The South African government has been battling with power shortages for the last few months, the shortages have constrained growth, and as a result the National Treasury is confronting a 52.5 billion rand ($3.53 billion) revenue shortfall for the year through March.
This is not good news considering the economy is already struggling.
South African Finance Minister Tito Mboweni Tweeting from his farm in Magoebaskloof in the northeastern Limpopo province on Sunday has suggested the country should legalise the marijuana industry to help with the country’s economic shortfalls.
The minister believes legalising marijuana could add more than 4 billion rand to the economy.
As African countries get their shit together enough to see the very positive effects weed can bring to the continent, other countries around the world are backing ground breaking research to get the full potential of cannabis.
According to years of study more than 60 cannabinoids have been found and only —tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the cannabis plant is believed to produce the “high” we all love.
Well, not for long, research done by a group of Italian scientists have recently announced the discovery of two new cannabinoids: THCP (tetrahydrocannabiphorol) and CBDP (cannabidiphorol).
The new discovery was made through advanced spectrometry—which is used to identify unknown compounds in cannabis—and analytical techniques better enable the identification of new cannabis compounds.
For most of the nearly 150 cannabis compounds, including THC, the chain is only five atoms long, the scientists said. However, THCP has a seven-atom chain, meaning that in its natural form it has surpassed the potency of THC. A cannabinoid with more than five atoms has never been previously reported as naturally occurring, CNN reports.
The THCP could potentially be 30 times more potent than THC, the scientists are still uncertain if the new compound will deliver any high at all though— it’s unclear until more test are done.
You can’t escape the fact that Africa is one of the world’s highest consumers of cannabis. In a society with societal values that shame anyone and anything associated with marijuana, coupled with the fact that’s it’s illegal in most African countries, it’s hard to believe that Nigeria was rated one of the highest consumers of weed last year, a country that still makes the use of marijuana an illegal act.
“It is not surprising to see the African powerhouse coming third on the list of countries with the highest weed population. Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth, boasting a population of more than 180 million people. The cannabis user rate in the country sits at 14.3 percent, and there are no indications that the price will dwindle soon” — According to Marijuana Span.
Other countries across Africa have also picked up the marijuana frenzy with some countries going as far as legalising it for medical and recreational use.
Marijuana is a creative and medical aid a lot of us use regularly to deal with different aspects of our lives.
Yet, the use of weed is still highly stigmatised, and a lot of us aren’t properly educated on how to effectively understand and use marijuana in a way that benefits our individuality. We approach it most times through peer pressure, paranoia, uncertainty, depression and a need to escape our reality.
You’ve been thinking about getting high for some time now, but you don’t know how to ask the people you once judged for a drag.
As usual, we’ve got you. This is the beginner’s guide to La La Land:
Know What You’re Smoking.
The first advice will be to know what you’re smoking. If it’s your first time, it’s best to ask someone to roll the weed in front of you so it’s not laced with something you can’t handle and start in small quantities. Always know what you’re smoking, what strain or type of weed it is.
Weed is divided into two, Indica & Sativa. Indica makes you sleepy; it’s more of a body high, good for pain, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. Sativa is a more upbeat, artistic, and cerebral high.
If you’re getting local weed, half of the time it’s Indica, and is quite relaxing for the mind and for someone who’s trying it for the first time, especially in small quantities. If it’s not local weed and it’s a particular strain, ask for the name and what kind of high to expect.
Never take ‘Colorado’, ‘FishHead’ or any sort of laced joints or synthetic form of weed on your first try. If it’s not weed say no. Also, you can confirm what strain your loud dealer is selling on this site Leafly, so you don’t get fooled and you know the effects.
Ways Of Getting High.
Getting high in the right condition, environment and way is also very important for a beginner or a stoner. There’s different ways to get the THC hitting the right spots without wasting the high and we’ll take you through a few.
Joints.
This is the easiest way for a beginner to get high, rolling a good J.
A joint is basically a good cannabis roll, which consists of rolling paper filled and rolled with just weed.
A good joint.
You also have blunts, which is using a cigar casing that’s been emptied and filled with dry herbs, or real tobacco leaf paper to roll the weed. And Spliffs, rolling the weed with regular paper but mixing it with tobacco (mostly hardcore cigarette smokers do this, it’s really harsh on the lungs and not advisable if you don’t smoke cigarettes.)
Blunts
Spliff
For a beginner, stick to just joints for your first few sessions. If you can’t roll a joint here’s a video on YouTube to help.
Bongs.
A bong is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis. Using a bong can be an excellent way to get high quickly and easily. That’s largely because bongs let you take extra big rips, and theoretically, the more THC-rich smoke you can get into your lungs and into your bloodstream, the quicker and purer your high will set in + it’s pure air, no paper burning.
Vaporizer.
A vaporizers — also known as vape pen— is devices used heat cannabis for inhalation, it’s basically an electric bong.
Vaping is the heating of cannabis flower or concentrate without burning. The heat releases the active ingredients into a vapor that is then released into the air in a fine mist created by a vaporizer device.
– Using a Vape pense is my choice but the high hits pretty hard. Take really slow hits if you’re a beginner, don’t take too much at once.
Different kinds of vaporizers.
Edibles.
Edibles are cannabis infused treats that can be eaten, they come in the form of brownies, cakes, sweets, gum and actual food. The high is typically really heavy because it digests straight into your bloodstream, but can be beautiful once you get the hang of it.
I won’t recommend trying edibles for a beginner cause it can be overwhelming and intense. Take things slow.
Don’t Let The High Take Over.
If you’re just getting into weed, it’s sometimes easy to get lost in the euphoria that comes with getting high. For someone who’s been smoking for a few years, I can understand but I also know it’s quite important to not abuse it.
Getting high is a different experience for everyone and we all do it for reasons known to us, could be recreationally or medically. Whatever your reason, pace yourself. There’s no need to get beyond your tolerance. Always stop when you feel you’ve hit the right buzz, going further can make what started as a good high become a really bad one.
If you’re a light head and three puffs or hits get you right, turn it off and go on with your day. If you can handle more, that’s fine but always stay within your limits. Nothing in excess is ever right, not even weed.
You also don’t need to be high all the time. The come down can be underwhelming, tempting you to get high again just to maintain the buzz but it’s good to sometimes be sober and wait a bit for the next buzz.
Tolerance breaks also help once in while, if you feel you’ve been smoking or consuming too much THC.
Quit If It Ain’t Right.
We’re in a generation with a lot of weed consumers making it the ‘cool thing’ to do right now. If that’s the reason you smoke weed then you’re not on the right path.
Weed doesn’t work for everyone, and for some, it can have very negative effects on their mind and health. If you’ve tried to smoke a few times and end up more paranoid, stressed or confused then maybe it’s not meant for you and you should quit while you’re ahead.
The weed culture in Nigeria is growing, we’ve left the long years of being castigated because you dabble in a little herb now and again. The stigma of being called a hooligan isn’t common place amongst our generation who have seen other countries adopt marijuana for medical and recreational uses.
With more than half the population under 35, there’s a lot of young open-minded Lagosians. This has increased the interest in weed varieties and accessories to enhance the experience. Recently, there’s been a ‘loud frenzy’ happening, but for a higher price, creating classes between consumers.
When we want to get that ‘good good’ we opt for the best loud dealers, so we can get a 5/10k bag that’ll last long enough till our next fix.
Moments like these take me back to the good ol’ days, when my trusted street dealer who sold me ‘Igbo’, ‘Arizona’, ‘SK’, had ushered me into the world of ‘cloud 9’.
I could always rely on my dealers at the corner of every Lagos hood, or a simple direction from the bike man to the closest ‘Zanga’ when you’re broke and can’t maintain your loud habit, or like me, your dealer is currently on holiday and decides to ignore your calls.
So I’ve made a list of good Reggie weed sold across Lagos for people who can’t afford the demands of perpetual loud but still always want to enjoy a quality high. I got you.
Ikate — Marley
Our first stop is probably the most popular and expensive on the list. A full bag [which is a really fat bag] goes for about 1,000 Naira and you’re guaranteed to roll a lot of joints. I advice you get a crusher because the buds can be difficult to grind with your fingers.
The high is pretty cerebral and very calming, it’s good for nights you just want to chill and have a good time or you’re just trying to relax at home. I won’t advice you smoke it in public spots that don’t allow weed cause it has a powerful scent (most reggies do). You can get it around Ikate, Lekki.
Yaba — Stone/Pappy J
I got introduced to this during a transformational period in my life, and it actually helped me a lot. The last two quarters of 2017 are surrounded with memories of me visiting Pappy J in Yaba–the name of the joint and weed popular to most Unilag students.
It gives a calm indica like high, better quality with lesser sticks and stone than Marley. The lowest strain of Pappy J’s bush weed starts from 500 with the german strain and stone going for 1000 and 1500 respectively. They also have loud buds if you’re looking to get a gram that goes for 5k which is the standard around.
Shitta – Larinka
There’s a popular folk tale about Larinka, which is found in Surulere, and it goes that there was a time in Wizkid’s life that this was all he used to smoke. Honestly no one knows how true this is because StarBoy himself has never mentioned it or denied it either.
As you can guess it’s really good stuff and for something so good it’s really really cheap, you can get one for around 100 Naira and it comes with brown rolling papers! Jackpot! The high can be used for work or recreational purposes, and very smooth. They’re also almost smooth enough to roll without a crusher.
Mushin — Paw Paw
No need to worry ‘Paw Paw’ isn’t some street name for ‘Colorado’, it’s just another type of SK. It’s found in the more chaotic parts of Lagos, and is super cheap as you can imagine but it still feels as smooth as it’s other counter parts.
The high is mellow and gentle, it’s a good way to start smoking before going to the much stronger stuff.
New Afrikan Shrine – Arizona
I can’t end this list without the most famous smoking spot in Lagos, Nigeria, Thé New Afrikan Shrine home of Fela’s soul and family. It’s the new home to ‘Arizona’, a popular form of SK that first popped in Lekki long before Loud took over the mind of every dealer.
You can never go wrong with a 500 Naira bag of Arizona. Simple and short.
What we’ve learnt ?
Well, I’ve basically given you the tools needed to have a healthy and cheap smoking life. I definitely can’t put the exact locations but if you’re really into the culture and not some SARS detective you should be able to solve the puzzle.
Unfortunately, the reggie weed we’ve listed out all have strong indica symptoms. If you’re looking for a sativa buzz this isn’t the place for you.
Have fun! Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.
Uganda has made a deal worth $160 million to export marijuana to 20,000 pharmacies in Canada and Germany. The country’s marijuana industry is worth Shs11.1 trillion, [$3 billion] and the government has listed a range of benefits it offers including revenue tax, employment opportunities, technology transfer, foreign investment and a trade surplus.
A private Ugandan company, Industrial Hemp Uganda Ltd is so far the only entity licensed to manufacture and trade cannabis products, according to a Ugandan cabinet information paper tabled by the Ministry of Health, “The ministry has received applications from 14 companies interested in the cultivation, extraction and export of cannabis oil for medical purposes in line with the provisions of Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 2015.”
Speaking with reporters, a director from Industrial Hemp Uganda Ltd, Benjamin Cadet–who was a former member of the Ugandan parliament said “We signed annual supply contracts with pharmacies in Canada to the tune of $100 million and €58 million for Germany,” he said. “The current contracts run for 10 years, but along the way we shall expand to satisfy future demand.” The company is partnering with an Israeli company Together Pharma Ltd.
“People are using morphine, the main component of opium as an analgesic for cancer pain. Opium is an Opioid and more addictive and with side effects, yet Cannabinol (CBD) from medical marijuana is the best option for such patients,” – Cadet.
The marijuana exports from a farm in Kasese District include Cannabinol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with mixture of 2.7mg THC and 2.5mg CBD for Sativex drugs approved in USA, Europe and Canada. Oil Risin contains Dronabinol for making Marinol and syndros capsules and CBD enriched creams for various skin disorders.
Despite the merits, the country still fears that increased legal cultivation will lead to a spike in marijuana abuse, and Uganda’s First Lady Janet Museveni previously described marijuana as ‘satanic’.
Countries such as Uruguay, Canada, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, some states in the United States, Germany and many other countries in the European Union have legalised cannabis for medical use. Lesotho became the first African country to license the cultivation of medical cannabis for export in 2017.
You could say we’re advocates of Dank (the slang used for marijuana in SA), we’ve written different articles not to just promote the plant but also make the minds of Africans who have a traditional and predated understanding of marijuana more aware to what exactly the *drug* is and what it does. Each article has been received with different reviews but as a platform based on consciously documenting everything going on, it’s hard to deny the heavy influence of marijuana in African millennials and Generation Z.
In the spirit of celebrating our anniversary, we’ve decided to compile seven reasons why we feel marijuana should be federally Legal in Africa as a whole.
Regulation Is Too Costly
Regulating cannabis is costly and environmentally damaging with negative effects on people. For the past 10 years, Kenya’s anti-narcotics unit has conducted a vicious campaign to stop cultivation and trade of weed (or bhang). Hundreds of hectares of plantations in the Mount Kenya regions of Embu and Meru are bulldozed or put on fire each year. Despite their efforts, high demand and lack of alternative sources of income drive farmers to continue to harvest. In Zimbabwe, before the legalization of medical marijuana, possession, growing, or use of cannabis for any reason could leave you with a 12-year jail sentence. In Mauritius, an estimated 75% of prisoners are in jails for smoking marijuana. In Gabon, the penalty is six months to two years and a fine. In Nigeria, SARS (a special unit of the police force tasked to bring down drugs) has killed, harassed, and molested for possessing marijuana.
When will we stop the violence against our own people?
Medical Use
Marijuana has a lot of its medicinal properties which can treat a variety of illnesses. With a lack of medical professionals and proper healthcare facilities in rural areas, medical marijuana is an opportunity for African governments to legalize a substance that can make people’s lives a little easier especially in poor nations that can’t Afford proper medical aid and drugs. Research has shown that marijuana can help people living AIDS/HIV to eat and sleep better, experience a better mood, and even helps with neuropathic pain, depression, cancer (kills cancer cells and improves radiation treatment), chronic pain, epilepsy (reduced frequency of seizures), and glaucoma (preserve nerves that lead to blindness) and arthritis (reduces pain-causing inflammation). Weed isn’t a gateway drug if uses consciously or medically.
Good for Farmers
Africa accounts for more than 50% of the vegetative land in the world and Weed is estimated to be a 10 billion dollar business which means a lot of Farmers across Africa will benefit heavily if they begin Weed Farming. From an agricultural perspective, cannabis is just easier to grow and more lucrative than other crops such as maize and sugarcane. Weed farming is an important cash crop in places like the rural Eastern Cape.
African Countries Should Keep Up
It’s already legal in other parts of the world, there’s no need for the African continent to carry last (Like we always fucking do). Over the past decade, Medical & Recreational Weed is becoming legal in most states across the United States cause they’ve begun to understand not only the benefits but the importance of having this crop legal. A bi-partisan bill proposing the legalization on a federal level currently being pitched in Europe and South America. The financial impact of marijuana sales is helping grow their economies: cannabis sales make up for 0.64% of Lativa’s GDP, 0.47% of Australia’s, 1.45% of Czech Republic’s, 0.36% of Slovenia’s, and it makes up 0.34% of GDP of New Zealand.
Good for Economy
The weed market has the potential to do to the African economy what it’s already doing in other continents across the globe. CNN sites a UN Survey which states more than 10,000 tons of cannabis are produced on the continent of Africa each year. Based on a rapidly expanding global market for legal weed, leading advocates estimate a potential billion dollar industry in Africa. Not only does this give room for opportunity to stimulate the economy, it can prove to be a unique way for the government and independent farmers to work together. Importantly, it can help reduce unemployment in women (as they are reportedly the biggest dealers in Africa), and young people. With a growing youth population, many of whom are jobless, legalization can help reduce violence and civil unrest.
Did you know it was already legal in some African countries?
A few of African countries have seen the light and joined the “green wave”, despite major pushback. Zimbabwe recently legalized the growing and use of cannabis for scientific and medicinal use.
Zimbabwe: They’ve recently legalized the growing and use of cannabis for scientific and medicinal use.
Morocco: The nation’s marijuana industry employs 800,000 people and is estimated $10 billion a year in sales.
Ghana: The Ghana Standards Authority recently suggested that the national campaign to cultivate marijuana could generate valuable income.
Swaziland: The Swazi House Assembly of Swaziland has appointed a committee focused on legalization research.
South Africa: SA has taken strides and is well on its way to legalization.
Lawmakers in Africa need to catch up with the pace of the modern global market. They need to see the huge education potential for rural farmers, the potential for the alleviation of ailments in rural areas, and the potential for government institutions and unprecedented partnerships with farmers.
Fela Kuti, Bob Marley & The Future.
Fela Kuti, Bob Marley and a lot of other incredible minds have been on the substance and have gone on to change the world. In a generation with a lot of young minds (minds we call ‘a generation of Felas’), the euphoric and cerebral nature of weed will be a boost to the future thinkers, innovators, and creatives. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not saying Africa needs weed before it moves forward but it won’t be a negative either.
For a country like Nigeria, where Marijuana is illegal, the idea of the number of people that smoke keeps surging as I navigate everyday life. Despite police scrutiny and ‘cultured’ society banters, there’s still a lot of weed and a friend, family member, neighbor or sex partner is a beneficiary of this economy. Or even you. My bullet point, do you ever fall into those moments where you think you’re consuming excess weed or figure out that the drug makes you unproductive and draggy or even see yourself as a junkie? I’m sure most people can relate.
I’ll break it down, being physically dependent on marijuana is not the same as being psychologically addicted to it.Physical dependence has to do with the body, while psychological addiction has to do with the behaviors associated with the use of the drug. For physically-dependent persons, there are noticeable withdrawal symptoms when THC level is drastically reduced. To recognize a physically-dependent addict or run a self-test, these are the signs you should look out for
disorientation, dizziness, drowsiness, forgetfulness, impaired learning, increased appetite (munches), laughing without reason, mood changes and red, bloodshot eyes.
For psychologically addicted potheads, they often time lose self-control when there’s a drug deficit. It’s really hard for addicts to abstain from their substances trust me. These individuals display compulsive behavior, constant cravings and urges when off the drug, inability to quit, obsessive thinking about how to get marijuana and they have an indifferent feeling about work, school, home and tend to feel in danger when the supplies are low.
In order to address any type of addiction properly, keep in mind that physical dependence is different than psychological addiction. The withdrawal symptoms associated with acute marijuana detox include anxiety, depression, drug craving, headache, increased aggression, irritability and sleeping difficulties.
After withdrawal, what follows next includes behavioral and psychological therapy. These types of therapies can take the form of motivational enhancement therapy (MET), group or family therapy, individual cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), contingency management (CM) and/or attendance at support groups. The aim of this stage of treatment is to encourage the individual to stay off the drug and deal with cravings, adopt positive thinking and habits.
If you find yourself in any of both sides, the first thing to do is to talk ahead of it. Potheads never want to accept that they getting addicted. If you can’t afford professional consultancy then you should talk to someone close, this helps you start taking steps that will help you treat your addiction. Yes, marijuana addiction can be treated. If you’ve tried stopping on your own and you failed, then it’s time you looked for help. Based on your overall health condition and the level of addiction and or dependency, a doctor can make a good judgment as to how safe and effective treatment at home may be. A doctor can also prescribe prescription medications or recommend OTC treatment to ease the symptoms. Plus, they always have resources to direct you to.
If you’re being cost effective about your treatment (I mean, broke), then you should think about changing your daily routines. Find out the times that make you idle or drift towards using the drug, stay away from smoking sessions with other junkies and keep yourself mentally ready. As much as help, medication, and abstinence are effective measures, you should also keep yourself in check, understanding that the only person that can make your weed break or recuperation process successfully.
Lagos is a city that takes a lot from you, physically, mentally, financially, and it will swallow you whole if you let it. Simply, there’s stress and it needs to be relieved, so I’ve gone through the liberty of itemizing a few strains of weed in Lagos that are very much present. If your plug doesn’t have any of these, then he/she is in need of a plug.
Images are sourced from friends’ photo galleries & Leafly.com
As is common knowledge, Marijuana is used medically worldwide to treat or care for individuals suffering from various ailments which include but are not limited to; Epilepsy and seizure disorders, Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, Neurodegenerative diseases [Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, etc], pain, nausea, PTSD. Steps taken in humanizing marijuana have had a positive effect on individuals living with some of the aforementioned ailments, as opposed to subjecting them to elongated suffering.
Medical care & aid in Nigeria is not in great condition, to say the least, it is not egregious to say that alternative methods of treatment should be sought out. The government should be looking to improve the lives of the people firstly, as is the function of a democracy. But as with many things around here, the people are left to take matters into their own hands.
More Branches has previously elucidated its take on weed culture and is actively engaged in humanizing efforts through offline events, and I believe you should be too. So tell that aunty that has back pain [but keeps saying weed is exclusively for Satan and useless people] to find a prescription that works for her and make life a lot less hard to go through.
Weed is becoming one of the world’s growing and top business, Africa, a land filled with fertile soil could easily dominate the sector as one of the top growers but has been slow to capitalize on this, not anymore as Zimbabwe joins Lesotho becoming the second African country to legalise marijuana for medical and scientific purposes.
Africa is second only to the Americas in terms of production and consumption of marijuana, according to the United Nations’ 2017 World Drug Report.
Dr David Parirenyatwa, the country’s health minister, said in a government notice that individuals and businesses would be able to apply for licences to cultivate cannabis for medicinal or scientific use. The five-year licences will also clear growers to possess, transport and sell fresh cannabis, cannabis oil, and dried product, Production and possession of marijuana, known as Mbanje or Dagga in southern Africa, was previously punishable by up to 12 years in jail. Recreational use will remain illegal, Telegraph reports.
These are the licensing fees set by the government for medicinal Cannabis/Ganja.
All Ganjamen have to carry on with their current Ganja supply arrangements as this will be a costly pursuit even if it were licensed for recreational purposes. @matigary@ZimMediaReviewpic.twitter.com/zUOIgcG4K5
Zimbabwe is a top exporter of tobacco in southern Africa already, with the legalization of weed, the economy will feel a positive impact on what’s estimated to be a 10 billion dollar business by 2020. This is a positive step for all medical and recreational users of marijuana in Zimbabwe, we’d only expect other African countries to see reason in this and hop on the wave.
I’ve been stalling on writing this article because I wanted to address the issue with a sense of understanding; as an individual growing up in a society with diverse ‘dank‘ [South African slang for marijuana] use and simultaneously a society with outdated traditions.
Growing up in Nigeria, there’s a certain stigma around consuming dank whether for recreation or medical purposes. As one who uses dank, you’re considered an Agbero [a thug, hoodlum, someone without a purpose]. With this mentality, I was programmed to think anyone who takes dank is a ‘lost cause‘. Now that I understand life a bit better, I’ve come to realize that mum and dad lied to us. Like with everything else, we’ve simply been painted false realities to keep us from doing what our small minded society has termed immoral or ‘against the Lord’ for no logical reason.
Pappy J sold in Lagos, Nigeria.
The thought that one could be judged so deeply for consuming a natural growing herb is quite baffling. The popular argument that dank use could cause detriment of the brain, lung and psyche holds little ground in this matter because if that were the case, it would be up to the user to decide whether or not to take the risk, just like it is with alcohol and tobacco use. Besides, it’s even been shown that marijuana actually reverses the lung-damaging effects of tobacco [according to this article by Business Insider]
In fact, a lot of experts worldwide have been changing their minds about marijuana due to it’s numerous medical uses. The plant contains 2 very important properties, the well-known tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] – a very effective pain reliever, and cannabidiol [CBD] – which has many interesting interactions with the brain; most still unstudied.
For example, studies suggest that marijuana can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and could possibly stop cancer from spreading. These are just some of the known medical uses of marijuana. The shocking thing is that only about 6% of studies have yet been carried out on the benefits of this plant.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not painting weed as something we must all indulge in. But Africa needs to understand that our world is changing quickly and we can’t just hold on to old beliefs without question. We should be able to take conscious individual steps to mature our society, and that involves at least considering things that could potentially bring about growth while removing unnecessary traditions.
Malawi Gold via CNN Africa.
A friend of mine said and I completely agree, that
‘Weed should be legalized. It’s not what’s destroying the continent.’
According to a UN report, over 10,000 tons of marijuana is being produced in Africa each year and that’s just what’s on the books. Anyone of us could guess that the actual figure is a lot more. Imagine the income the continent would make by meeting worldwide marijuana demands for medical purposes alone, especially with the taxes that come with transactions and innovation of dank. A lot of the low-income Africans who already grow and deal this substance on the streets anyway could also make a proper living from trading dank in compliance to the nation’s law.
Dank does have its negatives, like the fact that it’s considered addictive, with one in 10 users becoming dependent. In comparison however, nicotine is still far worse. I believe that when marijuana is used creatively, it can be a tool for inspiring ideas. My first company was inspired by a smoking session with a friend. We conversed freely on ideas full of creative passion, and I decided on a path which eventually led to Baroque Age. It was a satisfying eureka moment, almost like my mind had unlocked a new dimension.
Akin, a writer for More Branches shares,
‘The hemp culture. You’re involved: either you got family or friends that blow the tree. For some reason hemp became a whole important vice. Letting strangers feel like neighbors. It’s strange I’m writing this just around the same time I feel I’ve had enough to smoke. I won’t just come to the conclusion that hemp became a way out. But I can for sure say it helped ease the tension. I for one confess, that my younger days would have been a lot more harder to get through without the trees. Top down everybody smoking, you seen the sights? 1000 fellas blowing trees in harmony, I have my doubt about alcohol bringing that kind bonding. Smoking never came cheap though, we’ve had to sacrifice so much. Smoking gave that notion you was out of control, something like you been rolling with the wrong bunch, Peer pressure they say. But I swear I’ve smoked so much in my short life. Might say its an art I’ve perfected. It’s become a thing of passion.’
Cannabis Plantation in Northern Moroccan Larache via CNN Africa.
Not so long ago we saw the rise of the great Fela, a proud consumer of dank who shook the political scene and pioneered an entire generation with his sound. Still, we insist that marijuana is only used by lazy unproductive bums. I can’t understand why we’re so judgmental.
‘Rumor has it that many inventions are products of people who found freedom beyond equilibrium balance.’ – Richard Ogundiya, Head Of Operarions at More Branches.
I call the New Age of Africa ‘a generation of Felas.’
Empowered in our individuality and awareness, we’re more confident than we’ve ever been to fight the negatives of our African environment and reach a more conscious purpose. There’s a will to try new things with a more open-minded approach.
‘Taking the risk is necessary.’ – Sammy
New Afrika Shrine via Wikipedia.
In Lagos, Nigeria, there are dank districts in almost every neighborhood; all providing a mini-sustainable economy for the lower parts of society. Popular districts like ‘New Fela Shrine‘, show the positives of weed culture. The young, old, educated and illiterate all come together peacefully to take part in a culture shunned by society.
Some African countries [ Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana ] have already decided to leverage the growing worldwide acceptance for dank and take the bold step in legalizing it as a medical and economic step for their countries.
For me; as a product of humanity, as an African, and most especially a citizen of the craziest place on the post-mars planet [Nigeria], I think it’s unwise for anyone to downplay the effects (perhaps benefits) of weed based alone on religious or political reasons. Let people decide.
