Bud Wyser is not your typical cannabis blog, it is a marijuana lifestyle blog with a focus on curating content specific to West Africa. It is a multimedia platform that provides premium content about premium products, top news stories, political initiatives impacting the space, influencers in the space, new technologies and lots more. The idea is to feed our audience with educational, political, and general information pertinent to the progress of the cannabis market in West Africa.
Cannabis is a new product to the legal world and has been highly scrutinized for many years prior, similar to the alcohol battles during prohibition times, there are links to corporate capitalism signaling the dictate for the cannabis market to be stifled especially with its close links to South America and Africa and the crop’s ability to positively impact these economies. Demand for control of this industry plays a big role in the delays attributed to legislation rollout on a global scale. Countries all over the world, however, are actively participating in the beta testing/research stage of the cultivation and testing of this crops medical and recreational benefits as well as the socio-economic benefits of igniting this industry with federal legislation.
Regardless of speculation the cannabis market in Nigeria alone has been quoted by MerryJane.com to be around $15 billion per annum and with its medical benefits it is presenting as the drug of the future. Although side effects have not been fully documented, it is fair to say if children with epilepsy are benefiting from it in the US and Canada then why can the children of Africa not do the same?
Despite the high consumption rates, cannabis sales are illegal in Nigeria, though the western state of Ondo is considering a medical marijuana program. But with a prolific cultivation community growing the plant across the country, New Frontier estimates that just below 20% of the nation consumes cannabis every year, with more than 12% sparking up every month. Furthermore, a recent report from Prohibition Partners estimated that, if legalized, Africa’s cannabis market could reach $7.1 billion by 2023. All this points to legalization in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Now how do we begin this process? Simply put, we need to become more aware about the matter and press for more political signals towards achieving legalization. The public in Africa stands to gain in spades from the residual businesses linked to the cannabis industry. Its time the people of Africa wake up and Bud Wyser is here to spread that message. Cannabis is a plus and we need to capitalize on it, whether as a casual distributor or a master horticulturalist.
As stated by Peter Visagie of Mondaq, it is believed that deregulation on an incremental basis, that serves the needs of the market as it develops but also recognizes the legitimate social concerns of citizens, would probably be a more sustainable approach to implement than blanket deregulation. In this regard, research and development work would be invaluable, to inform practical regulations that protect the public where needed and develops the market where possible.
Bud Wyser invites you to like, share and comment below your thoughts on marijuana use, legislation and marijuana as an industry. What is your take on the issues surrounding marijuana? What benefits do you for see in the near future?
Our passion for hemp stems from the therapeutic and psychedelic nature of the plant from growing to consumption and its indisputable historic impact on mankind and the global economy.
