South Africa’s Soweto hosts its first cannabis festival

The first of its kind, a three-day cannabis festival in Soweto, a predominantly black suburb of Johannesburg, has just ended. The organizers used the event as an educational opportunity to spread positive information about the plant as South Africa pushes reform.

The timing, if not the historical significance, is interesting – particularly given Soweto’s role in helping draw global attention to the injustices of apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s.

This applies both at national and international level.

In the modern legalization discussion, South Africa has clearly driven the reform discussion across the continent and opened up new sources of product for Europe.

Domestically, medical cannabis reform is progressing along with economic development plans related to all aspects of the plant, even as the ruling party, African National Congress or ANC weathers much broader criticism of corruption and its overall effectiveness. A successful transition to a regulated cannabis market, particularly one that fills in the gaps in domestic healthcare and provides a valuable export crop for the country, will be a shiny feather in a badly battered cap.

Legalization legislation is moving forward at the national level, but not without critics who say the bill doesn’t give local farmers enough coverage. In addition, it is also unclear how comprehensive the protection will be for those who grow small amounts of the plant for personal use.

Political issues aside, it’s also clear that the first signs of a cannabis infrastructure can be seen across the country even before legislation is passed. For example, three new cannabis dispensaries have also opened in and around Johannesburg this month – with an interesting telemedicine twist. Both an online doctor and a chef share their knowledge of using cannabis in food.

The country’s first cannabis clinical trial also officially started about three weeks ago.

And in a touching and evocative testament to the ferocity of the war so far, not to mention the casualties brought along the way, on Saturday the bodies of 22 cannabis farmers executed by the apartheid government in 1957 will be exhumed and transported to theirs final resting place.

If ever there was a good time to host a regular cannabis festival in a major South African city, it would be this summer.

Education about the plant is very popular everywhere.

The European-South African cannabis connection

Such developments in South Africa, if not in countries across the continent, are also currently mirroring reforms in Europe, although there are many differences as well.

One of the most interesting similarities is the controversial issue of home growing. Just as South Africa is wrestling with the issue, so are several European countries. In addition, although absolutely related, questions arise about the future of the South African cannabis clubs modeled on the Spanish one. So far, these companies have been allowed to continue to operate in the gray areas of the law. Since the drug is normalized here in medical channels (namely pharmacies), it will be interesting to see how the clubs survive if they don’t transform.

Obviously health insurance coverage along with medical infrastructure in African countries is different than in Europe. This means that wherever people can, people must either grow their own cannabis or buy it. As for the acquisition of the facility, what rules apply, where and under what circumstances they do so is still in flux. This situation also means that South Africa has to embrace a fairly liberal interpretation of home growing if it is to achieve its various goals for and around the development of this industrial niche for the benefit of the country’s people.

But notwithstanding their differences, half a world away, several countries in Europe also need to follow a similar approach, albeit for slightly different reasons. Even more interesting is that this is a conversation that is popping up in country after country across the EU right now

And of course many South African companies are trying to export to the European market, starting with, but certainly not limited to, Germany.

What is clear is that entire continents, beyond individual countries, are beginning to consider similar fundamental bases for reforms in both the medical and recreational fields. That alone is worthy of a celebration, no matter where it is celebrated.

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