We have a Response to our Open Letter to the National Cannabis Master Plan Development Steering Committee

We are very pleased to let our community know that we have received a reply from the government after we sent a letter requesting updates on the status quo with the National Cannabis Masterplan Steering Committee’s work.

It is tiring and frustrating to hear the continual complaints about our Cannabis communities not being kept in the loop when it comes to progress in our beloved “sunrise sector”. Fields of Green for ALL is grateful for the reply and looks forward to more transparent communication in the future.

_________________________________________________________________________

Dear Myrtle

I have been directed to respond to your email and attachment addressed to Ms Lawule Shumane,  who is no longer in government.

Thank you for your email, the content of which is noted.

You will no doubt appreciate that progress in the Cannabis Masterplan process, involving the many policy, regulatory reform,  intra-government institutional and economic development challenges, has been less than optimal. South Africa is not alone as a country in dealing with the policy, legislative and socio-economic development challenges which have to be overcome in the cannabis  and hemp sector.

Therefore in an effort to secure stronger progress, and given that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) is responsible for most of the constitutional functions in the value chain, the President has designated the DTIC Minister to chair the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) responsible for the Cannabis Masterplan. As a result government is therefore in the process of reconstituting the institutional arrangements for Cannabis Masterplan development; processing the complex Regulations for the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act (CfPPA) and the consequent amendments to other legislation including the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act and the plant Acts, and the deployment of the appropriate industrial policy measures to support sector development.

 

The revised institutional arrangements falling under the DTIC, as the lead department, will aim to secure stronger progress with respect to the regulatory reform; economic sector development and the collaborative, reciprocal relationships between government and its social partners – labour, business and community representatives. Whilst government is not in a position to dictate to its social partners what report back mechanisms each should employ we hope that such ‘’report back’’ does take place (mindful of the resource constraints that social partners face in infant industry development.)

Thank you for your ‘offer to “fulfil reciprocal commitments” and share’ your ‘practical experience and projects’ and we hope that this offer can be taken up as the new institutional arrangements are put in place.

Should you have further questions regarding the process summarised above, please feel free to contact me.

Best wishes

Garth

G Strachan

PMO Presidency

_________________________________________________________________

Summary

    1. Acknowledgement that progress with the Cannabis Masterplan has been slow. This includes progress with the law (CfPPA not promulgated/put into force), the regulations (the nitty gritty that drives the law on the ground), the relationships between different government departments and the issues of financing the development of the Cannabis sector.
  • There are ongoing efforts to speed up progress.
  1. The DTIC is in charge of most issues to do with Cannabis.
  2. The Minister in charge of the DTIC (Minister Parks Tau) is now the chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee responsible for the Cannabis Masterplan. We presume that this would include the Ministers of Agriculture, Health, Justice and others. As stated in our Fields of Green for ALL Manifesto (Chapter 2 – Stakeholders) there should be 22 government departments involved in legal Cannabis regulation. (On a side note, where is the Dept of Social Development in all of this? Haven’t heard from them since they were protesting outside court in Pretoria in 2017).
  3. The government is busy re-arranging things between the departments to benefit the development of the Masterplan.
  4. The regulations to go with the CfPPA are complicated but they are busy being written. There are also changes that need to be made to other laws as a result of the CfPPA. This includes changing the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 1992 (the big one that states that Cannabis is a dangerous, dependence-producing substance) and the Plant Acts.
  5. Also on the government’s radar is the need for the right policies to support the growth of the industry – everything from industrial processing to export and taxation.The DTIC will lead efforts to make regulatory changes and support economic development in the cannabis sector. 
  6. The government aims to build better relationships with social partners, such as labour groups, businesses, and community representatives. While the government cannot tell these partners how to report back, it hopes they will share updates, keeping in mind the challenges they face in developing this new industry.