History of Hemp Overview
Hemp is a subspecies of cannabis grown for a wide variety of applications, from consumer products to providing medicinal benefits.
Although hemp contains very low levels of THC (less than 3%), making it a strange plant to outlaw, it has still faced a similarly tumultuous history to the rollercoaster ride that cannabis has faced in South Africa.
Despite the favourable conditions for hemp cultivation present in South Africa, the plant is only minimally produced (in comparison to its potential), and SA actually imports a lot of its hemp products.
The demand for hemp products is present in the region, and many prospective hemp farmers have invested and lost significant capital by investing in the industry prior to the slow pace of regulatory reform and an unrealised potential for mass scale local hemp cultivation.
The ideal outlook for the future would see hemp become an asset for agriculture, as well as consumer products, healthcare and many more regulated applications in South Africa.