South Africa’s top court ruled Tuesday that private, personal cannabis use is legal in a landmark case that has pitted officials against marijuana advocates and the judiciary.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, delivering the Johannesburg-based Constitutional Court’s unanimous verdict, said the law banning marijuana use in private by adults “is unconstitutional and therefore invalid”.
“It will not be a criminal offence for an adult person to use or be in possession of cannabis in private for his or her personal consumption,” he said, reading the ruling to cheers from the public gallery.
The court also ordered parliament to draft new laws within 24 months to reflect the order.
A court in the Western Cape region had ruled in March 2017 that a ban on cannabis use by adults at home was unconstitutional, effectively decriminalising it in the province that includes Cape Town.
