South Africa occupies a unique position in the rapidly developing legal cannabis market. With a government that seeks to legalize and develop the cannabis and hemp sectors as a sunshine industry and a private and community sector desperately willing to engage, this should be a match made in heaven. Yet the country finds itself in a regulatory quagmire with market forces, both legal and illegal, now in control. Cannabiz Africa is your front row on the torturous journey towards a regulated adult-use commercial market.
South Africa’s hopes of a playing a meaningful role in the global medical cannabis value chain are unwarranted. New research warns that an ‘export-only’ model is actually a ‘race to the bottom’, tying up capital in non-inclusive growth that does not make money, create jobs or alleviate rural poverty.
Senior Justice Department official Makubela Mokulubete (pictured here) says the long-awaited Cannabis for Private Purposes Act will become operational before year end. He says 2 807 public submissions were received on the Act, these had been reviewed and the final regulations would be published soon.
The Department of Trade Industry and Competition didn’t pitch to the National Cannabis Dialogue and made no submission on its commercialization plans. Instead of any initiative from government’s side the national cannabis conversation is stuck on repeat, arrests continue, and the regulatory vacuum sucks all the fresh air out of the room.
The National Cannabis Dialogue held last week in Gauteng gave cannabis stakeholders their first real access to government officials involved in cannabis reform. Although the Gauteng premier and Ekuruhleni mayor cancelled their appearances at the last moment, a range of other officials were in attendance.
The DTIC’s main cannabis advisor, John Jeffery, has resigned. The former deputy justice minister is yet to give a reason for his decision to quit as project manager for the Cannabis and Hemp Master Plan, and his departure will be a setback for cannabis commercialization plans.
Cannabis cannot be defined as a ‘narcotic’ in the workplace, and a blanket ‘zero tolerance’ approach no longer holds up like it used to.Werksmans says employers should update workplace policies in light of a recent arbitration ruling against PFG Glass in favour of a worker dismissed for ‘impairment’
The National Cannabis Dialogue is scheduled to take place at the Kempton Park City Hall today, where about 300 stakeholders are expected to interact with government officials in what could be a landmark summit in shaping cannabis reform going forward. John Makoni highlights the key issues on the table.
A Mbombela judge has given the NPA a lashing in dismissing its application to seize an elderly couple’s property because their grandson grew cannabis there. Judge Malose Monene accused the NPA of ‘missing the point’ of forfeiture in its ‘offensive and constitutionally distasteful’ application.
EFF MP and cannabis advocate Quanita Booley says the future ‘ownership’ of the cannabis industry is central to its sustainability. She writes that the National Cannabis Dialogue needs to ensure the benefits of legalization are not just concentrated in the hands of the few.
Government wants South Africa’s cannabis and hemp industry to grow by 10% a year from a R14bn base. That’s wonderful, writes Charl Botha of H3 Solutions, stakeholders have been waiting for years for a commercialization plan with figures. It’s just that now, um, how do we join up?
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