qualified or have the expertise to speak for ourselves in a high court, and have maintained all along that we will attract the best legal minds to argue the case for us. We have one chance at this and we are adamant we are going to get it right first time.”
Stobbs says they have compiled a list of international doctors, chemists, criminologists, pharmacologists and cops prepared to testify.
“It’s a case of go big or go home … the more we raise, the bulletproof we become … in court.”
The campaign to legalise dagga was slammed yesterday by the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence’s Eastern Cape head Roger Weimann.
He said dagga was a “gateway drug” to harder substance abuse and its use had far-reaching consequences.
He said dagga was the most widely abused substance in the Eastern Cape – especially among people under the age of 20.
Jeremy Acton of Iqela Lentsango – the Dagga Party of South Africa – said yesterday they encouraged the public to support Stobbs and Clarke’s campaign to legalise dagga.
Stobbs said the state had been “throwing billions of rand away enforcing a 100-year-old, out-of-date law”. He said they were now suing government for enacting unlawful laws.
World boffs for dagga trial
Since they started social media fundraising 10 days ago, more than R200000 has been received to help Jules Stobbs and Myrtle Clarke challenge local dagga laws in Pretoria next March. “We were arrested in our home, charged with possession and dealing, and then got the hell-in,” Stobbs explained.
Stobbs and Clarke, who are known as the “Dagga Couple”, have already secured the services of world renowned researcher Dr Donald Abrams – who has produced more than 180 peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy of cannabis as medicine – to testify in the court case supporters have dubbed “the trial of the plant”.
They feel the laws that make dagga illegal are a relic of apartheid South Africa, and should be scrapped.
“To adequately present the facts to the court, we need the testimony of a number of expert witnesses, and we have launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the travel, accommodation and fees associated with bringing these experts to South Africa,” said Stobbs.
“We don’t believe we are qualified or have the expertise to speak for ourselves in a high court, and have maintained all along that we will attract the best legal minds to argue the case for us. We have one chance at this and we are adamant we are going to get it right first time.”
Stobbs says they have compiled a list of international doctors, chemists, criminologists, pharmacologists and cops prepared to testify.
“It’s a case of go big or go home … the more we raise, the bulletproof we become … in court.”
The campaign to legalise dagga was slammed yesterday by the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence’s Eastern Cape head Roger Weimann.
He said dagga was a “gateway drug” to harder substance abuse and its use had far-reaching consequences.
He said dagga was the most widely abused substance in the Eastern Cape – especially among people under the age of 20.
Jeremy Acton of Iqela Lentsango – the Dagga Party of South Africa – said yesterday they encouraged the public to support Stobbs and Clarke’s campaign to legalise dagga.
Stobbs said the state had been “throwing billions of rand away enforcing a 100-year-old, out-of-date law”. He said they were now suing government for enacting unlawful laws.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos