With change always comes a few curious cats who want to see how far they push their luck. They are generally followed close behind by a few spurious rats willing to undo good work for their own gain. This trend has affected the Cannabis Community since long before the Cannabis Phakisa, with some acting carelessly and others spreading broad interpretations of the happenings at this (hopefully) pivotal week.

No matter what you see on social media or hear from your friend who knows someone who was there, you are assured that what can be shared is limited. All participants are bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and so may not mention anything outside of the letter released by the Presidency last Friday.

Any allusions to legalisation, a total end to arrests, indeed free trade, are purely conjecture at this time. It also needs to be understood that theory and practice will have some differences once the coming changes are officially out.

While the Phakisa “resolved to reinforce previous instructions to all South African Police Services (SAPS) members to respect the privacy rights of cannabis cultivators and users,” arrests have continued as before. Some curious cats have opted to test the resolve of the police against this, misleading the public as to what the process going forward looks like.

It is of utmost importance that we do not allow ourselves to be swept up in the hype of those spurious rats hoping to exert influence over a process they did not properly contribute to. These cowboys rocked up at the Phakisa uninvited only to have their brains scurry about their skulls when the big questions were asked. Failing to make valuable contributions, they have sought clout instead on social media channels with their misinterpretation of things.

Remember, the Phakisa, as the name implies, served to speed things up. It was NOT convened to make overnight changes that will suddenly see all of our dreams fulfilled. We have years of work ahead of us still. We will need to keep challenging regulation and legislation until we are satisfied that ALL human rights are respected.

As a Cannabis re-legalisation non-profit company, Fields of Green for ALL is at the forefront of strategic litigation, representing the interests of ALL Cannabis participants on every opportunity and level we can. To that end, we did our utmost to ensure ALL voices were heard at the Phakisa and will continue to fight for ALL relationships with the Plant to be recognised, understood, and included in the path forward.

We are ALL sitting on the edges of our seats waiting for the official statements to be released. We will unpack each new development and what they mean for anyone engaging with Dagga at any level.

Now is the time to sit back, wait, and take that hit. The big news is coming in just a bit.