Cape Town – Around 300 Rastafarians marched through the Cape Town CBD over the exclusion of indigenous people from the cannabis industry.
They were also unhappy about the lack of legislation pertaining to cannabis cultivation and land distribution.
The march, organised by the Black Farmers Association of South Africa (BFASA), was joined by the Delft Chamber of Business, Rastafari United Front, Rastafari Ganja Council Western Cape and 10 affiliated associations.
The march commenced at the Grand Parade on Thursday, then moved to Parliament, the Western Cape Legislature and concluded at the Western Cape High Court.
Petitions were handed to representatives from the Office of the President, the premier and the Judge President of the High Court.
BFASA president Dr Lennox Xolile Mtshagi said one of the demands made to the president was to revoke all cannabis licenses issued to white-owned pharmaceutical companies by the South African Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra).
“The cannabis plant is an indigenous plant that belongs to the indigenous people of this country. It is unfair that Sahpra gives these licences to white companies. We also demand that all companies that are selling cannabis oil products, such as Clicks, Dis-Chem and Canna Africa, must remove all those products from their shelves, because…
