Page 116 - Daggabay Magazine Issue 9

Fields of Green for ALL • Collectively Reforming South African Cannabis Laws

towards regulating adult use of Cannabis. As Standard growers’ environmental responsibility
well as reductions in criminality and corruption, and sustainability needs to be central in the
there is large potential for increases in income regulated cultivation operations. All standard
and economic opportunities for some already Cannabis farmers in South Africa should
marginalised populations, if regulations are be encouraged to grow outdoors and/or in
adapted to their situation. There is also an urgent greenhouses, with a minimum of chemical
need to recognise the rich popular knowledge fertilisers and grow mediums.
linked to informal markets, often linked with legacy
folklore and/or specific genetics of the Cannabis Important points are:
plant, which all deserve protection. • Recordkeeping
Records must be kept for all application
Traditional production and producers must be of fertilisers, as well as pesticides. It is
protected and specially regulated in any reform, recommended to prioritise the application of
and included in the value chain from the beginning the principles of integrated pest management
with a softer set of minimum requirements. (IPM) for the phytosanitary care of the plants.
This is why the minimum requirements include Only duly authorised phytosanitary products
annual affiliation, quality control and labelling. The (biological and chemical) can be used,
Kasinomic sector can benefit from much lower and according to the recommendations of
levels of controls than standard businesses. dose, waiting time, and limits of maximum
residue. The records must detail all necessary
To increase de-centralisation and self regulation,
Kasinomic growers can collectively organise within information (i.e. plant identification, dates
a cooperative. Craft Cannabis farmers belonging and method of application, formula and
to a cooperative could therefore benefit from concentration of the fertiliser/ pesticide,
common resources such as equipment, seed, etc. commercial name and batch number of the
product, etc.)
In addition, the Hub (which is a mandatory • Cultivation Methods
step before retail) provides other resources like All cultivators and traders must state clearly,
training and access to the office of the Cannabis when processing their crops at the Hub,
OmBUDsman. As seen before Cannabis farmers whether the plants were grown indoors or
can also organise a cooperative within a Hub outdoors and what grow mediums were used.
(Legacy Hubs). • Energy
All large-scale indoor growing must ideally
use renewable energy sources – current best
5.2.2.2 Standard Growers technology ie. biodigester, solar or wind power.

Larger-scale farms that grow adult-use Cannabis South Africa does not have enough electricity
products will need to comply with existing resources to accommodate an expanding indoor
regulatory protocols (ERP) and have a registered industry.
business and tax number. Existing agricultural • Environmental Impact
legislation, development programmes, and Good environmental practices should be used
subsidies will need to be considered when as marketing and encouraged on all levels of
defining parameters that may apply to large-scale production. Environmental impact assessments
production. must be a requirement for the establishment of
large cultivation operations.
Calling this part of the model “standard” growers or • Education
cultivation, emphasises the fact that these growers Proper botanical, horticultural and ecological
should tend to comply with all usual standards education must be provided for those with a
used in similar agricultural sectors, unlike the history of questionable environmental practices.
Kasinomics model which should be subject to a Prohibition necessitated some such practices.
lesser extent of regulations.
For example: Cultivators were forced up into
Standard commercial farmers would typically steep hillsides and Cannabis plants grown on
be part of the system of Hubs and operate on a slopes have led to soil erosion.
business-to-business model via the Hub.

72 CANNABIS IN SOUTH AFRICA • THE PEOPLE’S PLANT • A Full-Spectrum Manifesto For Policy Reform