South Africa's highest court has legalised the private use of marijuana, upholding a lower court's ruling that found the criminalisation of cannabis was unconstitutional.
In delivering the Constitutional Court's unanimous verdict, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Tuesday declared 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 in Johannesburg.
However, the judgement did not specify the amount that can be used by an adult in private use.
Activists, including members of the Rastafarian movement and traditional healers, greeted the ruling with loud applause.
Outside, pro-cannabis campaigners lit pipes and rolled joints to celebrate the news, filling the air with the distinctive aroma of marijuana.
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