This article is posted in memorial of Alec Smith (25 May 1949 – 19 January 2006)

Alexander Douglas Smith, commonly known as Alec Smith, was born in Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia. The son of Ian Smith, the Prime Minister of Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1979, he became a chaplain in the Zimbabwe National Army and a farmer.

In April 1964, when Alec was 14, his father became Prime Minister of Rhodesia. Alec later suggested that this had caused family life to suffer. In 1970 Alec started studying for a degree in law at Rhodes University in South Africa. On his own for the first time, Alec became increasingly alienated from his background and neglected his studies in favour of partying, alcoholism, and drugs. He first came to public attention at this time by applying for a British passport while declaring that he did not agree with his father’s political views and still considered himself a loyal British subject.

On 20 December 1971 while returning from vacation in Mozambique, Alec was found to be in possession of 200 grams of dagga by the South African authorities at the border. He was convicted of drug trafficking, fined and given a suspended prison sentence and as result was expelled from university at the end of his first year.

Thus the enforcement of unjust laws of dagga prohibition took away great value from Alec’s life and most importantly denied him the education every person have universal human rights to.

As a victims of unjust dagga laws the dagga culture will never forget the impact dagga prohibition have had, not only on Alec’s life but, on the lives of all daggafarians.