The Department of Health has implemented a sweeping ban on the production, sale, and import of cannabis and hemp-derived foodstuffs. This move could threaten to derail South Africa's budding cannabis industry and contradicts previous government commitments to commercializing the sector.
The decision, published in a government gazette, falls under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics, and Disinfectants Act of 1972. It prohibits the sale, importation, and manufacture of any food containing components derived from the Cannabis Sativa L plant, including hemp, hemp seed oil, and hemp seed flour. The unexpected policy shift has sparked intense controversy, reigniting debates around cannabis safety, economic empowerment, and the government's commitment to cannabis legalization.
The cannabis industry is especially outraged because this ban comes just one month after President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly stated that South Africa should be a leader in hemp production.
"We want SA to be leading in the commercial production of hemp, which is so well-known in the Eastern Cape and KZN," President Cyril Ramaphosa said. The backlash has been immediate and fierce, particularly from small business owners whose livelihoods are now at immediate risk.
Read more at Cape Town Etc.