South Africa rolls cannabis, hemp plans to light up 130,000 jobs

President Cyril Ramaphosa disclosed during his State of the Nation address on Thursday that government would be looking to ease policies further to help the hemp and cannabis sectors.

“The hemp and cannabis sector has the potential to create more than 130,000 new jobs. We are therefore streamlining the regulatory processes so that the hemp and cannabis sector can thrive like it is in other countries such as Lesotho,” Ramaphosa said.

He pointed to the legality of using the the substances as is the case in existing laws stressing that more beneficial uses will be explored going forward.

“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. We will review the policy and regulatory framework for industrial hemp and cannabis to realise the huge potential for investment and job creation.”

According to the World Health Organisation, South Africa is the third-largest illegal cannabis producer in the world already, with about 2,500 tons grown a year.

In 2018, cannabis was decriminalised for personal use by the Constitutional Court, while dealing the products and smoking it in public remained illegal, a local news outlet noted.

How much of the products can be grown, carried and cultivated sits with the Cannabis for Private Use Bill, which is yet to be passed by Parliament, the Eye Witness News report added.

‌The State of the Nation Address at Cape Town’s City Hall, the temporal seat of the legislature after a fire ravaged the main building last month.