After lengthy delays there will be more lengthy delays

The Haze Club (THC) director Neil Liddell says he’s relieved his Western Cape High Court application hearing to have the legality of private cannabis clubs was wrapped up in a day – although it could take between two to six months for Judge 

Maud Slinger to write up her judgement. The THC application was finally heard on 6 June 2022 after over a year of delays.

Judge Slinger is known to be fastidious when writing judgements, so, in the words of Liddell’s lawyer, Andrew MacPherson of Brink Ward: “this is just the beginning”.

MacPherson says that whatever the outcome of the application, the matter is likely to head back to the Constitutional Court as both the State and Liddell will appeal the judgement if it goes against them.

“It does make me feel better, the chances of going to jail are less and less”

“I’m feeling good. It was a long day in court yesterday but thankfully it all got wrapped up in one day and we didn’t have any further postponements” Liddell told Cannasphere Africa TV in an exclusive interview   on 7 June 2022. Host Trenton Birch asked Liddell whether he felt more confident in court now than when he was arrested almost two years ago as the cannabis sector had transformed significantly since then.

Liddell replied: “I don’t think this affects the case so much, but it does make me feel better because the chances of going to jail are less and less as the industry moves forward, as legislation comes closer, as we see which way the Government is trying to move this industry, so I definitely feel better about it, but I don’t think it affects the case too much though”.

Liddell said that the court arguments were quite “detailed in the letter of law” but that “sitting there as a layman, the Judge did give the State a bit of a grilling, more so than us, so hopefully that’s positive feedback”.  But, as he conceded: “One never knows.”

State Has Compromised Itself Over PCC’s

The State’s case has been compromised by a change in attitude of Senior State Law Advisor Sarel Robbertse who had provided an affidavit opposing the legalization of PCC’s. However, in Parliament last week, he admitted that they could serve value as a harms reduction mechanism in the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill.