You would be surprised how easy it is to help South Africa on it’s way to a legal dagga industry.

1. Sign the Dagga Couple petition.

The Dagga Couple petition has already garnered over 16603 signatures.

Don’t be afraid to enter your personal information: The Dagga Couple have take all reasonable steps to protect all personal information submitted when completing the petition. Such information will be stored in an encrypted format on a secure server.

‪2. #‎JoinTheQueue – Fields of Green for ALL

#JoinTheQueue provides you with the opportunity to challenge the prohibition of Cannabis in a combined and constructive effort through Fields of Green for ALL’s professional legal team. By choosing to #JoinTheQueue you are making a significant contribution to the progress of bringing an end to Cannabis prohibition. No longer just another victim amongst South Africa’s millions of other responsible users, when you #JoinTheQueue you become an integral catalyst for legalisation.

http://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/legal/join-the-queue

3. Tweet to the politicians in power.

The 2015 State of the Nation Address – 12 Feb 2015
#SONA2015 presents an excellent platform to seek immediate relief from dagga prohibition. Act quickly we only have till the 12th of February 2015

Jacob Zuma
Tweet @PresidencyZA #SONA2015

Helen Zille
Tweet @HelenZille #SONA2015

Julius Malema
Tweet @Julius_S_Malema #SONA2015

Send these tweets anytime

If you missed the #SONA2015 tweet deadline, don’t fret, these tweets you can be sent anytime, until dagga is legal in South Africa and remember you can change the message to your liking.

Tweet to @PresidencyZA

Tweet to @HelenZille

Tweet to @Julius_S_Malema

4. Attend the annual Global Cannabis March & the 420 Dagga Day celebrations.

The annual Global Cannabis March takes place on the first Saturday of May every year. This year the march will take place in Cape Town, Johannesburg & Durban. Find the Global Cannabis March on Facebook

• Durban march will be from Bulwer Park to Essenwood Fleamarket
• Jozi march will start and finish at the famous Mofolo Park in central Soweto
• Cape Town march will start and finish close to the Cape Peninsula University of Technology: CPUT

The 420 Dagga Day celebration takes place on the 20th of April each year in Johannesburg and is hosted by The Dagga Couple.

5. Become an activist.

Activists are people who see the need for change and devote their time to doing something about it. They are driven by passion and a vision for a better future. Activism comes naturally to some, while for others, it’s thrust upon them when they experience situations that hurt them or those they love. Whatever your reason for wanting to become an activist, you have the ability to do so no matter your age, your means, or your background. It’s people like you, people who believe they have the power to make a difference, who end up changing the world for the better. See How To Become An Activist to learn more about becoming an activist. You should be independent because that shows you are committed to the situation.

6. Research, read a book & share what you have learned.

There are so many good ebooks available. Read them, share them.

The Report. Cannabis, Human Rights & The Law by Kenn D’Oudney & Joanna D’Oudney
Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink?
Jack Herer – The Emperor Wears No Clothes
Granny Storm Crow’s Medical Marijuana Reference List- January 2013
It’s Just a Plant – a children’s book about marijuana
Dagga Knowledge-base

7. Start a Dagga Party Ward in your area.

If you put a Dagga Party Majority into a local council, that council would legalize in that district. – Jeremy Acton

Unify with all daggafarians in your neighbourhood to form a local co-operative Dagga Party group. This group must include all who use the Herb, and would be an inclusive group of all races, and all religious faiths. Each ward should have a group, and where two or more wards cover an area, those wards can make positive co-operative contact for the good of their neighbourhood. Where two groups form in one ward, they must amalgamate, with the elected officials working together rather than competing against each other.

For the Gathering you can download the Ward Group Constitution, (aka the Constituent Association Constitution). You fill it in to name your group and to keep a register of members. Ensure the membership info is hidden from outsiders as the Herb is still illegal. http://www.daggaparty.org/download/CAConstitution.pdf

By doing this we effectively reshape the politics of our townships and of South Africa as a whole.
Your group must also elect a President of the Group, a Secretary and a Treasurer, and must encourage youth membership. Doing this is more important than just voting a distant leader into a Parliamentary seat, and then to just allow the Dagga prohibition and socio-economic situation in the townships to continue.

8. Become an Active Member of the Dagga Union of South Africa

Help the union gain momentum. Stand up for daggafarian rights. Currently the members group consists of over 15,971 people.

dagga.za.net/union
dagga.za.net/union/twitter
dagga.za.net/union/facebook

9. Support South African Headshops.

puff.co.za
belowthelion.co.za
Dagga Shop

10. Be Proudly Daggafarian: Get out of the ‘The Dagga Closet’!

End the dagga taboo. Show South Africa that being a pothead does not mean you are lazy, unproductive or a good for nothing.

Dagga is a taboo subject to some members of society. As a result, there are many dagga consumers that limit the amount of people they admit their dagga use to. For instance all of my friends and family know that I consume dagga, but it’s not something I told all of my co-workers at my last job due to employment policies that would fire me if my dagga consumption became known. I have never looked at it like I’m ashamed to be a dagga consumer. I just have always felt that I am protecting dumb people from themselves by not telling them about my dagga consumption, as they will no doubt react in a harsh, illogical way.

A case study would be legendary Olympic athlete Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps won 14 Gold medals (16 medals overall) for the United States so far in his life, with possibly more to come. Michael Phelps was considered as an American hero by all of society until pictures surfaced of him taking an Olympic sized bong hit. He was labeled an outcast by conservative America, condemned by parents as being a bad example for children, and lost numerous endorsement deals. This is the same guy that up until that picture surfaced, was considered the standard of what American awesomeness looked like in the new century. The fact that one dagga bong hit picture can outweigh a lifetime of achievement at a world record level in some people’s eyes is disgusting to me.

There are countless people that I worked with that knew me as a hard worker, as someone that they could rely on to get the job done, and that I was a very articulate communicator. Unfortunately, their perceptions would change if they knew I consumed dagga, despite the fact that I still possess all of the qualities that they thought made me a good person. That’s just how strong reefer madness is in some circles of society. It’s sad and unfortunate, but it is what it is.

I know that my experience is pretty standard for most dagga consumers. dagga consumers encounter uneducated, biased people everyday that are easier to avoid than confront. Have you ever argued with someone that is ‘gone off the reefer madness?’ There’s absolutely no way to change their minds. I conserve my energy by avoiding people like that and looking for people that are on the fence about the issue. I love ‘coming out of the dagga closet’ when I talk to those type of people.

I like to talk to ‘luke warm’ dagga supporters that I meet at a workplace or some other settings, and I encourage others to do so as often as you feel comfortable with. These type of citizens, which are a majority of South Africa, generally agree that dagga prohibition has failed, and that there is a lot of false hype that has kept dagga illegal for so long. I once heard Radical Russ Belville refer to a study that stated three in four people support ending dagga prohibition, but only one in four thinks their neighbor agrees. These people are just waiting for someone to bring the issue to a personal level, as some likely don’t smoke dagga themselves. However, if you are known to them as a hard worker, that you are someone that they can depend on, and you can articulate your stance on dagga to them, chances are you will sway them from being on the fence to supplying their signature for a dagga reform initiative or more.

Have you ‘come out of the dagga closet?’ If so, do you have any tips for others that are hesitant to ‘come out of the dagga closet?’ Can you elaborate in the comments section about your experience so that others can benefit from your knowledge? If you haven’t ‘come out of the dagga closet,’ why not? Is it due to employment reasons? Fear of backlash from family or friends? Are you in a relationship with someone that you don’t want to know about your dagga consumption? Some other reason? I look forward to what readers have to say.

Source: Coming out of the marijuana closet/