Promises on legal cannabis industry all smoke and mirrors
In his State of the Nation address last year, president Cyril Ramaphosa undertook to review the regulatory framework for cannabis and hemp, to open up a legal industry in South Africa.
Ramaphosa said his government would pass laws and develop policies to “realise the huge potential for investment and job creation” in the sector, which could create more than 130 000 jobs and stimulate the economies of rural areas in provinces such as the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
“We are therefore streamlining the regulatory process so that the hemp and cannabis sector can thrive like it is in other countries, such as Lesotho. Our people in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and elsewhere are ready to farm with this age-old commodity and bring it to market in new and innovative forms,” Ramaphosa said.
A year later, his green revolution remains a pipe dream.
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