Trichomes are a Girl’s Best Friend

South Africa…home to the popular Durban Poison landrace and where cannabis is locally known as “dagga.” It is estimated that a third of all marijuana seized around the world originates from South Africa.

The country’s history with cannabis dates back hundreds of years. The indigenous Khoisan and Bantu peoples in South Africa cultivated and consumed “dagga” long before European settlement in the Cape in 1652. Cannabis remained legal during and even sometime after the colonial period. Unfortunately, it was to become the so-called ‘black sheep’ among drugs. Many people are unaware South Africa played a crucial role in international cannabis criminalization in the early 20th century. It was the office of Prime Minister Jan Christiaan Smuts who requested that Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica be included on the list of dangerous drugs which is regulated by global narcotics law. The Union Government was of the opinion that Indian Hemp or “dagga” was the most important of habit-forming drugs. It was replete with racism. The request was, however, approved, and the start of a lengthy history of harsh punishment for being arrested for consuming, possessing, cultivating, or distributing cannabis began.

A lot of South Africans consumed cannabis for spiritual, medicinal, culinary, and ceremonial purposes as a way of manifesting and/or practicing their religion as a Rastafarian. The police would target Rastafarians or people of color, and if arrested, would mean serious jail time. A good example would be an arrest that took place in the late 80s. Police arrested Gareth Prince, a Rastafarian and law student, for possession outside his home. This incident would later be the cause of Gareth Prince being refused admission as an attorney by the Cape Law Society. Gareth Prince instituted legal action against the Law Society, but he lost his case. He was to continue his quest for “cannabis freedom” (as he calls it) for years. It was only later when he would meet Jeremy Acton, the leader of the Dagga Party (political party), who was arrested with cannabis on his farm in 2011. Together the two brought a case to the Western Cape High Court in which they argued that the ban on the use of “dagga” at home violated several constitutional rights. This was a lengthy legal battle. Persistence prevailed when in April 2017, the Western Cape High Court found the ban on adult home use violated the constitutional right to privacy. It was on 18 September 2018 that the Court ruled that the ban on private use and cultivation of “dagga” at home was unconstitutional. Cannabis was partially decriminalized. The people were free. People could no longer be harassed by the police. This caused South Africa to now have some of the most relaxed cannabis laws in the world. This is one small victory, yet the battle for full decriminalization is far from over.

Now, ganja has been part of my life ever since I was a little girl. We were brought up with reggae music, and we saw the occasional spliff being smoked. I actually got high for the first time from my mother’s stash. However, my personal journey with; and my love for the herb only started much later in life. A traumatic childhood led to a life of alcohol and substance abuse. I was clinically depressed. The prescribed anti-depressants made me feel worse. I was self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. My life started spiraling out of control…fast. I almost felt relieved when the day came for me to take that long, hard look in the mirror. My lifestyle was starting to affect my career and also my personal life. February 2021 was when I decided to sober up. I knew I couldn’t successfully do it by myself. I knew I could only do it with the help of Mary Jane. It was difficult to source decent cannabis, and my interest to grow my own was always on the back burner. At the time, laws and substances made it difficult to follow through. Sobriety very quickly sparked my interest in growing again, but this time, I pulled the trigger. I bought a complete setup from a friend having no clue how it works or what to do. After doing research online, I started growing, not knowing that this decision would ultimately be one of the best decisions of my life. Growing cannabis became my therapy, and it was my rehab. I started posting my grows on social media in hopes of learning from others and maybe one day being able to teach others too.

It was an ordinary day of catching up on Twitter when something caught my eye…it was fresh, futuristic, and the most beautiful growing lights I have ever seen. What I saw was the G630 and Sea of Beam light combo. The obsession was instant. I started talking to the owner, Jamie, whose passion for under canopy lighting was infectious. He explained to me how the grow tech works and how the Sea of Beam increases yields, terpenes, and THC. I had to have it and was thinking about ways to make it happen. I didn’t know this yet, but I was soon to become a Green Leopard affiliate. I will never forget the message saying: “You are officially an asset in South Africa” I couldn’t believe it. Knowing that I was bringing the very first Green Leopard Grow Tech to South Africa was phenomenal. The equipment arrived, and the quality was the very first thing I noticed, followed by the sleek Swiss design. It was the most badass setup in the world! I immediately started growing, and it was easy to tell that the plants were living their best lives with the under canopy lighting. They were happy and thriving! The flowering phase was spectacular. The trichomes started sparkling like diamonds with supplemental lighting. It was at this moment that I realized that trichomes are a girl’s best friend. With the Green Leopard experience came an opportunity for me to practice my passion for photography. It gave me the purpose that I needed. The Green Leopard journey has been amazing, and it is something that I will treasure forever. I cannot thank Jamie and the Green Leopard team enough for believing in me, for the support, and for the amazing opportunity.

The South African home grower is facing various challenges lately due to load shedding, which has lasted the longest it ever has before. This is the interruption of our electricity supply for several hours and various times a day to avoid excessive load on the generating power plant. This has most of us growing autoflowers in an effort to continue growing. Autoflowers are resilient, and you don’t have to worry about the light schedule. Where there’s a will, there is definitely a way.

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