South Africa's new Country Investment Strategy (CIS) has identified the export of high quality medical cannabis as the driver of what it calls Strategic Investment Frontier Number Four. Oh dear. Mistake Number One before we've even got to the Fourth Frontier. The first driver of cannabis reform should be the opening up of the commercial trade of cannabis and related products in the domestic market. The private sector has pointed the obvious economic logic of this to the Government time and time and time again: a succesful export industry is best built on a thriving local market that enables the development of new products and brands that can be incubated before exposed to the world stage. It takes time to develop an international reputation. Three years ago, South Africa - and the rest of the continent, may have been in the running for being a player in the European medical cannabis market. Just like we had the potential to be a world leader in hemp 25 years ago. But Government aversion to reality and policy paralysis has let those opportunities slip by. Today the situation is radically different. Legalization of medical cannabis in Europe is unfolding far more rapidly than the industry anticipated. With the prospect of Germany introducing adult-use consumption within the next two years and medicinal cannabis patient numbers climbing through the roof, the foundation for a multi-billion dollar high quality, high-THC cannabis is being laid in Europe. That should be good news for Africa. But in the dynamic world of canna-geopolitics, we are once again in danger of being marginalized. Portugal has literally pipped us to the post. Two recent comments from global industry leaders have cast a shadow over South Africa's cannabis strategy, and the unfortunate Akanda boardroom blow-out has tarnished Africa's reputation as a place where one can do business. These comments point to Portugal's rising prominence in global cannabis. Akanda's CEO, Tej Virk, rightfully miffed at the twilight actions of former executive chair Louise Mojela, and looking to secure a foothold in the German market, said the Nasdaq-listed multinational was committed to its Lesotho investment. But he said, it made more sense to service the European market from the group's Portuguese subsididiary, Holigen, rather than Africa. "With Holigen, Akanda believes it has more than sufficient capacity to produce premium quality indoor, outdoor and greenhouse medical cannabis within the European Union as the market matures. Additionally, with shifting market dynamics, we have found higher demand from German and UK customers for product produced in Portugal than Lesotho due to evolving EU regulations”. Prohibition Partners' founder Stephen Murphy told Canna Reporter on 14 August 2022: , “There is enough cannabis being grown in Portugal that it could supply all of Europe. There is already oversupply in Portugal” So where does this leave southern Africa? A bit on the margins, as usual. What our cannabis policy commissars should be doing with serious urgency is to relook at their assumptions underlying cannabis reform. The country's cannabis economy will be dead in the water if it is based only on exports, and by neglecting the local market, Government continues to criminalize the very people it professes to want to help. And besides that, there's an underlying hypocrisy at stake. What is it about Africa that it wants to export the benefits of a natural resource without allowing Africans the same benefit? Why is high-THC cannabis good for Europe and not for us? South Africa should be leading the way in showing the rest of the continent how we can use the power of the plant to transform the lives of millions of people, particularly in rural areas. However, until such time as the Government accepts the reality of the existing illegal cannabis economy and puts in place a firm plan to bring it into the mainstream, it risks igniting the laws of unintended consequences and the prospect of a lose-lose situation. Cannabis is emerging as the new colonialism in the African vacuum. It exposes our policy makers as being cut-and-paste puppets who are quick to satisfy the needs of big business at the expense of our people. We should stop looking to Europe as our salvation and be bold enough to believe in ourselves. Full adult-use legalization is the only solution. All the evidence is available to craft a new cannabis law that allows for the commercial trade in cannabis and related products with all the harms-reduction measures in place. And as a matter of urgency, cannabis-related arrests must stop!

Vegetative stage – Soil mix and nutrients The teething problems we’ve experienced with our #seedling has (luckily) come to an end. Our #BlueDream plant is now growing rapidly and showing no signs of any issues that might hold her back. We’ve decided to transplant into more nutrient rich soil, as the plant requires feeding, especially nitrogen in its vegetative stage. The #plant will now develop most of the foliage and a strong root system. A good soil mix is important at this stage. The benefits of #organic soil are staggering. We recommend the following components for an optimum greenhouse mix: Coco coir Bagged soil (preferably organic compost) Vermiculite Perlite Bat guano Kelp meal Bone meal Dolomite Lime Mycorrhizae supplement The combination of the above and specific amounts is up to you. The internet and various grow guides will help with this process, but we recommend #experimenting with different mixes and combinations that are specific to your style of growing and your personal environment. Get to know your #ingredients and their benefits and then figure out what your plant needs during vegetative and flower stage. Currently during veg, the feeding should be high nitrogen, low phosphorus, and moderate potassium: for example, 9-4-5. The alternative is to buy a #premixed craft #soil, but these are expensive, especially if you grow quite a few plants at a time. Craft soils have all the macro and micronutrients needed for your plants growth, and are a good start for any beginner, if cost is of no concern. Read All the Blom Grow Diary Entries In Our #HomeGrow Section #homegrom #cannabis #weed #marijuana #hemp #bluedream #growguides #week6and7 #cannabizafrica

Seedling Stage – Patiently waiting… As we have mentioned last week, we’ve picked up some #problems with our seedling. Even though this may have put us behind on our expected grow cycle for about a week or two, luckily we’ve managed to save our plant. “Stretching” seemed to be the main issue here. #Transplanting and keeping an eye on the seedling’s light cycle helped a bit, but we took some drastic measures by gently “super cropping” the plant. This is a high stress training technique where the plant is stressed in a strategic way by crushing the stems. This boosts growth in your plant, and helps you train it effectively. This is not recommended in seedling stage, but desperate times, as they say. We gently pressed the stem of the seedling, applying only enough pressure not to break the plant. After a few days we noticed our seedling developed healthier growth. Short internodes and compact, green foliage are all signs that seedlings are growing perfectly. For now, we wait. Checking in daily is extremely important. There will be signs that indicate if your plant is happy and healthy or needs intervention. During #vegetative stage and especially after our plants experienced a lot of stress, we like to play them some music. #Plants thrive when they listen to music that sits between #115Hz and 250Hz, as the vibrations emulate similar sounds in nature. This promotes faster, healthier growth (although more concrete studies on cannabis are needed). The trick is to find the right #music your plants respond to. According to #science, Classical music and Jazz seems to be the main choice for ultimate plant stimulation. Plants only like to be exposed to music for 1 to 3 hours per day. This is one of BLOM’s favorite playlists: Cheek to Cheek – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong At Last – Etta James I Put a Spell on You – Nina Simone I Can’t Write Left Handed – Bill Withers Crazy – Patsy Cline Sittin on the Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding Take Yo’Praise – Camille Yarbrough Into the Mystic – Van Morisson Let’s Stay Together – Al Green Back in Black – Amy Winehouse

LATEST NEWS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CANNABIS INDUSTRY Stay in the know with the latest news in the South African cannabis industry, from political news to social and legal updates. Own your industry by staying on top of the latest developments and be empowered to move beyond colonial thinking. Home African News South African News International News All News Marketplace Business News More Saturday, 1 April 2023 SA Cannabis Industry Has Stalled; This is How to Get it Going Again READ Saturday, 1 April 2023 Western Cape Developing “CanPlan” to Maximize Cannabis Benefits READ Saturday, 1 April 2023 22 Zulu “Dagga Warriors” to be Reburied in the Drakensberg 66 Years After Their Execution READ Saturday, 1 April 2023 Legal Bud Coming Out of Bergville as KZN Champions Legacy Growers READ Friday, 31 March 2023 Presidency’s Latest Assurances: Special Finance Team Urgently Finalizing a Funding Framework for Cannabis and Hemp Industries READ Tuesday, 14 March 2023 Labat Turns the Corner - Expected to Post a Profit for Past 6 Months as Sweetwater Revenue Kicks In READ Thursday, 9 March 2023 New Cannabis Bill Still in Hiding as State Legislators Try and Figure Out What in Hell They’re Up To READ Thursday, 9 March 2023 Canna-Tourism Starting to Make Headway in SA as Hibnb Moves Into Town READ Monday, 6 March 2023 Cops Bust Alberton Businessman for Dealing in Cannabis READ Thursday, 2 March 2023 Has Cannabis Slipped Off Gauteng’s Radar? New Leadership Ignores Advances Made by Makhura Administration READ Thursday, 2 March 2023 M Ayanda Bam: SONA “Embarrasing” and SA At Least 3 Years Away from Proper Cannabis Legislation READ Thursday, 2 March 2023 Eastern Cape to Expunge Criminal Records of “Dagga Farmers” READ Explore More CHEEBA AFRICA Hydrobiz Support Locals Networking for your business Meet like minded people All South African News are Sponsored by: CHEEBA AFRICA Hydrobiz Support Locals Networking for your business Meet like minded people

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