The tiny kingdom’s blossoming marijuana sector has already attracted investment from foreign firms
In 2018, Lesotho became the first African nation to issue licences for the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Foreign investors including Canadian companies Supreme Cannabis, Canopy Growth and Aphria have since poured tens of millions of dollars into a handful of facilities, drawn by the low cost of production.
The company harvests a strain of marijuana with low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol — the compound that gets you stoned — to comply with regulations. It exports nonpsychoactive cannabidiol oil extracts and other medical cannabis products primarily to SA, and is working on entering markets in Europe and the Middle East, as well as Australia.CBD is a fast-growing piece of the $340bn global cannabis market.
As a medical product, it’s imperative that the CBD oil produced is standardised and uncontaminated, and quality control testing for MG Health is conducted by the independent LuCan Laboritories. Workers have to shower at work and wear layers of protective clothing, which are then washed and pressed at the end of each day.
Kotsoana Clementi, a 43-year-old who grows pot illicitly in his village about a 90-minute drive from Maseru, says he would like to partner with one of the Canadian cannabis companies on a legal business. While Clementi stands out among other villagers with his blue collared shirt, Guess jeans and polished black shoes, the operation in his small stone house lacking electricity is rudimentary.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Police confirm bodies found on N12 illegal miners from LesothoThe police refused to say whether the men were involved in a turf war with another group of illegal miners or whether they were involved in an altercation with security officials.
Read more »
Turkey to produce its first fully homegrown carPresident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says he wants the electric car to become a global brand
Read more »
Only a winning Left can save us from the demagogues lurking around the corner'As the Democrats discovered at great cost when they chose to run Hillary Clinton against Trump, centrists are no longer electable,' writes Imraan Buccus.
Read more »
Turkey to produce its first fully homegrown carPresident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says he wants the electric car to become a global brand
Read more »
#ImStaying will identify 3 shortlisted job creation projects in JanuaryThree SA organisations aimed at job creation and boosting small businesses will begin 2020 by vying for assistance from the R100k raised through crowdfunding by ImStaying to further their cause.
Read more »