Mpumzi Mshweshwe
Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has signed and approved the ban on foodstuff containing cannabis but the public is not approving the ban. The ban was signed on March 7 and has gone under the radar, but has had many people confused by the on-and-off approval of cannabis/hemp by the government.
The Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act no 54 of 1972 was amended as follows – Regulations relating to the prohibition of the sale, importation and manufacture of foodstuffs containing any part of the plant or component derived from the genus Cannabis Sativa L, hemp, hemp seed oil or hemp seed flour.
The ban comes on the heels of the cannabis industry being one of the many industries that the President Cyril Ramaphosa is targeting to grow and strengthen. In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) the President highlighted the importance of the cannabis industry. “By supporting our farmers, improving our logistics network and rural supply chains, and opening new export markets for products, we can significantly expand our agricultural sector. We want South Africa to be leading in the commercial production of hemp and cannabis,” Ramaphosa said.
The chairperson of the Mpondoland Cannabis Belt Association (MCBA), Malombo Dlamini said: “The MCBA believes that the Minister is poorly advised, possibly influenced by political dynamics within the GNU. “This decision concerns us because, while we are not currently processing cannabis for the commercial market, the ban will impact our buyers, who rely on cannabis flower.”
Dlamini felt that the ban not only affected the growers but the consumers as well. “This ban will have devastating effects on both growers and processors. In Mpondoland, farmers produce high quality cannabis flower and supply processors who create products that consumers already rely on, particularly for medicinal purposes,” Dlaimini said. He further said instead of fostering economic growth the government was creating unnecessary obstacles.
In their reaction to the ban, the public took to online platforms to voice their opinions. One Facebook user, Jules Harris, said that South Africa’s cannabis and hemp industry has experienced a dramatic policy reversal, leaving entrepreneurs, farmers, and investors in a state of uncertainty. “The policy shift not only undermines confidence in the government’s regulatory approach but also contradicts its own recent commitments to fostering growth in the industry,” Harris said.
The public debate on the issue also raged on X (formerly Twitter) where multiple people said how the ban should be placed on vapes, cigarettes and others saying that Hookah pipes should be banned. They opposed the ban with many of people expressing their concern and a few approving of the ban but with sarcastic undertones. – @NewsSA