I recently had a few products come across my desk for review and if I’m honest, it actually just pissed me off. The truth is I’ve never really appreciated brands or products using weed as a capitalist method of gain, but always appreciated brands who utilise cannabis to improve and better other people’s lives and the community/industry as a whole.Â
Now what I’m hinting at is that we have a massive fight ahead of us as a cannabis community in South Africa as we may have won the battle but the war is still very alive. Products that take the piss do not only weaken our frontline but make us defenceless to claims that are presented in a negative light. The truth is many may argue that these products serve a necessary purpose in introducing people to the cannabis industry. That ends up being the joke of it all, as you are literally doing the complete opposite and presenting a product that in no way has anything to do with weed but rather uses the hype and green leaf to capitalise.
So to the few brand owners that do read this, I strongly advise to stop taking the piss and do things properly. More importantly, do things with care as weed is not only a miracle plant but a catalyst to a whole new world of natural healing and the steps you take now will affect us all later. Yes, small business owner, as you read this you may think it’s a tougher fight being legit, but trust me when I say do the work, put in the effort and you will get rewarded as stoners aren’t stupid and its only a matter of time before we decide to kick you out the community.
The truth is we will never completely kill this problem, but through education and support, we can all create a market and space that is open and honest for both those in the industry and out of it – for a greener future of the cannabis community in South Africa.
Peace, love & success
– Billy Bong
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