Connections in West Africa are hard to come by. Unlike Swazi, Kenya & Malawi, unfortunately Cannabis is not used recreationally in the traditions. It exists as a medicine as we know already now. My uncle could not find Western medicines for his high cholesterol, so he called back home and an herbalist suggested tea made from dried Cannabis root. Luckily I was improving my growing at the time and was able to provide the roots. Another problem is the stigma and attitudes of people toward Marijuana smoking. It is almost taboo. E.G: My Family(Ghanaian) has frowned on me for using for years, decades. I moved from Seattle where Cannabis is legal now to California where I still use under the Medical Marijuana Act. I have been smoking legally for almost five years now, but they are still not satisfied. They went from it is illegal to it is unhealthy. No Scientific data is going to change their minds otherwise. I haven't been in Ghana since the late seventies. A visit is long overdue. Luckily I have a cousin that smokes there, and with his trust I plan on maybe one day meeting Ghanaian ganja farmers, and check to see if there is a local strain. I speak the language good enough, and most Ghanaians are not violent. But as in most of Africa, authorities are corrupt, and everyone has their hand out. People don't do for others unless there is something to gain from it. Also "WEE" as the Ghanaians call it is strongly associated with prostitution and drug dealers(hard drugs). "It is what the criminals smoke." Reminds me of Kazakhstan where marijuana grows wild by the roadside yet nobody smokes or takes advantage of planting some high grade among the tWeeds. If West Africa has a local strain whose roots are helping regulate peoples blood, then who knows what other properties this medicine could have? What can it contribute to the gene pool you guys hve worked so hard to bring to us patients. Africans like to emulate the West. S it starts here in the US. I am proud to have seen Jack Herer on stage in the early days of HEMPFEST SEATTLE, and to have put into practice the words of Ed Rosenthal. I am proud to be a part of the movement. My arrest for hash was thrown out a few years back and I have had my share of pain from simply using a medicine whose only drawback is its aroma. If I should visit Ghana, I will be sure to document and start a blog or something.

W Africa must have a strain similar to that found in Nigeria with leaves reaching up to 18 inches long. I can only imagine that if this strain was perpetually selected for coveted characteristics, that it will produce a winner. I am from Ghana and it is rumored that when Shabba Ranks came to Ghana in the nineties, he could not perform after smoking some weed that was black in color. Just a rumor. I still think West Africa should be the next expedition, going from country to country. Most of W Africa is safe, Marijuana is illegal, but as long as one is not breaking the laws in plain sight you should be alright. I was born in Ghana, but grew up in Nigeria(who happen to have very good Sativas by the way)