We are inundated with requests for information on how to obtain a license to cultivate, trade in, or use Cannabis for medical purposes (of course!). If you contact us about this you will receive this stock reply:
“Hello there. Everyone is asking the same question and we’re not sure of the answer. If the ‘old’ system is still in place, you’ll need a Section 21 application to grow medicine from the Department of Health. We keep sending inquiries in that direction but we don’t know of a single successful application. According to the Department of Health /Medicines Control Council, they will be promulgating guidelines for tenders, licences etc in February 2017. We are waiting to see how it will pan out. You can find the Section 21 application forms here http://bit.ly/sec21_weed and we’ll let the community know as soon as we hear of any progress. In the meantime, please consider supporting us by joining The Green Network as that is where the most important conversations are taking place.”
After fighting for nearly seven years for the legalisation of our favourite plant, we doubt very much that the government are going to back down easily and allow any “mom & pop” operation to obtain a “license”. Who says they are even going to be “giving out” licenses? What if a license costs R1 million, or even more? There are many questions and no sign of any answers yet. Quintin van Kerken of the Anti Drug Alliance (one of our expert witnesses for The Trial of the Plant) summed it up very well in a Facebook post in November 2016:
” The Anti Drug Alliance has fervently followed the new dagga bill and what it may mean for South Africa. Whilst we commend government for taking a (very minor) step in the right direction, we would like to highlight a few problems that we believe are major stumbling blocks in the process.
To begin with, the plant will be moved from Schedule 7 to Schedule 6. In plain language, this means that a doctor will be able to prescribe cannabis for diseases such as cancer / HIV, and for pain management (according to the numerous press releases). The prescription thereof will be under strict guidelines.
Some questions regarding this:
Who is going to educate the doctors so they know when to prescribe?
Does the prescription thereof also follow through to Traditional Healers?
Who gets to judge who is “sick enough” to get cannabis?
Words such as “justifiable medical reason” have been used, with no elaboration. Why?
Why does the government get to tell sick people, or any person for that matter, HOW and WHEN they are allowed to medicate themselves, and WHAT medicines they are allowed to use?
Next, the issuing of “special licenses” to grow the plant is a concern.
Who gets these licenses?
How do they apply?
What will the criteria be?
Are current “illegal” growers with a wealth of expertise and experience going to be allowed to apply?
Is it going to “go to tender”?
How many licenses will be issued?
What changes then need to be made to all the other Acts that concern dagga? Act 140 of 1992 (Drugs and Trafficking Act), Medicines and Related Substances Act, and how will this all be policed?
How many arrests will be bungled, how many civilian claims will be paid out by the police, simply because the cops on the street simply don’t know how to enforce the law, which experts even battle to understand?
It is already a major concern that certain political parties have issued statements that their efforts to fight the “drug war” will be intensifying, and that specialised units have once again been established. Does this not seem like a hypocrisy?
Quintin goes on to describe the hypocrisy in some detail. We know that the developments in parliament are a step in the right direction and we hate to “burst your bubble” but Cannabis (medicinal or otherwise) is NOT going to be available to ALL South Africans without a fight. That fight is happening in court, not in parliament. Parliament will be forced to act by the Constitutional Court.
The best way forward is to:
- Know the facts. Start by reading the MCC’s guide to scheduling of drugs. Once you know how the scheduling works you will understand that there is still a long way to go. Know the laws and processes that are being followed to change them. Don’t be naive by thinking this is a done deal because of one announcement in parliament.
- Be impeccable in what you do. If you are already operating a Cannabis “business” outside the law you have to be vigilant, know your stuff, don’t make outrageous claims and join Fields of Green for ALL’s affiliate programme. Don’t operate in a vacuum, it won’t get you anywhere. Everyone has a lot to learn and there is enough space for everyone. There is a reason we are called Fields of Green for ALL!
- Contribute to the conversation. Join The Green Network and have your say about what YOU think legal Cannabis should look like in SA. This conversation is happening right now.
- Help where you can. Visit The Dagga Couple How You can Help page, there are many options!
We know we will continue to receive mails from complete strangers wanting us to help them get a “license” but we hope that we can continue to help in the fight against the ignorance surrounding this complex subject. If anyone claims that they have a license to grow medical Cannabis they are not telling the truth and / or they are in cahoots with corrupt government officials. CANNABIS IS NOT LEGAL YET, IN ANY FORM, FOR ANY PURPOSE. There are no licenses or permits. Help us to change that, please.
Green Regards
Myrtle, Jules, William and the Fields of Green for ALL crew.
I will be appreciated if I can get information about planting marijuana legal in SA
I would like to have a cannibals licence
Good day, How does one become a reseller, I don’t want to grow my product, buy and resell for medicinal reasons, I am a Traditional; Healer. Is there a license for this?
Not yet. We are quite a long way off for individual trade. The laws will take time to change. There is a franchise called ‘Canapax’ who claim to have a way around the laws concerning Traditional Healers and cannabis. There are stores popping up countrywide. Try them perhaps?
Growers should not have to be regulated as such. Medicine is a different ball game. Medicine makers have the expertise and the know how to test the raw ingredients for contaminants and toxic fungicides and pesticides. Having a grow facility under licence on contract with medicine makers, complete with audits, checks and balances helps get rid of a lot of this work. There is so much to consider when selling something as safe and reliable medicine. There are a lot of oil merchants out there using unsafe solvents, and or bad or contaminated raw material and selling it black market often with false hope and exaggerated claims. On the other end of the coin, no one should tell you what you may or may not consume at home. It’s a decision that rests solely on the home consumer. Charge someone money for it and I think it’s fair to have checks and balances in place. Can anyone honestly say that there is enough integrity out there to produce medicine unregulated? This is not aimed at offending anyone who may produce medicine, it’s just that, trust aside, how would I know I am getting what you claim? Mentioned earlier was farming and growing food. Big commercial farms still have to have systems in place such as global good agricultural practices (global gap). People who process raw food ingredients into finished products have to follow HACCP principles on top of that. Imagine what would happen if even the food industry was deregulated? Can you imagine how many other tiger brands type fiascos we would have? Checks and balances do have a big influence on your lives folks, whether you do know about them or not. It’s not just all political and red tape, it is indeed necessary and is very demanding on following systems to ensure safe consumption. Same goes with your kitchen at home, screw them if they want to force you to run your kitchen a certain way. Most of what you do is common sense to make sure you don’t hurt yourself or family. Food safety is 100x more than what you do for yourself. Does everyone posses the integrity to care as much of the end consumer as they do themselves? We all know the answer to that, especially in South Africa
Hello, weed is now legal and herd on the radio there’s a shop in Capetown selling starter kits for growing your own. My question is how do I go about getting a dispensery lincence? I want to open up shop and start retailing the product before the market is flooded.
https://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/do-you-still-want-a-license-to-grow-cannabis/
I am looking for someone who can write music for lyrics that will help with the cause of getting dope fully legal for everybody.
Can anybody help?
I can guarantee results…
Hi Michael,
Please send an email to info(AT)daggacouple.co.za and I’ll see if we can put you in touch with someone. We’ve been looking for a weed anthem for our cause for years!
Hi. Ive looked at the section 21 application form and its related to medicinal use only. What if a person or company wanted to cultivate hemp for industrial application only? Same form applies? Thanks
Hi Johnny, unfortunately the Section 21 application just does not work. We know of dozens of applications just sitting there not being processed. There are no systems in place for any type of license or permission, no matter what the various departments may say in the media. There is no capacity to grant anything because the law has not changed for any use, even hemp. Please don’t waste your time and money.
Just been told that there is a new development in terms of law regarding cannabis farming, does anyone know anything about this?
Haven’t heard anything about that. We will let everyone know via our newsletter and social media if there is any news. Lots of false info going around so please be safe.
Hi there
So just to clarify, is not or is it not legal to grow, and smoke in your own home at the moment?
What is the situation with regards to that?
https://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/reality-check-cannabis-not-legal-sa-form-yet/
Thank you for all you’re doing to move forward & the information you provide herein.
With you all the way. Fields of green for ALL.
Hi Guys I have been looking at some of your affiliate’s? Why is it that once again every body wants to get rich over night…. All the seed shops popping up and Hydro shops Mostly bongs pipes and apparel available down sites an no response from others… If we want legalized weed in our time in SA these guys need to be more pro and get their sites in order before joining or marketing them selfs. And then the price that some of these guys are trying to sell seeds…. R200 bob for 1 seed? Yes that will really help all growers out there
Hi Keith,
There are many people out there who are looking to get ready for legalisation and, yes, most people want to make money from the plant but there are also many people who ALSO want to help people and a large number of our affiliates have been doing this for a long time already. We look carefully at our affiliate programme all the time, daily, in fact. While we can’t monitor everything that they do, we would certainly be alarmed if any companies on the list were acting unethically. Website problems happen so please contact the sites directly or pop us a mail and we’ll contact them. Yes, some seeds are very expensive but when you weigh that up with the yield from one plant it can make sense. I would suggest approaching this in a different way if you are exasperated with the way things are. If you are interested in the Cannabis business or merely an interested consumer, maybe you could research ways in which the SA Cannabis economy could benefit a wider range of people going forward? Would you be able to source good quality seeds in bulk to retail at a reasonable price? Best to network among your friends and widen your circle at the same time and you will find that there are reasonably priced seeds out there and many people working for the greater good. All the best.
Probably not the right place, but hopefully someone can advise. Cannibas is very effective in treating AHS (African Horse Sickness). I just want to legally grow a few plants for my 4 horses. How will it be possible?
Hi Naomi, Unfortunately there is no way to “grow a few plants legally”. You might have an argument in court but how would you prove that they were only for the horses? Ridiculous, we have known of this in Africa for centuries. Sorry we can’t help!
people should have the right to grow it because it never killed anyone infact it pro longs age if used the right way look at snoop and cheec and chong
Ronnie, I would love to know how, I am currently buying it, and it’s so costly – where do you get the right seeds/strains etc Please email me on zenithdolphin@yahoo.com, I would really appreciate it!
Growing this legally could b a game changer
Perform a study to justify the commercial benefit of it to all stakeholders. I saw a video recently where an Israeli gentleman explained how kibbutz in Israel is being allowed to cultivate, grow, harvest and export clinical cannibas to the rest of the world at roughly$10/gram. Imagine the numbers. This industry will be commercially significant one day. A disruptor of sorts (like a Bitcoin concept). If RSA wants to be counted, now is the time to allow growers to do it legally and possibly even create a fund to support the best growers to ensure globally competitive products. Just a thought.
We have a study and an expert witness in court dealing with the economic benefits. We also have a study about the costs of prohibition and an expert for that too! Before anything goes global we need to see the economic benefit for South Africans BY South Africans. It will take years and years, then we can think about going global. https://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/expert-witnesses/
We also have a bitcoin donation wallet! Coming soon to our donate page: https://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/donate/
Thanks for the support and encouragement!
Afternoon i would like to find out how to obtain a licence or permission to grow cannibus or guidance as i have land and space i want to utilize.
So if they are the first producers, it is in Lesotho, not SA, although the company is situated in Somerset West. However looking at the way the government is corruptly giving secret licence/hand shake for a company to farm is disgusting, but what else can you expect from a government where corruption is part of their strategy
It turns out “Animal Farm” is not fiction after all, and some animals are more equal than others. Proof of a SECRET legal medical cannabis farm in KZN ( 29°36’42.34″S 31° 5’32.54″E ): – https://thehighco.co.za/south-africas-secret-legal-medical-cannabis-farm/
Africa’s first OFFICIAL Medical Cannabis Producer: – https://btl.co.za/introducing-africas-first-medical-cannabis-producer/
I’m busy as we speak to get all documentation ready to apply for a growers license. Will stay in touch and keep updating my progress
Hi Arthur, If there is someone telling you that licenses are available they are NOT speaking the truth. The MCC have not rescheduled Cannabis from Schedule 7 to Schedule 6 and they will have to completely rewrite their guidelines because the judgement in the Western Cape High Court has declared that the prohibition of the cultivation, use and trade in Cannabis in the privacy of one’s home is unconstitutional, How can they make you apply for a license for a Schedule 6 substance when you can grow it at home? Obviously the judgement still has to be ratified by the constitutional court but the state’s appeal does not declare the judgement invalid. This is a complicated legal issue that we are busy dealing with but, as of 31 March 2017, you cannot be convicted of growing cannabis at home or using it as medicine. Please be very careful, there are many corrupt sharks out there. Once we are finished there will be NO licenses required, the whole system just leads to corruption, the system of tenders is the reason our country is in such a mess. I suggest you follow what we do more closely as you are wasting your time getting everything ready for a license. We spent ages applying for a Section 21 a few years ago, only to hit a brick wall. The MCC will tell you what you want to hear and waste your time. WHO IS GOING TO PLAY GOD AND SAY THAT YOU ARE ALLOWED A LICENSE AND OTHERS ARE NOT? Be careful, SUPPORT RE-LEGALISATION EFFORTS and let us know if you have any news to share.
I learnt much from the rick Simpson story I.c. w.medical cannibis.I have extracted a small amount of THC or medical cannibus and am treating myself.I am convinced that it will work for many ailments.the only way the oil could be affordable is to extract oneself. I am also making my expertise available to anyone in need.
Any info you can share @Ronnie pillay would be great. I am at steelpro111@gmail.com
Hi Vaughan, please make sure you have signed up for our newsletter but, even better still, if you want to be part of the grass roots conversation then please join The Green Network on this website main page. Thanks in advance for your support!
Hi Myrtle
Could you please get in touch.
I would like to start making medicinal canni oil , need raw material , but too scared to grow at home
Cell no. 0845803748
Mark
Hi Mark, Google and YouTube are your friends! Or you could join The Green Network and I’m sure our members would be keen to teach you a thing or two. To stay safe make sure you know EVERYTHING on our JoinTheQ website http://www.jointheq.co.za
All the best
We have to fight to stop the Pharmaceutical Industry from climbing in and ripping humanity off for something which should the most natural cure for almost all illness. Why on earth would your body, (and many animals) have specific receptors on their cells for Cannabinoids? This is just another example of trying to control every aspect of our lives.
We agree Dennis. The only way to counteract big pharma sticking their nose in our business is to shout louder for home cultivation and oppose a system of licenses where someone is going to play god in the awarding of said licenses. See Wouter’s comment below too. We are having the conversation about regulations on The Green Network, maybe you will consider joining us?
At least for a start it can be legalized for those that are actually using it to treat dreaded diseases. Giving commercial licenses will only lead to monopolization by big corporate companies that have the financial backing. My opinion is that when you have someone in you household, diagnosed with such disease, that you are allowed to grow and produce the required medicine. How it will be policed is the government’s problem. I have a son, 25, with Hodgkins stage 4 and he is healing really quick. Even the Oncologist/Hematologist was surprised.
President Roosevelt declared Hemp the future of America, unfortunately it was too successful and bad begun to crush the paper and cotton industry as Hemp was significantly faster, cheaper and easier to grow – use less water and the resulting products were a far superior quality than the traditional paper and cotton. So in the best American tradition the Government acted diligently to to protect the wealth of an elite few while robbing the people of low cost, high quality clothing and materials.
Obviously as most types of Hemp carry no THC and are therefore not a drug they had to create some hysteria, successful in the US but not outside which was an issue as pesky foreigners were still using hemp and thus massively undercutting the US producers
On the third attempt to get Hemp universally criminalized to again protect those poor slave owners, they found a reason that would be sure to work in the UN – the reason they gave ‘Marijuana or hemp use causes good white women to have sex with black men and Musicians”
I lie to you not, this is public record! outright protectionism legalised through racism and misogyny
so are we in SA protecting a small wealth elite or the virtue of good white women?
Indeed Matthew. This is the reason we have a history expert giving evidence at The Trial of the Plant. https://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/expert-witnesses/
This “colourful” history is also very interesting reading and makes us grateful that we are evolving as a species – hopefully!
Thanks for taking time to know what you are talking about!
What’s the best the very same companies who lobbied to have it banned using lies as evidence will be the first to try and monopolise it.
You are correct Jevon. That is why we have to stand together and shout louder and louder until our voices are heard. They can “try” and they WILL “try” but we are more than them.
That’s exactly what Bayer Monsanto is attempting to do!
Yep. I agree with that assessment of the licencing status. Me (Pop!) and Mom applied for a licence in 2014 already and have simply not heard back from the Dept of Health, even though two very senior members (a medical doctor and an advocate) came out to visit us and spent more than an hour discussing the various criteria and aspects of the current law. The impression we got (and again, nothing in black and white) is that they are very keen to issue these licences and have as much medical research going on as possible, they are also constrained by other laws in the whole framework of anti-cannabis legislation. I have a copy of a report from DAFF (Dept of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) from 2012 which is a policy document where they argue strongly for “complete commercialisation” of cannabis. This would then include using it for textiles, building and other uses as well as medical and recreational usage. Their main argument was how it would benefit subsistence farmers due to its hardiness and lack of costs (chemicals, fertilisers, etc) in production.
I personally believe that there are a majority of government that are in favour of legalisation but that a. there are a myriad of laws to “untangle” and b. they are too busy with political in-fighting to consider it a priority.
I am convinced that full legalisation must and will happen this year! Keep tokin’ ;)
I remember you telling us about that Andrew. We are encouraging all people who have applied for licenses to re-establish contact with the department and let us know if there are any status updates on the applications. One person in Cape Town has started to have the conversation with the MCC once again after 2 years of hearing nothing. Worth a try, just to keep the ball rolling.
Should be legalised
Ok so good evening. I do know that a year ago a sole license was granted to a certain individual who has obvious toes as there was no tender process or seemingly no thought put into giving the license to someone who is clueless about Cannabis full stop. The department of health, the MCC and all the rest are embroiled in state capture.
Who paid out millions to our political parties for their campaigning?
Let’s throw Pharma in here as needing SA to be the dustbipn of the world.
Who do they pay to keep them in business?
If a woman has been geanted the constitutional right over her body to murder then I have the constitutional right over my body to say how I can medicate as Pharma has nothing for me.
There are many rumours doing the rounds and it is difficult to tell fact from fiction Shaun. The Dept of Health and the MCC assure us that NO licenses have EVER been issued for research into high THC Cannabis (;)) The only licenses that have ever been issued are for low THC “hemp” and, yes, those were ALL issued to one person. It is good to rant and also to pay attention to all the rumours because there is some fact in there somewhere. However, it is also very important to do the constructive work necessary to move forward.
This is definitely ‘HEMP’! A type of Sativa, identified by long thin leaves. Yeah right this is Sativa, it looks more like an Indica strain with those broad leaves: – https://thehighco.co.za/south-africas-secret-legal-medical-cannabis-farm/
Indeed. Corruption in SA gets in everywhere!
I live. with a sickness in my mind of thinking I must work without money for that only can be the reason for mankind to orginise life to all for making everything more posible for a more reasonable and fulgrowing living for all. When I could juse canabis for a reason to forget and forgive it helps me with that deppresionin me cannot find a reason for living. because live didnt work for me .
Bertus, we are fighting for the rights of people like you.
Let the doctors inform their patients the good side of herbsand how healthy it is……
Jammer oor die swak spelling…..vinger probleem…te haastig
Dankie Roelf……ek lees al jou …posts…
Ek wil graag weet hoe ek te wefk moet gaan om n kommersieele permit te bekom….
Ek wil my eie plane groei, hulle verwerkk na medisyne in verskillende votms …..
Ek self het kanker..
Baie dankie 082 763 6164 Krugersdorp
Barend Labuschagne
Please read the whole article Barend.
If you use this for medical reasons. What effect does it have on your brain. Like when you smoke it you get high and your brain dehydrates. Will it have the same effects?
Hi Sonia. Google is your friend. You need to do some reading as Cannabis does not cause your brain to dehydrate. I doubt that the millions of people who use Cannabis every day have dehydrated brains. Maybe you are talking about Cannabis giving a person a dry mouth? The solution to that is to drink something. There is NO difference between using Cannabis for medical reasons and using Cannabis to get high. Same plant, same thing. Your question is just too big to answer here. Knowledge is power and we have provided a huge list of PDF documents for you to read. Go to: https://www.fieldsofgreenforall.org.za/resources-downloads/
The plant should be allowed to be grown by anyone for home use if people want to commercially farm it,that must then be treated the way farms and there crops are treated period.Tomatoes are not banned yet there leaves are toxic look at rubbarb also you cannot eat the leaves yet they are grown as normal crops.So people cannot point to any dangers concerning the growing of cannabis.We need to make a blockbuster movie that will convince people that cannabis is not dangerous, getting the masses to think positive thoughts on cannabis, would help a lot.
Agreed Tamas. There are many movies that have been made that reduce the stigma attached to the plant.https://www.youtube.com/user/thedaggacouple If we had the funds we would also be making a big movie. When you say “We need to…”, whose the “we”? We are all in this together so we all need to do our bit. Use your phone, film your little video about your point of view and post it on our #ProudlyGreen page. WE have made it possible for you to do this now go do it. https://daggacouple.co.za/dagga-stories/ It’s a start!