Cannabiz Africa’s Brett Hilton-Barber in conversation with Cheeba Africa co-founder Trenton Birch, one of the main organizers of the Cannabis and Hemp Summit recently held alongside the Expo in Sandton.
BHB: Congratulations on pulling off this year’s Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Summit – you delivered on the promise of ringside seats on the national conversation: for me the big one was the discussion around the Gareth Prince court action and how it has the potential to set everything back. What other conversations of significance that you’d like to highlight?
TB: It certainly was incredible to see the national conversations around the current status of the industry jostling out in the open as opposed to behind closed doors.
The CTAA’s platform launch was definitely an interesting topic and a good step towards the industry growing up and putting some self-regulation in place which was encouraging. And of course having global speakers like Beau Whitney providing insight into global metrics and numbers was insightful and helped the event keep connected to global market trends.
There was also a powerful conversation with Cyrus Renfrew (UK) from Scale and Gregg Steinberg (USA) from Belushi Farm around the international interest in South Africa’s industry which was encouraging. It definitely felt like the industry is starting to move out of a slumber cycle.
BHB: I was honoured to host the panel on whether Mpondoland has the makings of an international brand. It was really interesting to get an insight into Mpondoland genetics, particularly their medical potential. From their perspective, the Summit was a mobilization platform – based on your interactions with the many Mpondoland delegates, how do you think the Eastern Cape cannabis landscape is shaping out?
TB: Sadly I think it’s a disaster. I mean these are the people who put South Africa on the global map for Cannabis and they still have no license option, are still considered criminals in the eyes of the law and have had very little economic or infrastructure support. The government has done nothing but spin their wheels on this matter for the last 7 years and to be blunt it is a national embarrassment. However, I absolutely believe in its potential. Appellation similar to what the US did with Humboldt could completely change the narrative of the region. But for that to happen there needs to be a frame work to support mobilisation. This is also why we run our summit. To give groups access to platforms where they can drive their own voice and narrative. We are simply the channel and it is always encouraging to see people utilising the platform to drive change and the force of Mpondoland was definitely felt at the Summit.
BHB: There was a lot going on at the Summit for anyone to keep track of, but from your side, post all of those discussions, what are the three pointers that we should be looking out for in the cannabis landscape for the rest of the year?
TB: Legislation is coming but we need to make as much noise as possible to keep the momentum and hold the government accountable. The fight is not over. There is also a lot of confusion amongst the public about whether cannabis is legal or not. There is a big role to play in educating the public. There is a growing interest in greendoor and outdoor cultivation from the international market and this is good news for Africa. Price is starting to lead.
BHB: As wonderful as it was to see Ms Medusa X dab hits stand next to Farmers Weekly at the Expo, it did make me wonder how comfortably hemp and ‘rec’ sit in the same space. From a business perspective, their paths are increasingly diverging. What’s your take?
TB: You are correct. They are effectively two completely separate industries that also feed into different downstream post farm gate industries. There is definitely some cross over and ultimately it is the same plant and this is why it gets confusing. Internationally Cannabis and hemp events are different but our industry is small so I do believe they can live side by side if positioned correctly and given separate spaces. But I think our industry is too small to do separate events if we want to drive momentum.
BHB: Although The Cannabis Expo is primarily a consumer event, the Open Stage and the Summit bring a B2B element to the proceedings. There’s always a conversation about how comfortable B2C and B2B sit together. How comfortable is this fit or should there also be a standalone forum separate from the Expo that deals with law, policy, business etc?
TB: Yes the Expo has become a B2C event which is fine but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for B2B conversations which is exactly why the Summit takes place.
BHB: And in light of this what is your message to cannabis industry stakeholders?
TB: It is time for our industry to grow up. We need to hold people accountable for their actions, mobilise, formalise and self regulate. The government is never going to push this industry forward, that is crystal clear and while we demand that they enable us, we should expect no more. If we want to become the global powerhouse for Cannabis & hemp, that we have the potential to be, then we need to collaborate, share knowledge and pull our socks up !
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