Dagga activist Julian Stobbs fatally shot in armed robbery

'The Dagga Couple', Julian Stobbs and Myrtle Clarke. Stobbs was shot and killed in an attack in the early hours of Friday morning.
'The Dagga Couple', Julian Stobbs and Myrtle Clarke. Stobbs was shot and killed in an attack in the early hours of Friday morning.
Image: Alaister Russell

Julian Stobbs, one half of the precedent-setting “Dagga Couple” who fought a five-year battle through the courts for the legalisation of cannabis, has been killed in a robbery near Lanseria in Johannesburg.

The couple operated a private members club and music venue on the property.

Head of Community Safety at AfriForum Ian Cameron confirmed that Stobbs had been shot dead during a robbery at their smallholding in Sunrella.

Cameron said the shooting happened in the early hours of Friday morning.

“They stole everything in the house, came back and went into the bedroom and shot and killed the husband.”

Cameron said they also stole the couple’s cellphones.

Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele could not immediately comment on the matter.

Tributes and condolences are being shared on social media by their friends.

Stobbs, known as Jules, and Myrtle Clarke were arrested in 2010 at their home on charges of possession and dealing in drugs. “We were so indignant at our treatment at the hands of the police that we sued seven government departments on charges of enacting unlawful laws,” she said previously.

From the Pretoria high court in 2013, their legal battle continued until the Constitutional Court ruling in September 2018 that decriminalised the use, growing and possession of dagga in private and for personal consumption. The court, which specified how much was allowable for personal use, gave parliament two years to update legislation to reflect its verdict.

The couple subsequently joined other social activists in a movement called Fields of Green For All, to deal with obstacles to the legal regulation of cannabis in SA, including those arrested for its use, cultivation and trade.


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