There is no data on this that this correspondent is aware of, but one suspects that there is a disconnect between the number of rolling papers sold and the amount of loose tobacco that is sold.
By this I mean that the number of papers sold could surely roll far more cigarettes than the amount of loose tobacco that is traded would suggest.
The reality of this state of affairs has slowly dawned on South African policy makers, whose hand on the issue was forced – as is often the case – by the courts, in this instance the Constitutional Court.
One result was the unveiling this week of the Cannabis Master Plan at the gabfest that is the National Economic Development and Labour Council, or Nedlac.
To wit, the suggestions and timelines laid out in the Master Plan provide some hope that a sensible cannabis policy can be crafted – one that taps into the sector’s budding economic potential while recognising that adults should be treated as such.
The “development of a new policy and legislation for commercialisation of cannabis” is another intervention, which the Master Plan says should be in the hands of the control freaks at the Department of Trade and Industry.
Economic development and job creation are the driving forces behind the Master Plan.
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report expects Canada’s recreational marijuana industry to double revenues this year and grow more than 500% by 2025,” the report says.
That could surely rise if the capital-intensive and precision farming methods employed by South Africa’s commercial grain farmers were used for pot.
This is an area that extends from majority of their harvest is Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and also other South African towns and cities.
Like the discrepancy between number of Rizlas sold and amount of loose tobacco sold, that also looks a bit suspect considering there are estimated to be 900,000 small-scale dagga farmers.
Still, one reckons that almost all of them must sell some of their surplus, and the ratio of 900,000 to 3.5 million means that each farmer would only provide product on average to around four end users.
Everybody has an opinion but not everyone has the knowledge and the experience to contribute meaningfully to a discussion.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website.