A lady makes a cannabis joint to smoke as pay their respects to Julian Stobbs at a small gathering at the Jazz Farm in Lanseria, 8 July 2020. Julian was a half of the well known Dagga Couple that were instrumental in changing the laws regarding cannabis and its use in South Africa. He was shot and killed during a home invasion. Picture: Neil McCartney
Yesterday was marked in many countries around the world as “Cannabis Day”, after a counter-culture idea from the ’70s migrated into the mainstream … an echo of the journey of the drug itself from dangerous outlawed substance to possible wonder medication.
Today, many people who would – and did in their youth – run a long way at the mere mention of drugs (even the comparatively benign “weed”) are now regularly using medications made from the CBD oil extracted from the cannabis plant.
The primary use of the drug is for pain relief and even those suffering the agonies of terminal cancer are reported to have found their suffering eased.
A problem in this country, even after the personal consumption of dope was legalised a few years ago, is that our archaic laws appear to be choking the cannabis industry and preventing it from achieving its true potential.
Black farmers complain that the licences for commercial production are still being granted “apartheid style” and that emerging growers are being prejudiced.
In addition, commercial producers of CBD products are concerned that existing drugs laws actually dilute the effect of the CBD, making the medication much less effective.
Cannabis has many benefits … and we need to rethink how we deal with it.
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