The Cannabis Expo, presented by Synergy Wellness, South Africa’s leading medical cannabis services provider, is both a consumer experience and a trade show.  Synergy Wellness, will be breaking new frontiers with the launch of its “Medibles” range at the Gauteng Cannabis Expo this weekend, from Friday 30 May to 1 June 2025, 10 am to 6 pm. 

Over 100 exhibitors will be taking part, offering consumers the biggest choice of cannabis products under one roof.  

Cannabis Expo CEO Silas Howarth says there’s a strong ‘health and wellness’ trend at this year’s Expo, a sign that the cannabis market is maturing beyond the novelty of access to recreational cannabis products since the Expo was first launched in Cape Town in 2019.

Another feature of this year’s Expo is that key Government departments are participating. Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC),  the Gauteng Agriculture Department (GDARD),the Eastern Cape and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), are exhibitors.  The DTIC is now the lead department in driving cannabis reform and says that developing a commercial framework for cannabis is now its priority.

This has been seen by the cannabis industry as a positive sign by government of wanting to engage with the private sector in developing market-friendly regulations.  The Expo will also be a chance for the agriculture departments to communicate wide-reaching liberalization of hemp cultivation guidelines that were revealed to Parliament last month.

Running alongside the Cannabis Expo will be the Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Industry Summit .

The summit will see the largest gathering of cannabis industry heavyweights and comes at a crucial time following the confusion caused by the Government ban – and subsequent lifting – of cannabis-related foodstuffs. Among the speakers will be senior government cannabis and hemp sector consultant, Garth Strachand who will address the challenges facing the industry. There will also be a video-link with the “Father of the US Legal Cannabis Industry”, Steve DeAngelo, while there will be input from a broad range of business leaders and policy-makers.

This year’s Cannabis Expo also features the traditional Cannabis Food Market, which is expected to have a new vigour after the ‘edibles ban’. Visitors will be able to sample a wide range of cannabis-infused foodstuffs at the Market. There will also be the Freedom Festival, an ongoing celebration of cannabis, culture and music and a number of panel discussions on the Expo Open Stage.

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