We mourn...

The South African Network of People Who Use Drugs is mourning the death of Julian Stobbs, one half of the Dagga Couple. Jules was shot during a robbery at the house he shares with the other half of the dagga couple, his partner, Myrtle Clarke in Lanseria. The exact circumstances are unclear, and we will wait for the facts to emerge before making assumptions. No matter what the circumstances, we distance ourselves from the various pieces of misinformation that frame the murder of Jules as part of a "white genocide" and the claims that "white farmers" are being systematically murdered. We also distance ourselves from claims that blame "foreign nationals" and "migrants". We believe that Jules would not have wanted his name linked with these claims. We do deplore the systemic violence, compounded by high levels of state sanctioned violence, that is pervasive in our country.
We pay respect to, and acknowledge, the ground-breaking work done by Jules and Myrtle in the field of drug policy. We were fortunate to be able to follow in their wake and learn from their experiences and lessons they had learned which they willingly shared with us. Three of the SANPUD team were with Jules and Myrtle in Vienna in March at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, where they had had smade their voices heard. They also spoke at the SA Drug Policy Week in 2018 - the videos are here. and their main talk is here : Jules and Myrtle at SA DPW-18.

Please visit the website of the Dagga Couple webpage and the Fields of Green for All webpage.
We mourn the loss of Jules, and the loss of countless comrades who have been murdered during the war on drugs.