Hemp in South Africa is a topic as avoided as the Arms Deal. Okay so there has been research on the biodegradable ‘African Cannabis’ but where is the development? If you had no idea, Hemp is one of the fastest growing biomasses and can be converted into paper, textiles, plastics, construction, health food, fuel, and medical purposes. So if Hemp is so versatile, eco-friendly and profitable – why are my African people still oppressed?
Hemp is currently not grown in South Africa. It is regulated and can only be grown under license. All licenses to date have been issued for research purposes only. This means that all the Hemp products in SA are currently imported. If Hemp can grow almost anywhere, requires little fertilizer, resists pests and crowds out weeds, why again can we not cultivate it?
There is a great misconception that the force behind legalising Hemp is subliminally trying to legalise Marijuana. Yes the earlier advocates of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis Sativa) may have been interested, that’s history. The SA government needs to pull their heads out of their thighs. Hemp was not ‘profitable’ but now it’s a multi-million rand business.
With such a fantastic resume, there are only two reasons I have for Hemp being illegal in South Africa. The first is that ‘a luta continua’ and the second is that they know once Africans jump on this band wagon with all their skill – they will saturate the industry and make serious money. That we will my friend; that we will! Click on Hemp for more info.
Be on the look out for South Africa’s biggest Hemp clothing line, ECO-ZEST, coming soon.
Picture credit: Marijuana.com
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