This paper summarizes the history and status of cannabis decriminalization in South Africa and draws on a review of literature to identify a key set of variables that determine the impact of legalization on organized crime: the type and degree of restrictiveness of the new regulations; various cultural, socio-economic, and political factors; features of the criminal justice system; and the structure and nature of criminal organization in the illegal cannabis market.
The paper was drafted by Anine Kriegler, is a senior researcher in the Justice and Violence Prevention programme of the Institute for Security Studies, South Africa. The work was commissioned as part of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime’s Drug Policy Reform and Organized Crime project. It was made possible with generous funding provided by the Open Society Foundations
Find the PDF to download here: https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Anine-Kriegler-Cannabis-policy-reform-and-organized-crime-A-model-and-review-for-South-Africa-GI-TOC-February-2023.pdf
