The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
In a discussion at a San Franciso event that principally focused on decriminalising marijuana in the "War on Drugs", Sir Richard Branson argues that it is also worth decriminalising heroin. He refers to Portugal where heroin use is treated as a health problem. Heroin users are not sent to prison, but instead have access to state funded outlets where they can get their drugs as well as clean needles. Consequently, the number of HIV cases has decreased dramatically and the problem...
Dale T. McKinley -
In the spirit of John Lennon, imagine this near-future scenario.
It is 2016, the 20th anniversary of South Africa’s Constitution. Alongside all sorts of official festivities, a sizeable portion of the population is celebrating the recent decision by the Constitutional Court to declare the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act (No. 142 of 1992), a piece of legislation embedded in over a century of colonial, racist politics and wrapped in layers of ideologically and morally manipulated...
The first medical marijuana commercial has already debuted on major television networks in America. The advertisement was produced by MarijuanaDoctors.com, the only service that connects patients with physicians for medical marijuana recommendations. The advertisement appeared on American channels such as Fox, CNN, ESPN, Comedy Central, AMC, and Discovery.
The commercial, which represents a breakthrough for challenging conventional public perceptions about marijuana use, is being aired...
