Although South Africa accounts for a tiny percentage of global cannabis trade, it is an important part of the bigger picture, with cannabis markets in Europe, the UK, Israel and Australia. Cannabiz Africa reports on international developments affecting the African cannabis and hemp sector as well as consumer market trends of interest to South African operators.
88% of Americans support cannabis legalization, but only 53% live in states where consumption is legal. This has impacted retail patterns. Take the tiny town of New Buffalo, Michigan: it sells more cannabis than the whole of LA – because of its ease of access to neighbouring Illinois and Indiana where prohibition remains.
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.
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’”
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.
The massive blast at Solos Extracts at Sand Springs claimed the lives of two workers and damaged 25 buildings, and was likely triggered by an ‘active, unsafe, and unauthorized manufacturing event’ involving volatile solvents like liquid propane and butane. The facility owner is facing murder charges because it was allegedly operating illegally.
Solvents used in the cannabis extraction process are highly flammable and demand to be treated with respect. That’s what went wrong in Oklahoma says Choctaw CEO Justin Wood. He says the key to preventative safety in processing facilities is controlling ignition sources and preventing gases from reaching high concentrations.
eSwatini’s first hemp concessionaires have appealed to King Mswati III to host a SADC cannabis summit next year. Joe Mkhabela and Johan Botha of African Hemp Development and Management made the appeal when they met the King at eSwatini’s International Trade Fair recently.
An explosion last week at Sand Springs Cannabis Facility, Oklahoma cost two lives and has created a furore in the state’s cannabis industry. Authorities are pursuing felony murder charges against the facility owner after license irregularities emerged in the investigation.
California has been toppled as the largest legal cannabis market in the world, as Canada takes over in terms of monthly revenue. Canadian retailers set a new monthly record in June of approximately US$374 million in sales, surpassing US West Coast revenue for the first time.
In the US, the novelty of cannabis legalization has worn off, and the industry is now shifting from catering to connoisseurs to enticing first time users. Forbes Magazine reports that smart companies are now moving beyond cannabis culture into the hospitality and comfort zone.
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