Cannabis - grow your own at home?
Living in South Africa means that most socially aware people know that Cannabis Sativa (the local name for the plant is Dagga, from late 17th century: from Afrikaans, from Khoikhoi dachab) has been part of our sub-culture for centuries. By sub-culture I mean an aspect of culture which goes against the mainstream concept of what is universally socially "correct", especially as influenced by Western civilisation.
One could happily offer a new acquaintance a glass of wine at any time in our history but one would be very cautious about doing the same with a "zol" the colloquial term for a dagga cigarette.
As the local name indicates, cannabis was an integral part of Khoikhoi / San / Bushman culture in that it was used by the elders, shamans, sangomas in their traditional rituals in dance, inducing trance for divination.
"Morley and Bensusan (1971 as cited in du Toit 1980) recognise that dagga is not indigenous to southern Africa. The authors believe that dagga was introduced into Africa by the Arab traders to the Mozambique coast from India. From Mozambique, the plant was carried towards the south by the migrating “Hottentots and Bantu” (du Toit 1980:15). This hypothesis is supported by Goodwin (1939 as cited in du Toit 1980). However, du Toit (1980) believes that the hypothesis is lacking in that it does not specify the details of the “Khoikhoi and Bantu” people. This hypothesis does, nonetheless, offer an earlier date for the introduction of cannabis.
Walton (1953 as cited in du Toit 1980) incorporates his own archaeological reports which refer to pipes found in early Bantu settlements as well as to Dos Santos‘ description of the cultivation of dagga by the eastern Shona in the sixteenth century. Walton believes that dagga was introduced into southern Africa by the first Bantu herders from the north. From there, the use of cannabis would have spread from the Bantu to the Khoikhoi and the San. Du Toit (1980) holds this hypothesis in high regard as it represents a large portion of the evidence he has managed to obtain."
History of dagga in the South African archaeological record. https://sites.google.com/site/witsgeoghonours/history-of-dagga-in-the-south-african-archaeological-record
Its chemical properties as an hallucinogen made it popular as an escape from reality for Western youth in the 1960's and onwards and for many people it is seen as a gateway drug, leading to the use of more addictive and dangerous drugs like cocaine, heroin and meth amphetamine.
There is also credible research that in susceptible people, mainly in their mid-teens, cannabis use may lead to development of schizophrenia, which may well be permanent. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Causes.aspx
And now with the almost epidemic increase in cancer around the world, cannabis oil is being used as a palliative for terminally ill patients. The oil is tricky to extract but it can be done at home. The most comprehensive guide is here. https://btl.co.za/how-to-make-cannabis-oil/
So should you grow your own cannabis sativa? If it is now legal in your particular country and you have already been a user, perhaps add it to your herb balcony garden.
It grows pretty much wild in sunny South Africa and if you source your seeds from a reputable source, you should be able to grow your own without much effort. Here is a link to assist.
And this is a fascinating TEDx Cape Town talk by two very eloquent activists.
