Okay, here I go. I'm no economist, so as a layman, here are my thoughts.
Cannabis (dagga) usage has been legalised. Legislation to follow. We do know that it is widely used. It has no racial divide. It has to be a multi billion rand industry, that has gone untaxed for the last 300 years.
Let's just ask our government to legalise the commercial production of this God given plant. Legalise the commercial sales of this plant.
What do we have? A massive increase of tax for Treasury. Let's start exporting the finished product. It could probably be the biggest export for the country. Another massive boost for the Fiscus. After all South African dagga is to the world what French champagne is to the French and to the world. The caviar of weed.
State capture and our technical recession has hit us hard. Let's be innovative, and meet the challenge with our natural resources.
Let's take it further. It's seems to be a scientific given that dagga cures cancer. Let's produce medicinal Cannabis for cancer treatment. A lot more people will will be cured for cancer for a pittance of the price cancer victims are paying now, and the cost to the state. Then we can focus on primary health care.
Why not export this medicinal Cannabis, and create another massive income stream, and take on the Pharmaceutical Mafia of the West.
Imagine commercial production in our country. Employment in the impoverished Transkei, to the rain forests of Mpumalanga. These Cannabis producing areas can produce proud tax paying citizens as opposed to their current poverty stricken status.
Our Rand would strengthen, employment would be on the rise. Poverty would get the boot. Our reliance on the West would lessen or cease to exist.
And our beloved country could use this unanticipated windfall to address our challenges in health, education, social services and other sectors, and make us the proud rainbow nation we once thought we were.
Dignity for all.
Amandla!
