Rural black farmers, who have grown marijuana traditionally but illegally, are now fighting to benefit from the country’s relaxation of cannabis laws. Following the Constitutional Court’s decision in 2018 to decriminalize the personal use and cultivation of cannabis, South Africa’s cannabis industry could be worth more than $23 billion by 2023, according to a recent report by data collection agency Prohibition Partners. However, there are concerns on the ground that black farmers who have been working for decades in what has been an illegal industry may miss out on the potential boom.
SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST