The withdrawal of health minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s regulations banning the sale of cannabis products will be received with much relief by the country’s nascent cannabis commercial sector.
The minister’s volte-face — after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s uncharacteristically swift intervention — will see the regulations shelved while industry stakeholders and the public are consulted.
Motsoaledi’s abortive regulations would have flown in the face of the president’s earlier pledges, including in his state of the nation address in February, to stimulate the cannabis sector and make South Africa a leading player in the commercial production of hemp and cannabis.
Ramaphosa’s intervention will hopefully bring to an end to a situation where government’s left hand often does not seem to know what the right is doing
As well, the minister does not seem to have considered the broader social and economic affect on the sector’s businesses — at a time the country needs to create as many jobs as it can.
In seeking to regulate the industry, Motsoaledi would have been acting within his mandate to prevent the sale of products potentially harmful to public health. Still, we expect a government minister to act with judiciousness, taking into account not one but all relevant factors.
Motsoaledi may be keen to deliver on his mandate, but by acting rashly he runs the risk of undoing whatever good he may seek to do. While the cannabis industry obviously requires regulation in the public interest, it also deserves support as a contributor to our economic growth.
Ramaphosa’s intervention will hopefully bring to an end to a situation where government’s left hand often does not seem to know what the right is doing, and where some ministers have publicly shown insubordination without consequences.
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