SAHPRA Quietly Halts New Section 21 Medical Cannabis Approvals, Leaving Compliant Patients Without a Pathway
SAHPRA appears to have halted authorising all Section 21 medical cannabis applications for the past two months. This has created an uproar amongst genuine medical cannabis patients and service providers, who accuse SAHPRA of removing the only pathway to accessing medical cannabis without providing any alternative.
US Hemp Industry Faces Disaster if Proposed Ban on Hemp Products Goes Ahead in December
In what must be one of the most bizarre regulatory developments, the US hemp industry is going to be decimated by a ban on hemp products due to take effect in December. Whitney Economics warns that the clampdown on hemp-derived THC products will cause about 68% of hemp businesses to fold.
Kannelix Facilitates Farmer Training in Vaal Triangle Cannabis Commercialization Initiative
Cannabis mentoring company Kannelix has signed an MoU with the Vaal University of Technology to train 60 cannabis farmers in agro-processing and provide offtakes for their biomass. This is part of an MBOSA drive to mainstream traditional growers from the underground into the economic mainstream.
USA: Complications and Confusion are Main Side Effects of Cannabis Rescheduling & ‘Intoxicating Hemp’ Regulations
Veteran medical cannabis campaigner Alice O’Leary Randall is the widow of the man who’s case saw the term ‘medical marijuana’ being used for the first time. Now, 50 years later, she takes a dim view of medical cannabis rescheduling in the US, which in her words is “batshit crazy’”
Angolan Investors Invited to Seek Out Opportunities in Botswana’s New Industrial and Medical Cannabis Sector
Batswana Cabinet Minister, Tiroyaone Ntsima says Angola’s business community should consider investing in Botswana’s new industrial and medicinal cannabis sector. Even though cannabis is illegal in Angola, Ntsima said Angolan investment in Botswana cannabis would enjoy the same protection rights as in any other market.
Ghana’s Dr Torvor: ‘Legalization Should Come With a Public Awareness Campaign to Break the Social Stigmas’
Ghanaian traditional healer Dr Christiana Torvor has called for a public awareness campaign around the benefits of medical cannabis and industrial hemp. She made the call during the launch of her new book in Accra, saying that the benefits of cannabis could only be unlocked if the social stigma was broken.
Cian McClelland: Growing High Quality Medical Cannabis isn’t the Problem: The Real Issue is How it Gets to the Patient
SACHIDA deputy chair Cian McClelland says South Africa needs a clear, reliable, licensed and standardized route to market for medical cannabis. He says licensed cultivators are capable to growing high quality product for South African medical cannabis patients but there is no clearly-regulated pathway to make this happen.
Humans Have Been Using Mind-Altering Plant Material Since They Began Farming
Humans began regularly using psychoactive substances around the same time as they began to domesticate plants. This has emerged from dental analysis of human remains found in Indonesia, dating back around 13 000 years, which show wear-and-tear associated with the consistent chewing mind-altering betel nuts.
Mauritius Expected to Decriminalize Cannabis as National Drug Agency Submits Final Report to Prime Minister
Mauritius’ National Agency for Drug Control (NADC) has completed its final report into a proposed cannabis policy for the Indian Ocean island. The report has been presented to the PM’s office, and although details are still under confidential, it is anticipated that the cannabis will be decriminalized..
‘State Cannabis Summit’ Convened in Response to Prince Application: W Cape High Court Wants Feedback by 1 Oct
All key departments involved in cannabis reform are meeting in Pretoria on 15 and 16 September to develop a co-ordinated government approach to the problems facing the sector. They are doing so under a Western Cape High Court directive in response to the Gareth Prince urgent application to halt cannabis arrests.