The Six Step Programme Towards a Healthy Cannabis Economy
Tshwane University of Technology senior cannabis researcher Dr David Katerere (pictured here) and his colleagues argue that South Africa should be seeing cannabis as a tool for rural industrialization, nutrition and sustainable economic development rather than just a controlled substance. Here are the six steps they suggest to put South African cannabis reform back onto a healthy pathway.
African Connections: Druids Garden Mentors Nigeria’s Vie Lifestyle To Get Medical Cannabis License in Rwanda
Gauteng-based Druids Garden and Nigeria’s Vie Lifestyle are expected to be among the first licensed operators in Rwanda’s emerging cannabis sector. Druids Holdings Group CEO Cian McClelland visited Rwanda this month to formalize a partnership that’s emerging as a case study in African cannabis collaboration.
Ghana: Prospective Hemp Farmers Anxiously Await Parliament’s Decision on Licensing Fees and Structure
Hemp stakeholders in Ghana are anxiously awaiting the outcome from Parliament to find out how much it will cost and what it will take to become industrial cannabis cultivators. After four long years of preparing a hemp ‘legal instrument’, MP’s are expected to debate and decide on what license fees will be charged.
CSIR’s Katurere: Fast-Track Setting Up a Central Cannabis Authority to End Reform Chaos
One of South Africa’s leading researchers in cannabis science and policy, the CSIR and TUT academic, David Katurere, has called for the urgent establishment of the central cannabis authority envisaged by the DTIC to halt the regulatory morass South African cannabis is sliding into.
Thanks to Cannabis Oil, Nigeria’s Legalization Debate Finally Gets Underway
The Nigerian Academy of Science has put the prospect of legalizing cannabis oil for medical purposes on the table. In hosted a breakthrough workshop in Abuja this month to open up a debate on the issue, and this may be the first sign that Nigeria is considering relaxing its deeply prohibitionist stance on cannabis.
The Cannabis Monopoly Playbook: How Global Regulation Protects Corporates and Excludes Communities
Guest columnist Lee Hymers takes a deep dive into the exclusionary patterns that drive global cannabis reform. Across the globe, the story is the same: regulatory systems favour a concentration of power amongst the big players to the exclusion of legacy growers, communities and entrepreneurs.
Brazil Becoming a Medical Cannabis Powerhouse
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.
Let’s Talk Biofuels, Baby: Petro SA’s Green Ambitions Could Super-Charge the Industrial Cannabis Landscape
The Department of Energy and Mineral Resources is set to become a major player in the industrial cannabis sector as Petro SA incorporates hemp into its biofuels strategy. The state-owned fuel company is looking to procure huge volumes and is developing an offtake model for hemp farmers with plans to be in business by 2028.
Five Sane Steps That Could Get SA Cannabis Reform Back on Track
South Africa’s cannabis regulatory tangle get worse by the day as Government dithers and the ‘Grey Zone’ expands with no mechanisms for standardization or consumer protection on the cards. Charl Botha of H3 Legal Solutions (pictured here) has written to the President and other key ministers suggesting five steps that would bring the coherence that’s so urgently needed for cannabis reform to proceed as the Presidency intended.
Agribiz Chief Economist: The Mood is Downbeat on Cannabis But ‘There Are Cycles in These Things’
Wandile Sihlobo says it’s time for more action and less talk in the cannabis industry. The chief economist for the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agribiz) has welcomed the news that ARC is putting up a cannabis research mega-facility in Pretoria, but says the snail’s pace of legislative reform is troubling.