Well, that didn’t last long. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a knee-jerk ban on cannabis foods is to be withdrawn.
Nearly three weeks ago, South African Minister of Health Dr. Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi slipped in new regulations under the country’s Foodstuffs, Cosmetics, and Disinfectants Act (1972) prohibiting the sale, importation, and manufacture of foodstuffs containing cannabis. This included hemp foods. The action shocked many in the local industry; putting current and future developments at risk.
The action was reportedly triggered around public safety concerns surrounding the production of unregulated cannabis edibles. South Africa doesn’t yet have a national framework regulating production, testing, and marketing of such products.
In a recent briefing since, the President and Minister of Health expressed ongoing concerns over unregulated imported foodstuffs “flooding the South African market containing hemp and cannabis”*.
However, it’s been recognised the broad ban was probably a step too far. President Ramaphosa wants to see more stakeholder consultation and public participation developing new regulations that will protect consumers, particularly on minors.
“In light of further stakeholder consultations, the Minister of Health will withdraw the Regulations under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act (Foodstuffs Act) to prohibit the sale, importation and manufacture of foodstuffs containing hemp and cannabis,” says a statement on the Presidential website.
The President said the Department of Health will continue to consult broadly before publishing the revised regulations. But if the department did this in the first place, the ban would likely not have been implemented as is.
South Africa’s hemp industry is lucky that the President is a big supporter of hemp. In his State of the Nation Address in February President Ramaphosa said,
“We want South Africa to be leading in the commercial production of hemp and cannabis.”
And thanks to his intervention and assuming ongoing support, that may still be possible – if the nation can get regulations right.
*Hemp and cannabis are the same thing. Hemp is a form of cannabis that by legal definition has very low levels of the intoxicating cannabinoid THC – in South Africa’s case, that’s currently 0.2%. It would be more accurate to make a distinction between hemp and marijuana.
Well, that didn’t last long. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a knee-jerk ban on cannabis foods is to be withdrawn. Read More
