Promises on legal cannabis industry all smoke and mirrors

TechGirlFebruary 6, 2023

1 minute read

promises-on-legal-cannabis-industry-all-smoke-and-mirrors

The Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill has still not been passed by parliament, two years after it was introduced and nearly five years since the constitutional court ordered the state to amend unconstitutional legislation outlawing possession, cultivation and use of the plant in 2018. (Wikus De Wet/AFP via Getty Images)

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.