Page 148 - Daggabay Magazine Issue 9

Fields of Green for ALL • Collectively Reforming South African Cannabis Laws

Because Cannabis law reform in South Africa the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the central
cannot happen in a vacuum, there is a need legislative organ of the international community
to look into drug policies in other countries. on Cannabis-related policies. As active members
Fields of Green for ALL has been involved on the of the Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) and
international stage at several levels to get an New York NGO Committee on Drugs (NYNGOC)
international perspective on the subject, as well – official organs for participation and provision
as having been invited to speak at various South of inputs to the United Nations drug-control
African Cannabis conferences. programme – we have contributed on several
occasions to the ongoing debate on Cannabis,
We attended the United Nations General drug policies and the IDCC at the United Nations,
Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS providing our vision and updates from South
2016) in New York in 2016 and several sessions of Africa.

2016 2019
• Global Forum of Producers of Prohibited Plants • Speakers at Hempfest , Seattle, Washington,
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(Heemskerk, The Netherlands). USA, and a series of meetings with North-
• United Nations General Assembly Special Session American Cannabis stakeholders (farmers,
on Drugs (UNGASS2016) (New York, USA) . breeders, NGOs, researchers, entrepreneurs,
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• SA Drug Policy Week (RUN2016), Cape Town: etc.).
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Cannabis debate side event. A conference that • Beginnings of engagements with activists from
attracts high-profile drug policy experts from neighbouring countries, Namibia, Lesotho,
around the world. This annual conference is Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.
gaining momentum and has put the efforts of • Speakers at the SA Cannabis Expo, Cape Town,
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local activists firmly on the international map. South Africa .
2017 • Speakers at the SA Cannabis Expo,
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• Presentation of a paper at the Harm Reduction Johannesburg, South Africa .
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International (HRI17) conference, Montreal, • Speakers at the Okhahlamba Agriculture and
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Canada: “Cannabis is the Gateway to more Land Summit, Bergville, South Africa .
Evidence-based Drug Policy in South Africa”, • Presentation at the Agrihub and Chamber of
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centred around our #JoinTheQ project , which Commerce, Piet Retief, South Africa .
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helps citizens arrested on Cannabis-related • Speakers, Cannatech Convention , Cape Town,
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charges. South Africa.
• Hosts of the Clinical Cannabis Convention , • Speakers, Vukani East London Cannabis
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Johannesburg. Presented by Fields of Green Conference , East London, South Africa.
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for ALL and held during The Trial of the Plant in • Speakers, The Durban Cannabis Expo , Durban,
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August 2017. We saw our local and international South Africa.
speakers connect the dots between Cannabis • Speakers, Gordon Institute of Business
science and drug-policy reform . Science (GIBS), Cannabis: Great new Business
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2018 Opportunity or Hype? , Johannesburg, South
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• Civil Society delegates , Commission on Narcotic Africa.
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Drugs (CND61), Vienna, Austria. 2020
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• Keynote Speakers , Cannabis Liberation Day , • Civil Society delegates, Commission on Narcotic
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Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Drugs (CND63), Vienna, Austria .
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• Speakers, Beyond Psychedelics conference , • Speakers. 3rd Annual European Workshop on
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Prague, Czech Republic. Advancing the Field of Cannabis/Hemp through
• Series of meetings with European Cannabis Standardization. Marleen Theunissen (Dagga
stakeholders (farmers, breeders, NGOs, Private Clubs) .
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researchers, entrepreneurs, etc.). • Speakers, University of Pretoria, Series of
• Speakers at SA’s first Cannabis Expo, Pretoria, Webinars around the legalisation of Cannabis in
South Africa . South Africa .
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• International Cannabis Policy Conference
(ICPC2018) , Vienna, Austria.
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104 CANNABIS IN SOUTH AFRICA • THE PEOPLE’S PLANT • A Full-Spectrum Manifesto For Policy Reform