The Ministerial conference concluded with the adoption of the "Lisbon Declaration", which notes, inter alia, global developments in cannabis policy and commits to the protection of people who use drugs.
The bill would translate into increasing human rights abuses in the name of drug control, including through the involvement of the military in treatment and the expansion of compulsory detention.
Activists decried that the measure will suppose supplementary funds for policing and, through very low thresholds, perpetuate police intervention in the lives of people who use drugs.
Despite attempts by the outgoing administration to ban the prescription of cannabis products, a growing number of activists, civil society, health professionals and politicians mobilise to secure safe access.
As South Africa lags far behind with harm reduction services compared to other countries in the region, wide-ranging reforms are needed to improve access to essential medicines, confront funding gaps and stop coercion into 'treatment'.
