H3’s Charl Botha: People in Power are Deliberately Delaying Cannabis Reform, and We Intend Finding Out Just Who’s Responsible
H3 Legal Solutions’ Charl Botha says concern is mounting that officials within government are deliberately delaying cannabis reform because they benefit from illegal trade. He says the result is a “state-enabled vacuum” that benefits criminals, corrupts governance and favours the politically connected.
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.
Moroccan Firm Cannaflex Tests South African Medical Cannabis Market with World First Prescription
Moroccan firm Cannaflex has launched a new cannabis-based medicine and the first prescription of the product was to a South African patient last week. This was done through local compliance partners, Gauteng-based DRA Pharmaceuticals, and signals Morocco’s entry into the international medical cannabis market.
Labat Closes the Door on Cannabis; Sells CannAfrica and Other Non-Core Assets for R23 Million
Labat Africa has called it quits on the cannabis front and has sold Cannafrica and all its cannabis assets for R23 million to 64P Investments. After years of burning cash in trying to turn its first mover advantage into an empire, the JSE listed group announced yesterday that the sale was a done deal and that its future lay in the AI, data and tech investment sector.
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.
Reframing the Cannabis Science and Policy Debate: THC is Not a Crime, Ignorance Is!
THC is the cannabis compound that frightens everyone because of its mind-altering capacity. But because the plant is a molecular ecosystem, it makes no sense to criminalize just one part of it. Regular columnist Charl Botha and Gavin Tonks argue that policymakers should reframe their whole approach and recognize cannabis as a mult-compound bio-resource, not a single molecule narcotic.
‘Be Bold and Depenalise Cannabis as a Way of Fighting the Scourge of Organized Transnational Crime’
The Mauritius Times has called for a review of Island nation’s approach to cannabis, saying legalization could be a way of fighting organized crime. Maritius has become an Indian Ocean hub in international narco-trafficking and the newspaper says the work of law enforcement could be made easier if cannabis was ‘depenalised’.
Namibia: Legal Woes Mount for Okahandja Ganja Case Accused
Farm owner David van der Linden (pictured on the right) is on trial for one of the biggest cannabis busts in Namibian history after being arrested during a police raid in Okahandja earlier this year. Now he’s facing additional charges relating to cattle going missing from his government feedlot contract.
The Economist: Legalize Cocaine and Focus on Deadlier Synthetics
In the wake of the recent US strikes on narco-boats in the Caribbean, that most mainstream of magazines, The Economist, argues that brute force is no match for today’s high tech drug runners and a fundamental rethink is required. It proposes that the best way to hit organized crime is by taking the profit incentive out of the product and that legalizing cocaine would be such a mechanism.
‘Co-Use’ of Cannabis and Vaping Contributing to a Looming Youth Mental Health Crisis
A University of Pretoria health expert warns that a mental health crisis is looming among young South Africans amid alarming increases in both vaping and cannabis use. Known as co-use, the trend is being fuelled by poor regulation, loopholes in the law and insufficient attention to youth mental health and well-being.