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.
Cannabizetol (CBGD), is the latest cannabis compound discovered. According to Italian and Swiss scientists the new cannabis compound appears to have “remarkable antioxidant and skin anti-inflammatory” properties and continues to expand our knowledge of the plant.
With over 670,000 registered patients and approximately 50,000 doctors prescribing cannabis for medicinal purposes, Brazil is poised to become one of the largest producers of medicinal cannabis worldwide. However, the main obstacle to expansion is the ban on flowers and THC.
Millennials are the leading spenders on cannabis pet products, driven by their own awareness of the benefits of CBD, as well as the growing trend of owners ‘humanizing’ their pets.
A US study has shown that almost 80% of medical cannabis patients say that the cost of being part of the state-approved system is an issue. The high costs of being a legal medical patient is keeping the illicit market alive, with 10% of the study group admitting to sourcing their medical cannabis from the street.
A US man has been jailed for his part in a huge clandestine operation which distributed popular cereal and candy brands infused with THC and butane hash oil. Prosecutors said that most normal drug traffickers wouldn’t be this reckless in trying to set up an international distribution network.
A bold US initiative to twin hemp batteries and electric vehicles has come to nought with a Trump freeze on ‘green funding’. Wisconsin Battery Company had hoped its hemp carbon batteries would outperform lithium-based alternatives, but has run into financial difficulties before being able to put this to the test.
Over 20% of North Americans have consumed cannabis over the past year. The comparable figure in West Africa is 10% and in South Africa 5%! The latest UN figures show that cannabis use has increased 34% worldwide over the past decade.
A science experiment intended to study how cannabis seeds fare in space—in hopes of one day planting the crop on the moon or even Mars—failed last week when a capsule carrying the payload crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
In a significant shift, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has officially restricted cannabis use exclusively to medical purposes, rolling out new regulations aimed at preventing misuse and ensuring its benefits are channeled solely for health.
Can Europe scale up to 5 million medical cannabis patients? That was one of the main discussion points at the recent Cannabis Europa Conference in London (pictured above) which found the medical cannabis industry in Europe is thriving but science and medical training is lagging far behind.
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