Until a few years ago cannabis, better known on the street as dagga, was an absolute taboo for many.
But years of medical and scientific research have deemed cannabis pretty hip-hop-and-happening for young and old alike, due to various health benefits. And suddenly everyone seemed to be excited by CBD oil sold in many forms as a remedy for various ailments.
Statistics also show the cultivation of cannabis on a large scale can mean an immense economic boost, bringing with it much-needed job creation.
Even President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged earlier this year the importance of fast-tracking the growth and processing of the plant to make it a major job creating sector in the economy. Hemp and cannabis production could create about 130 000 new jobs.
This week Paarl was all abuzz after news broke of a large cannabis nursery and processing plant that had been discovered by police on a farm just outside Paarl. Weekly, arrests relating to the possession of dagga are reported on and although most of these perpetrators are just looking to make a quick buck or two, the lines have certainly become blurred.
But the law is the law, and in a perfect world one must abide by it. One has to wonder, however, why so much manpower was spent on raiding the above-mentioned farm last week, when far more severe crimes are taking place each day, and under the very noses of the long arm of the law. But, as mentioned, the law is the law . . . even in a lawless society.
