Government to research cannabis

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has commissioned a study into the uses of the cannabis plant.

“Opportunities and obstacles to developing industrial capacity and capability across the medicinal and related products will be considered,” Davies said in response to a question in parliament.

“The focus will be to understand the obstacles and opportunities involved in the cultivation of different strains of cannabis with specific THC and CBD composition, the recovery of these compounds in the oil extraction process and the beneficiation of THC and CBD through the production of medical products as well as cosmetic and healthcare products like balms, creams and tinctures.”

Davies said the results of the study would determine how the products could be industrialised.

In South Africa, legislative barriers restrict the amount of hemp produced,” noted Agricultural Research Council (ARC) spokesperson Mpho Ramosili. “There is an existing market in SA for imported hemp products, mainly hemp textiles and fibre. Several hemp products, such as clothing, soap and shampoo, are manufactured in SA from imported raw materials. “Dagga varieties contain about five to 20% of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active ingredient with psychoactive effects,” said Ramosili. “Hemp has much lower concentrations of THC (less than 1%) and higher concentrations of cannabidiol, with minimal psychoactive effects. Hemp is more fibrous and has more oil. As hemp contains little THC, it’s not used as a recreational drug.”

Hemp has much lower concentrations of THC