Africa’s biggest cannabis convention – The Cannabis Expo – kicks off in Cape Town on 24 March and will be hosted in Durban, Pretoria and Joburg throughout the rest of the year.
The Cannabis Expo is the global marketplace for education, innovative products and businesses serving the cannabis industry.
The convention acts as a platform where international and local medical health professionals, agricultural providers and lifestyle brands engage with industry experts and the public about cannabis.
It facilitates big cannabis business deals, as well as giving visitors the opportunity to learn about cannabis, relevant laws, how to grow it and the medicinal, agricultural, financial and lifestyle aspects.
The convention is one of the many things that came from the global phenomenon ‘cannabis tourism’.
A subset of dark tourism, ‘cannabis tourism’ can be described as when someone’s travelling experience involves the consumption of legal and illegitimate drugs in the visited country.
Global legalisation of cannabis
Proposed legislation for the commercialisation of the recreational cannabis industry in South Africa has made its way to parliament – a significant milestone in the country’s journey to decriminalising various uses of cannabis.
This also marks a pivotal change in the global decriminalisation of all classified drugs. A study noted that during the last few years, large strides toward the legalisation of cannabis and other drugs have been made in countries such as Croatia, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Argentina, Spain and Jamaica.
The rise in the decriminalisation and commercialisation of cannabis has caused an increase in cannabis tourism.
The debate on cannabis
This global movement has sparked great controversy. The overall argument against the legalisation of cannabis is that it would encourage more people to use it, resulting in new addictions and worsening existing addictions.
The argument for the legalisation of cannabis has two main points – medical use and harm reduction. Cannabis is said to have medicinal properties in treating various and illnesses, but studies are ongoing.
Additionally, the decriminalisation of cannabis could greatly lessen the stigma toward it, and could make people with substance abuse problems more likely to come forward for help. It’s also a valuable component of the South African economy.
Cannabis legislation in South Africa
The proposed legislation is a set of amendments to the Cannabis for Private Purposes bill. This bill allows for personal cannabis use – with strict limits – but it criminalises any cannabis trade.
If the bill passes in parliament, it will go to the National Council of Provinces, subject to additional hearings.
The amendments would authorise commercial activity in respect of recreational cannabis, subject to regulation under a licensing scheme. The licensing regime would provide different types of licences depending on its purpose, according to Mail and Guardian.
Strict regulation will ensure harm-reduction measures are in place, and that the effects on the public are monitored. Additionally, the legal age of consumption will be the same as for alcohol and cigarettes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed this matter in February 2022, stating that the industry has a potential value of R28-billion per year, and would greatly alleviate South Africa’s unemployment problem by creating 130 000 jobs. This amounts to a huge boost in the tourism industry and in the economy overall.
Dates:
Cape Town – 24 to 27 March
Durban – 21 to 24 July
Pretoria – 8 to 11 September
Joburg – 24 to 27 November
Tickets:
Tickets start at R150 and can be booked here.
Picture: Pexels
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