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Take it or leaf it: Laws prevent banks from financing the cannabis industry, however changes are on the cards. Photo: Getty Images

Banks can’t finance the cannabis industry

Once the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill (tabled five years ago) is passed, marijuana can be removed from the Drugs Act

Snoop Dogg blowing a joint, Snoop Dogg, Ancienne Belgique (AB), Brussels, Belgium, 23/11/1998. (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)

It’s high time for a joint traffic calming operation

A judicious puff of weed by those who cause carnage on our highways and byways would make driving a pleasant experience, writes Christian Stephen

Creativity is Lionel Messi’s imperceptible feint to the
left; it is Magnus Carlsen’s subtle pawn manoeuvring in
tight endgames. It is laced in Notorious BIG’s lyrics and
Mozart’s wordless symphonies. It is the invisible spirit
that erects our buildings and sews our clothes.  (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Cannabis, capitalism and the perils of creativity

When the illicit is legalised and researched into mundanity, where’s the magic, asks Luke Feltham

‘Gold rush’: The cannabis business is flourishing around the world, including in Colorado in the United States (above). Zimbabwe already has opened up the industry and South Africa is now following suit. Photo: Gallo Images

SA’s cannabis growers may bloom

The production of cannabis and hemp for medicinal and industrial purposes finally gets a boost from the government

King Khoisan South Africa (R) shields a marijuana plant from being confiscated by South African Police Services members a raid of his camp at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on January 12, 2022. – King Khaoisan has been camping with his family outside the seat of government for over three years, fighting for the official recognition of their languages and to negotiate land ownership. (Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty Images)

Smokin’, rollin’ and reprimanded: Cannabis, Eskom and Buthelezi

It’s been an up-and-down week. Cannabis is firing up, the lights are out even without a war and Shenge is angry with me — again

A national cannabis master plan has been developed, with the department of trade and industry tasked with its implementation and administration

Hemp permit process to litmus test cannabis sector inclusivity

The declaration of hemp as an agricultural crop now allows importation, exportation, cultivation, sale and research of hemp in South Africa

Polluted land: Slimes dams and gold mine dumps near Snake Park in Soweto (above) and many other areas leach heavy metals into the soil and water. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Cannabis can clean toxic mines and industries

Cannabis is dubbed the ‘mop crop’ for its ability to remove or render industrial pollutants harmless

Women workers pick up leaves from cannabis plants inside a greenhouse of Medigrow, a Lesotho-Canadian company that grows legal cannabis, located near Marakabei, in Lesotho. (Photo by Guillem Sartorio/AFP)

Canna-business deal for Ingonyama Trust land

Foreign investment has been lined up for a joint venture with the Ingonyama Trust Board, which administers tribal land for the Zulu monarch

High time: The global medical cannabis industry is expected to generate $82.9-billion by 2027 and the International Monetary Fund has said cannabis is the 59th-largest economy in the world.

South African CBD company nets big deal in anticipation of cannabis-industry boom

Goodleaf has announced a major transaction with Highlands Investments, one of the first and largest growers of cannabis in Lesotho

Rich pickings: Workers at Medigrow, a Lesotho-Canadian company that has invested €17.4-million in growing legal cannabis, pick leaves from cannabis plants that will now undergo a highly complex extraction process. Photo: GuillemSartorio/AFP

The many moods of sweet Mary Jane

The cannabis underground tutors the corporate class in the vagaries of their shared mistress

South Africa’s “legalisation” laws ration adult home-growers to four female flowering cannabis plants (Guy Oliver)

Homegrown vs Big Pharma: Who stands to benefit from the legal market for medical marijuana?

Cannabis is scheduled for its South African parole on September 18. Kelly McQue’s handy medical marijuana producers’ guide is an opening salvo against corporate medicine’s demand…

The Cannabis for Private Purposes Act 7 (2024) decriminalised private use, but is inadequate regarding the regulation of the broader recreational environment.. Photo: Supplied

Legalising the cannabis economy takes a Covid-19 hit

The lockdown has prevented public consultations and parliamentary committee meetings on the commercial use of marijuana and hemp

(John McCann/ M&G)

The Portfolio: 4.20 Delights Baker

In about 2015, I was working in another country and it was frustrating that you couldn’t access cannabis. When I returned, I felt it would be great to eat cannabis or use it in a…

Water hyacinth isn’t just good at being abundant – its foliage also contains a high ratio of carbon to nitrogen. The combination makes it ideal as a renewable gas source via bio digesters like this one. (Yasuyoshi Chiba, AFP)

From weed to fuel: Kenya’s fight against this SA invader could pay off handsomely

This invasive weed clogs our dam and rivers but in Kenya, it’s become the next big thing in renewable energy.

The organisers of the GrowUp Expo worked hard to create a festival vibe in Sandton and pretty much hit the mark. (Simon Allison/M&G)
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The great green gold rush

Cannabis is set to become a multibillion-rand business in South Africa— but we may have to decolonise it first

Waiting to exhale: ‘Ahmed doesn’t know where I can pick up some brown chocolate, but warns that it’s safest to smoke it in my room, not wandering around on a private beach. Which made sense.’ (Photo: Raf Mayet)

I fly high on a little Sinai ‘chocolate’

Finding weed in an Egyptian resort crawling with security men during a conference of African leaders is as difficult as parting the Red Sea

Customers line up outside the Natural Vibe store after legal recreational marijuana went on sale in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. (Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Canada’s legalised cannabis ey

Canada is now the second nation after Uruguay to legalise cannibis

The South African Police Union (Sapu) has called on national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole to act decisively after his deputy, Lieutenant General Bonang Mgwenya, was arrested in connection with the R191-million “blue-lights tender”.

Police commissioner tells cops to let the stoners blaze

In a directive seen by the M&G, police are advised to immediately cease the arrest of people found in possession of cannabis

Gareth Prince’s beard is now grey and his dreadlocks much tighter and longer than 20 years ago, when he first approached the courts to decriminalise cannabis. (Renata Larroyd/M&G)

Gareth Prince is still burning to be a lawyer

During his first court appearance Prince learnt that ‘the disrespect and disgust for our indigenous people and our practices were quite apparent’

Parliament will have to determine what quantity of cannabis may be used for private consumption or cultivation. (Renata Larroyd/M&G)

#Dagga: ConCourt says yes to getting high in private

In a unanimous judgment, the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of private possession and cultivation of cannabis