South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week signed the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act, making South Africa the first African nation to legalise the use of marijuana.
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The bill removes cannabis from the country’s list of outlawed narcotics, allowing adults to grow and consume the marijuana (except in the presence of children).
The bill also stipulates that those who broke the law by growing marijuana will have their records automatically wiped clean.
However, it is unclear how this will take place or when and if any of the 3,000 people in prison for cannabis-related offences as of 2022 will be released.
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The legalization of cannabis, particularly for medicinal purposes, is gaining momentum worldwide. Countries like Thailand have decriminalized the cultivation, distribution, marketing, and consumption of cannabis, highlighting its medical benefits and using it as a cash crop.
Currently, 8 countries have some sort of legalisation status for marijuana.
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