Discover and explore the health and wellness news and curated resources within South Africa. This is currently being curated to recommend only the best. Subscribe to our website to get notified on the launch. CANNABIZ AFRICA RESEARCH & INNOVATION The cannabis industry is at the juxtaposition of many disciplines: agriculture, science and technology, genetics, health, medicine, manufacturing, textiles, construction, finance and much more. Cannabis legalization, in a variety of forms, is taking place across the world, and there is a swell of research and innovation that has been unleashed. Cannabiz Africa’s Research and Innovation section keeps you up to date with the latest developments in this sector. Market Forces May be Causing a ‘Bottleneck in Cannabis Genetics’ Endangering the Plant’s Natural Diversity Read More Widespread legalization of cannabis could be leading to a decline in the biodiversity of the plant and make ‘cannabis in the wild’ a thing of the past. A new study suggests that commercialization may be creating ‘the bottlenecking of cannabis genetics’. Market Forces May be Causing a ‘Bottleneck in Cannabis Genetics’ Endangering the Plant’s Natural Diversity 18 June 2025 at 08:00:00 Widespread legalization of cannabis could be leading to a decline in the biodiversity of the plant and make ‘cannabis in the wild’ a thing of the past. A new study suggests that commercialization may be creating ‘the bottlenecking of cannabis genetics’. Read More The Matekwane Sandbox Aims to Empower North West Cannabis Communities 27 May 2025 at 12:45:00 North-West University (NWU) has unveiled its innovative Matekwane Sandbox, a “transformative research and development hub” aimed at integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into the legal cannabis industry. University cannabis researcher, Dr Thandeka Kunene (pictured here), says this is a significant milestone in ensuring people are able to access opportunities in the commercialization of cannabis. Read More South Korean Scientists Discover New Cannabinoid – Cannabielsoxa Appears to Have 'Anti-Tumour' Effect 18 May 2025 at 07:00:00 The new compound was discovered during cancer research and revealed ‘strong inhibitory activity’ in combating tumours. Researchers say the discovery of Cannabielsoxa is an initial step towards combating cancer in children. Read More Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Summit at the Expo: Major Networking Event Comes at Key Moment in Cannabis Reform 14 May 2025 at 19:15:00 South Africa’s premier cannabis industry networking event will be held alongside the Cannabis Expo taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 30 and 31 May 2025. The Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Industry Summit will bring together cannabis and hemp sector leaders with senior advisor Garth Strachan (pictured above) delivering the keynote address. Read More THCV Looks to be the Magic ‘Weight Loss’ Cannabis Compound 4 May 2025 at 17:00:00 Research on the use of cannabis components to aid weight loss found that use of a combined product containing the cannabinoids THCV and CBD “was associated with statistically significant weight loss” as well as a slimmer waistline, lower blood pressure and decreased cholesterol. Read More Synergy Medibles' Robin Grobelaar: Making Plant Alchemy Work Within the Rules 30 April 2025 at 16:15:00 Robin Grobelaar (pictured here) is the man behind Synergy Medibles, the innovative business concept that has navigated the hazards of the current regulatory regime to produce SAH|PRA compliant ‘medibles. He explains to Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber how these edibles are not foodstuffs at all, but are complementary medicines in line with the regulator’s consumer safety guidelines. Read More Edibles Game Changer: Synergy to Launch ‘Medibles' Concept at Expo 30 April 2025 at 15:45:00 South Africa’s largest medical cannabis service provider, Synergy Wellness, has taken advantage of the whole furore over cannabis edibles to launch a new product concept – ‘medibles’. In a classic case of guerrilla marketing, Synergy has used the publicity around the recently rescinded cannabis in foodstuffs ban to bring to market a completely compliant over-the-counter cannabis edibles range with health benefits. Read More Largest Ever Cannabis Cancer Study Shows ‘Overwhelming’ Scientific Consensus on its Benefits 20 April 2025 at 13:00:00 A major new study shows mainstream medicine is firmly onboard in acknowledging the therapeutic role cannabis can play in treating cancer-related symptoms. The researchers say they were expecting controversy in canvassing doctors and scientists on the issue, but instead found overwhelming consensus on the benefits of cannabis. Read More Major International Cannabis Conference Coming to SA: Overcoming Barriers and Developing Standards 16 April 2025 at 10:30:00 A major international conference on ‘Barriers to Entry’ in the cannabis industry is to take place in South Africa next month. The ASTM conference will also look at refining international standards on cannabis food and beverages. Deadline for registration is next week. Read More CSIR tells President: All our Cannabis Foodstuff Products Have Always Been Legal 14 April 2025 at 09:45:00 The CSIR says it has incubated scores of small businesses to process and trade in cannabis-related foodstuffs and all have been within the guidelines laid down by SAHPRA and the Department of Agriculture. This emerged during the President’s tour of the CSIR’s cannabis research unit last week - which had its lighter moments! Read More Chic Power: Women Drive the Worldwide ‘Cannabis Wellness Revolution’ 11 April 2025 at 11:00:00 ‘Cannabis and wellness’ is a growing trend, and internationally, women are driving innovation and shaping this new market. They are seeking out products that fit into a healthier lifestyle and using them with more sophisticated intention. Read More Synergy’s Hodes: There’s No Regulatory Uncertainty Around Medical Cannabis and the Market is Growing 9 April 2025 at 20:00:00 Fast-growing Synergy Wellness is the headline sponsor for this year’s Cannabis Expo and will be using the event as a major drive to make people aware of the medical benefits of cannabis. Synergy director Jon Hodes (pictured here) believes health and wellness will be one of the most sustainable sectors of the new cannabis market and has structured the company’s business plan around this. Read More Main Networking Event of the Year: Cheeba Africa’s Industry Summit at Cannabis Expo 9 April 2025 at 18:30:00 Cheeba Africa has announced it will hold a two day ‘Cannabis and Hemp Summit’ at the Cannabis Expo to bring stakeholders together to network, upskill and develop their business concepts. It will also provide a forum for the industry to discuss how best to deal with Government in the imminent ‘stakeholder discussons’ on cannabis policy. Read More Khopotse: Now Ban is Behind Us, Let’s Use Hemp Foods to Tackle Malnutrition 8 April 2025 at 09:45:00 The chairman of the recently formed cannabis and hemp lobby group, SACHIDA says now is the time to develop hemp-based superfoods to tackle malnutrition. Katelga Khopotse says Government’s new attitude opens up the industrial cannabis value and that hemp can help feed the people. Read More Druids Taps Into Ancient Wisdom: Launches Biotika, Plant Medicine Booster Range 7 April 2025 at 14:15:00 Druids Garden, the SAHPRA-licensed Gauteng facility has been at the forefront of much of the innovation in South Africa’s cannabis industry. The latest fruit from its garden is Biotika, a range of plant-based energy boosters and health supplements that it bought to market last month. Cannabis Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber got the lowdown on the worldwide return to ancient medicines with Druids’ CEO Cian McLelland, who also shared his thoughts on the sorry state of SA cannabis reform. Read More Stellenbosch Researchers Squeeze Value Out of Waste in New Cannabis Extraction Breakthrough 5 April 2025 at 13:30:00 Stellenbosch University chemical engineers have developed a unique wax-based method of extraction that recovers valuable compounds that would otherwise be wasted. They say their methodology could make African cannabis exporters far more competitive on the global stage. Read More Minister of Madness: “Absurd” Ban Puts Paid to Govt Funded Project to Develop Hemp-based ‘Superfood’ for School Feeding Schemes 24 March 2025 at 13:30:00 The DoH issued a research permit to Druids Garden to investigate nutrition in hemp. The project got traction and was funded by government entities and developed in collaboration with the CSIR and seven years later there’s an amazing hemp-based porridge perfect for school feeding schemes. What a great story…..except the self-same DoH has now banned it! Read More Cannabis Terpenes May Relieve Chronic Pain without THC’s Psychoactive Effects. 17 March 2025 at 12:30:00 Researchers in Arizona found that certain terpenes significantly reduced fibromyalgia and post-surgical pain in animal studies, with geraniol showing the most promise. Read More Cannabis-Infused Foods on the Rise Worldwide, Highlighting Need for International Guidelines 15 March 2025 at 10:00:00 There are undisputed therapeutic and nutritional benefits associated with cannabis-infused foodstuff and around the world consumer demand is rising for such products. However, there are no international guidelines protecting consumers and a framework needs to be put in place. Read More Shock Announcement! Health Minister Suddenly Bans Cannabis in All Foods and Beverages! 11 March 2025 at 08:45:00 In an astounding regulatory development, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, has issued a notice banning the use of cannabis in foodstuffs. The announcement in the Government Gazette of 7 March 2025, has left cannabis stakeholders stunned, as this flies in the face of the Presidency’s cannabis vision and undermines the National Cannabis Master Plan. Read More Cannabis is the Gateway Drug to the World’s New Plant-based Medicine Revolution 1 March 2025 at 08:30:00 Plant-based therapies are becoming all the rage as more scientists unlock nature’s secrets to find new healing and wellness benefits. Africa is well-poised to take advantage of the new global plant-based product revolution that is integrating cosmetics and healing. Read More CBD Shots Prove There’s Life Left in the Old Nag as Israel Develops New Pain Treatment Product for Animals 20 February 2025 at 12:30:00 Israeli company Innocann, has developed a single shot CBD injection treatment for osteoarthritis that could have wide application in the international veterinary world. The Liposomal CBD treatment was administered to Ariel the elderly donkey with positive results and there could be future application for humans. Read More Dr Gallow in Demand: SA’s ‘Medical Cannabis Ambassador’ Hits the World Stage After Concluding Ground-breaking SA Research 19 February 2025 at 12:30:00 Dr Shiksha Gallow recently wrapped up SA’s first Pharma-ethics and DOH approved clinical trials involving cannabis and has now become a highly sought after presenter in the international medical cannabis arena. She is presenting two papers in Brisbane this week at the CIU Australian Medical Cannabis Conference. This follows her whirlwind tour of USA, Costa Rica, Thailand and the Philippines in the past few months Read More Welcome to the World of ‘Cosmeceuticals’: CBD Cosmetics Can Blend Beauty and Healing 14 February 2025 at 07:15:00 CBD is set to play an increasing role in cosmetic and beauty products such as skin and hair care as research highlights the cannabis compound’s anti-aging and antioxidant effects. It’s also been found to accelerate the healing of wounds. Read More New Partnerships, New Paradigms: Eco Green Becomes SCIPP’s Satellite Lab To Research Indigenous Psychedelics 26 January 2025 at 08:30:00 Cape Town cannabis lab Eco Green Analytics has entered the traditional medicine research field by partnering with the Pretoria-based Southern Centre for Indigenous Psycho Pharma (SCIPP). It will offer its services to analyse medicines used by traditional healers and psylocibin mushrooms in a quest to unlock the therepeutic benefits of indigenous plants. Read More Scratching the Next Surface: Minor Cannabinoids Hold the Key to Major Therapeutic Benefits 4 December 2024 at 06:00:00 From CBN to CBG and THCA, there are more than 100 cannabinoids in the plant with different psychoactive and non-psychoactive components. Indeed, each cannabinoid counts different attributes, with research only beginning to scratch the surface of how we can leverage specific cannabinoids for specific therapies. Read More Zimbabwe's Ivory Medical Launches Therapeutic Product Range Integrating Cannabis and Traditional African Medicine 11 November 2024 at 06:00:00 Zimbabwe has been struggling to develop its medical cannabis value chain but this looks set to change as Ivory Medical brings an innovative product range to market. Its CannaQure range, launched last week, integrates traditional African medicines into cannabis-based therapeutic products. Read More Waxing Lyrical: Stellenbosch Academics Patent New Cannabis Extraction Process Using Plant Wax to Boost Productivity 31 October 2024 at 05:00:00 Extracting active compounds from cannabis for medicinal purposes is a fast-growing industry world-wide. The enormous impact this could have on the local cannabis industry has seized the imagination of a Stellenbosch University chemical engineering team who have developed and patented a unique extraction process involving the purification of plant wax to preserve active compounds Read More Breaking New Frontiers: Afriplex Unveils Process to Turn Cannabinoids into Non-Cannabis Catalysts For Industrial Applications 3 October 2024 at 10:00:00 Afriplex, a subsidiary of the investment group, Impilovest, has invested R150 million in upgrading its scientific technology capacity in the past four years and has entered a completely new space in the cannabis industry. It has invested in highly-specialized equipment that uses cannabinoids as building blocks to create new compounds and processes. These have nothing to do with traditional cannabis applications but have a wide range of industrial and other uses. Read More Cannabinoid Research: CBD & THC May Not Balance Each Other Out After All 9 September 2024 at 09:00:00 The two most studied compounds in cannabis may not balance each other out like it's commonly claimed. THC and CBD are often pitted against each other, but their effects on the human body may not be in a tug-of-war after all. A new study reveals CBD may not take the edge off THC, but in fact, taken at high doses may enhance the psychoactive effect. Read More Agriculture Department Commits R146 Million to Cannabis Research: Focus is on Industrial and Medical Use 6 September 2024 at 09:00:00 The Department of Agriculture has committed to funding the Agriculture Research Council with R146 million for cannabis research. This emerged from a Cabinet briefing on progress on the National Cannabis Master Plan in which it was agreed that stakeholder consultation would begin soon on a policy to commercialise cannabis. Read More Greenhouse Growing: Offset Challenges by Starting with the Right Genetics and Tight Control Over Airflow 5 September 2024 at 10:00:00 South Africa is well-suited to cannabis greenhouse growing, but that comes with its challenges in quality and consistency. Canadian consultant Rob Smallman says that to get the best results, the greenhouse cultivator has to start with the right genetics - and keep a close eye on humidity and airflow. Read More Sweetwaters Pioneers Aquaponics in Africa, Aims to Dominate Organic Cannabis Market 25 August 2024 at 08:00:00 Health conscious consumers are driving the growth of the organic cannabis market. Sweetwaters Aquaponics, an Eastern Cape grow op that’s majority-owned by Labat Africa, is actively pursuing this market segment, growing what may arguably be some of the purest commercial cannabis in South Africa. Read More NWU Academic: ‘Use Indigenous Knowledge Act to Protect and Promote Legacy Growers’ 11 August 2024 at 06:00:00 Legacy growers are in danger of losing their “intellectual property” as South Africa moves towards a new cannabis regulatory system. A North-West University academic is researching how their rights can be protected and their communities enhanced through using existing laws that protect and promote indigenous knowledge systems. Read More Are Women More Sensitive to THC Than Men? Science Says It Would Appear So 29 July 2024 at 08:00:00 The latest research suggests that women may need a lower dose of THC to get the same “high” as men, and that women develop resistance to the psychoactive effects of the plant more quickly than men do. Read More CSIR Says it Has Incubated 23 SMME’s for Local and International Cannabis Markets 24 July 2024 at 11:00:00 Official support for the fledgling SA cannabis industry is starting to shape up. The CSIR, with the support of other Government departments, has prepared 23 small businesses to take on the cannabis market Read More SA Citizen Scientists Discover Two new Species of Psychedelic Mushrooms 10 July 2024 at 06:00:00 South African citizen scientists and researchers scored a double whammy, discovering two new psychedelic mushrooms! One species might even hold clues to traditional healing practices Read More Cannabis Use Disorder: The Dark Side of Legalization Comes Under the Spotlight at Nelson Mandela University 27 June 2024 at 06:30:00 As cannabis legalization makes strides across the world, so the risks become more apparent. There are increasing reports of cannabis use disorder (CUD), particularly in Africa, where substance abuse is reaching crisis proportions in some countries. CUD is the focus of Nelson Mandela University student Musa Aminu’s new research programme. Read More New Study: Drugs are Affecting the Environment, Big Pharma Needs to Make ‘Greener’ Products 8 June 2024 at 08:00:00 A report published by Nature Sustainability shows that human drug usage is becoming a threat to wildlife. Among the findings are that addiction, anxiety and sex reversal have been reported in species by researchers as a range of substances contaminate ecosystems around the world. Read More Research Shows Some Rolling Papers Have High Levels of Heavy Metals 3 May 2024 at 06:00:00 A recent US study shows that many rolling papers and cones have elevated levels of potentially harmful compounds including heavy metals. Read More Groundbreaking Project in Amazon – Creating Carbon Offsets from Cannabis 24 April 2024 at 09:00:00 A cannabis farming cooperative in Ecuador’s northern Amazon will work with German specialists to optimize biochar production for carbon dioxide removal and soil regeneration. Read More SA’s “Magic Plant”, Kanna, Predicted to Trend This Year Along With 5 Other Entheogens 9 January 2024 at 12:00:00 ACS started off as a cannabis testing facility in the eastern USA in 2017. It’s journey has now opened the ‘Entheogen era’. Entheogen is a neologism to designate psychoactive substances employed in culturally sanctioned visionary experiences in ritual or religious contexts. Read More Chris Duvall: The Fascinating and Heartbreaking Neo-Colonial History of Cannabis in Africa 28 December 2023 at 06:00:00 Africans have valued cannabis for centuries and that in this history lie the seeds of future potential. Read More Scientists Prove Italians Were Already Stoned Way Back in the 17th Century 15 November 2023 at 09:00:00 Study reveals traces of cannabis in human bones dating back to the 1600’s in Milan. Read More Cannabinoids Discovered in Plants Other Than Cannabis! Opens a Whole New Medical Doorway 2 November 2023 at 08:00:00 Israeli scientists have discovered that a South African plant, the woolly umbrella, produces cannabinoids even though it is completely unrelated to the genus cannabis. Read More Grow One Africa: Traditional Healers Provide a Legal Market Entry Point for Cannabis Growers 27 October 2023 at 04:30:00 National advocacy group says small-scale growers should consider the cannabis distribution channels of traditional healers in the wake of SAPS reigning in arrests. Read More Taking it to the Next Scientific Level: Cape Sativa Launches New NanoCBD Water Product Range 22 September 2023 at 08:00:00 The plant gives in all its forms. Now we have a South African company patenting a nanotechnology platform to produce 100% ‘bioavailable cannabidiol water’, which they say makes CBD easier to absorb into the body. Read More Khoisan Women To Introduce Traditional Cannabis Construction Techniques into the Modern Sphere 4 September 2023 at 09:30:00 At the recent Women Indaba conference in the Northern Cape, a leading Khoisan activist told workshop on ‘women in the construction industry’ that it was her mission to re-introduce traditional building techniques involving cannabis. Read More From the Archives: SA Scientists Unearthed Evidence that Shakespeare May Have Been a Stoner 20 June 2023 at 08:30:00 One of South Africa's most interesting archaeological excavations was an analysis of smoking pipes found at William Shakespeare's Stratford on Aven home. Francis Thackery of the University of Pretoria claims there is strong evidence suggesting "The Bard" consumed cannabis. This report was first published in the Conversation in 2015, but it is worth dusting off in the context of South Africa's evolution in cannabis consciousness. Read More Voice of Reason from Mpondoland: Chief Zwelinkhanyile Diko Tells Parliament: Keep it Simple, Just Classify Local Landraces as Industrial Cannabis 30 May 2023 at 12:00:00 Chief Zwelinkhanyile Diko is the ancestral leader of the Magingqi Community who have been farming cannabis in the Port St Johns area of the Eastern Cape for over 150 years. He has established the Magingqi Community Trust to develop a legit cannabis economy in Mpondoland and leave a legacy for future generations. He knows what he’s talking about. This is his virtual submission to Parliament’s Justice and Correctional Services Portfolio Committee on 23 May 2023 on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill. Read More Unpacking Psychedelic Therapies: Basically They Enable the Brain to Make New Neural Connections and Break Past Patterns 19 May 2023 at 14:00:00 There’s been an explosion of interest in the potential healing power of psychedelics with more and more research coming onto the market. This is an excerpt from a paper by Edel Hyland of Queen’s University, Belfast, that sums up what psychedelic medicine is all about. Read More AI and Biotech: Developing New Drugs Faster 18 May 2023 at 09:00:00 The way drugs are developed is being rewritten as we speak. Discovering and approving new drugs is a lengthy process that requires years of development and a dismal success rate, but artificial intelligence (AI) could rev up the process in a major way. Read More US Perspective on AI and Cannabis: What Answers Lie in the Algorhythms? 5 May 2023 at 06:00:00 There’s been a lot of hope and hand-wringing over how artificial intelligence will reshape medicine, education and our understanding of reality itself. 420 Intel says it seems worth asking how it could affect one of the most popular drugs in America. Read More Afriplex launches AfriTaste Brand; Commercially Re-Imagining the Food and Beverage Sector From a Botanicals Perspective 4 May 2023 at 08:00:00 Afriplex CEO, Danie Nel, says the Paarl-based botanicals processing and extracting company has developed a range of “health-orientated, multisensorial ingredients” for food and beverage companies through its new AfriTaste portfolio. Read More SA Entrepreneurs at the Cutting Edge of International Psychedelic Therapies 3 May 2023 at 12:00:00 South African entrepreneurs have launched one of the world’s most cutting edge therepeutics group, Psyence, which is now gaining major traction in psychedelic medicine. The Toronto-listed firm, which has a psychedelics production license in Lesotho, is now launching clinical trials in Australia. Read More AI and Drugs: ChatGPT on the Ethics of Cannabis, How to Make Crack Cocaine and Advice on Joining a Cartel 9 February 2023 at 07:00:00 Vice Magazine’s International Drugs Editor Max Daly spents time with ChatGPT’s asking all the really difficult questions skirting legality and illegality, and finds in some instances, the chatbot is just as confused as humans are about drugs. Read More What’s the Buzz? Honey Bees Respond Positively to CBD As Importance of Antioxidents in All Life Systems Becomes Apparent 8 February 2023 at 12:30:00 Bees are a crucial pollination agent and are in danger the whole world over. A study by Polish researchers has shown honey bees respond positively to CBD, but the implications go further than the health of our pollinators. It suggests that cannabis could be beneficial to antioxident systems in other species too. Read More Gabon Sitting on an Ibogaine Goldmine as African Medicinal Plants Become the Way of the Future 28 January 2023 at 09:00:00 The world is waking up to the power of African medicine. Gabon’s sacred plant, Ibogaine, is increasingly in demand because of its powerful healing properties. Read More SA Medical Journal: “Impossible to Argue That Teenage Cannabis Use is Safe” 20 June 2022 at 22:00:00 Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Increases Risks for Newborns Read More At Long Last SA’s First Cannabis Clinical Trials Have Begun! Biodata Study to See Whether Cannabis Can Replace Opioids in Pain Management 13 June 2022 at 06:30:00 Crowdfunding approach to ensure legal access for all to medical cannabis Read More COUP , the Cannabis Organisation at the University of Pretoria (UP), is a multidisciplinary initiative driven by a set of UP academics, students and affiliated partners. COUP members have a shared vision in which we recognise the potential that cannabis holds for South Africa economically, socially and legally. For more, details contact COUPl cannabisorgup@gmail.com What Sets Us Apart Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service

Cannabiz-Africa is your hub for all cannabis news and resources. Everything from breaking news, cannabis politics, business investments, legal policies and a marketplace network where we connect you with local businesses. Be in the know with the hottest, freshest and most up-to date hemp movements. BREAKING Medical News Cannabiz Africa brings you the hottest breaking Medical cannabis news right here! From crucial developments in laws and reform to socio-economic changes in the industry. Find your latest dose of breaking news right here and stay onto of the earliest developments! SAHPRA Upgrading Systems to Deal with Surge in ‘Fake Licenses’, Bigger Regulatory Review Underway 14 June 2025 at 10:00:00 SAHPRA says it is sourcing a barcoding system to authenticate Section 21 medical cannabis service providers. This comes amidst a surge of new businesses signing up medical cannabis patients to supply them with their ‘prescriptions’, and this is ringing the regulator’s alarm bells loudly. Read More SAHPRA Warns Public Over Fake Medical Cannabis Licenses 14 June 2025 at 07:45:00 The regulator says its concerned about the increase in the use of fake SAHPRA licenses by unethical businesses as the cannabis retail ‘Grey Zone’ continues to expand rapidly. It has urged the public to be cautious when dealing with service providers as many are illegal. Read More Synergy Post the Expo: The Future is Compliance, and Retailers Are Catching on Quick 4 June 2025 at 20:00:00 Cannabis Expo headline sponsor Synergy Wellness capitalized on the exposure generated by the event, saying it had an overwhelming response from retailers and prospective patients interested in its medical cannabis services. Brett Hilton-Barber caught up with Synergy Wellness’s CEO John Hodes (pictured here) and COO Gareth Williams to see what the event generated for them. Read More Need Evidence of Medical Cannabis Misuse? Say Hi to Professor Herb 4 June 2025 at 06:00:00 Among the many new medical cannabis service providers entering the fray is UK-based Professor Herb, which through its local franchise, Dr Kush, is offering an online cannabis buying service. Professor Herb’s main product line is distributing CBD products in Europe, but as of April, it has started selling ‘medical’ cannabis in South Africa outside the regulatory channels. Read More South Korean Scientists Discover New Cannabinoid – Cannabielsoxa Appears to Have 'Anti-Tumour' Effect 18 May 2025 at 07:00:00 The new compound was discovered during cancer research and revealed ‘strong inhibitory activity’ in combating tumours. Researchers say the discovery of Cannabielsoxa is an initial step towards combating cancer in children. Read More Essential Reading: Current Cannabis Regulations in South Africa 2025 9 May 2025 at 09:45:00 The global CBD industry continues to grow rapidly, and South Africa has positioned itself as one of the most progressive CBD markets in Africa. While CBD products are legally available to consumers, there is still a degree of uncertainty around the regulations—especially concerning dosage limits, THC content, and product categories. Read More THCV Looks to be the Magic ‘Weight Loss’ Cannabis Compound 4 May 2025 at 17:00:00 Research on the use of cannabis components to aid weight loss found that use of a combined product containing the cannabinoids THCV and CBD “was associated with statistically significant weight loss” as well as a slimmer waistline, lower blood pressure and decreased cholesterol. Read More Global Medical Cannabis Market Experiencing Healthy, Double Digit Growth Despite Regulatory Challenges 2 May 2025 at 14:00:00 The ‘Medical Marijuana Global Strategic Business Report 2025’ projects over 14% compound growth in the international market with key growth drivers including increased legalization, technological advancements in cultivation and extraction, and rising chronic disease prevalence. Among the challenges are regulatory hurdles and social stigma. Read More Synergy Medibles' Robin Grobelaar: Making Plant Alchemy Work Within the Rules 30 April 2025 at 16:15:00 Robin Grobelaar (pictured here) is the man behind Synergy Medibles, the innovative business concept that has navigated the hazards of the current regulatory regime to produce SAH|PRA compliant ‘medibles. He explains to Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber how these edibles are not foodstuffs at all, but are complementary medicines in line with the regulator’s consumer safety guidelines. Read More Edibles Game Changer: Synergy to Launch ‘Medibles' Concept at Expo 30 April 2025 at 15:45:00 South Africa’s largest medical cannabis service provider, Synergy Wellness, has taken advantage of the whole furore over cannabis edibles to launch a new product concept – ‘medibles’. In a classic case of guerrilla marketing, Synergy has used the publicity around the recently rescinded cannabis in foodstuffs ban to bring to market a completely compliant over-the-counter cannabis edibles range with health benefits. Read More Cannabis Expo: Health and Wellness is Trending, Is it Replacing the Novelty of ‘Rec’? 30 April 2025 at 13:00:00 With Gauteng’s Cannabis Expo just a month away, it’s clear that there is a growing consumer interest in the health and wellness benefits of cannabis and that the novelty of unfettered access to recreational THC products is not what it used to be. Nonetheless there will be plenty of both at the Sandton Convention Centre from 30 May to 1 June 2025 Read More Namibian Activists Call for Legalization of Medical Cannabis on 420 Day 22 April 2025 at 10:00:00 Namibian cannabis activists marched in Windhoek on 20 April 2025 to mark 420 Day and to call for the legalization of medical cannabis. The march, led by advocate Borro Ndungula (pictured here) of the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), was aimed at highlighting an upcoming court case challenging the Government’s prohibitionist stance.. Read More Largest Ever Cannabis Cancer Study Shows ‘Overwhelming’ Scientific Consensus on its Benefits 20 April 2025 at 13:00:00 A major new study shows mainstream medicine is firmly onboard in acknowledging the therapeutic role cannabis can play in treating cancer-related symptoms. The researchers say they were expecting controversy in canvassing doctors and scientists on the issue, but instead found overwhelming consensus on the benefits of cannabis. Read More Synergy’s Hodes: There’s No Regulatory Uncertainty Around Medical Cannabis and the Market is Growing 9 April 2025 at 20:00:00 Fast-growing Synergy Wellness is the headline sponsor for this year’s Cannabis Expo and will be using the event as a major drive to make people aware of the medical benefits of cannabis. Synergy director Jon Hodes (pictured here) believes health and wellness will be one of the most sustainable sectors of the new cannabis market and has structured the company’s business plan around this. Read More Main Networking Event of the Year: Cheeba Africa’s Industry Summit at Cannabis Expo 9 April 2025 at 18:30:00 Cheeba Africa has announced it will hold a two day ‘Cannabis and Hemp Summit’ at the Cannabis Expo to bring stakeholders together to network, upskill and develop their business concepts. It will also provide a forum for the industry to discuss how best to deal with Government in the imminent ‘stakeholder discussons’ on cannabis policy. Read More Cannabis Expo’s Howarth: ‘We’re Building the Highway Even if the Road Signs Aren’t Up Yet’ 9 April 2025 at 13:30:00 This year’s Cannabis Expo comes at a crucial time for the cannabis industry as the ‘grey zone’ consumer market explodes and Government says its ‘really willing’ to engage stakeholders on policy. It’s also been a tough time for players wanting to be legitimate, but that could all be changing. Expo CEO Silas Howarth (pictured here) shares his thoughts on putting together Africa’s biggest cannabis event and where the market is at. Read More Cannabis Expo Signs Up Synergy as Headline Sponsor, Gets Ready to Rock Sandton at the End of May 9 April 2025 at 13:15:00 Africa’s grandest cannabis show comes to town next month in the form of the Cannabis Expo. The three day celebration of cannabis culture and essential business networking will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from 30 May to 1 June 2025. Thousands of people are expected to attend the Expo which will also see a ‘summit’ of industry stakeholders take place to discuss how to push cannabis reform forward. Read More Medical Research Council: Standardize THC Dosage Limits and Labelling Guidelines 8 April 2025 at 13:30:00 The SAMRC has called for standardized dosage regulations for THC edible products and appropriate labelling guidelines. It says legalization of cannabis carries risks for youngsters and with edibles consumption on the rise, authorities need to be increasingly conscious of consumer safety. Read More Druids Taps Into Ancient Wisdom: Launches Biotika, Plant Medicine Booster Range 7 April 2025 at 14:15:00 Druids Garden, the SAHPRA-licensed Gauteng facility has been at the forefront of much of the innovation in South Africa’s cannabis industry. The latest fruit from its garden is Biotika, a range of plant-based energy boosters and health supplements that it bought to market last month. Cannabis Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber got the lowdown on the worldwide return to ancient medicines with Druids’ CEO Cian McLelland, who also shared his thoughts on the sorry state of SA cannabis reform. Read More Eight SAHPRA Cannabis Cultivators Lose Their Licenses 4 April 2025 at 08:45:00 Eight cannabis farming companies have lost their Section 22 cultivation licenses. This has been confirmed by SAHPRA, which says two were due to permanent facility closures, three were revoked and four were cancelled. Read More UN Bans HHC or ‘Synthetic Cannabis’ for Worldwide Non-Medical Use 27 March 2025 at 07:00:00 South Africa voted along with 49 other nations to ban hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) at the UN Commission on Psychotropic Substances (CND) in Vienna earlier this month. HHC, which is synthetically derived and similar in effect to THC, has been widely available legally in many parts of the US and Europe. Read More President Ramaphosa Orders Cannabis Foodstuff Ban to Be Lifted Immediately 25 March 2025 at 18:00:00 President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to withdraw the controversial ban on cannabis in foodstuffs with immediate effect. He’s also ordered the Minister to begin consultations with stakeholders before issuing any further notice on the matter. This is a statement from the Presidency. Read More Health Minster Had Already Decided on the Hemp Foodstuff Ban Before SONA, so Why Didn’t He Tell the President? 19 March 2025 at 08:00:00 Over 1 000 businesses and 400 SMME’s have been affected by the Health Minister’s ‘inexplicable’ ban on hemp foodstuffs and are bleeding millions of rand. The shock announcement has derailed the President’s cannabis vision and laid bare the policy rot at the core of the Cannabis Master Plan Read More DTIC: ‘Stop Dealing in Cannabis-Related Foodstuff Until Such Time as the Ban May Be Lifted’ 18 March 2025 at 18:30:00 The DTIC says although the ban on hemp foodstuffs does not fit in with the Cannabis Master Plan, the law is the law, and dealing in all such products “must cease”. It said it would engage with the Department of Health to relook at the ban but offered little solace to stakeholders who stand to lose millions of rand in the meantime. Read More Minister a ‘No Show’ for Hemp Webinar But Senior Health Official Says Stakeholder Concerns ‘Will Be Addressed’ 18 March 2025 at 15:00:00 Senior Health officials have started ‘walking back’ the controversial ban on hemp foodstuffs saying it’s part of a ‘regulatory process’ and that the Minister will ‘address the concerns raised’ by the hemp industry. Read More Cannabis Terpenes May Relieve Chronic Pain without THC’s Psychoactive Effects. 17 March 2025 at 12:30:00 Researchers in Arizona found that certain terpenes significantly reduced fibromyalgia and post-surgical pain in animal studies, with geraniol showing the most promise. Read More ‘Suspend the Ban, Let’s Talk Guidelines for Cannabis in Foodstuff’ 17 March 2025 at 06:30:00 Top Government officials are being drawn into the Health Department's ban on cannabis in foodstuffs. Lawyer Charl Botha has written to the President saying the ban is unconstitutional and should be suspended while proper regulatory guidelines are put in place. Read More Cannabis-Infused Foods on the Rise Worldwide, Highlighting Need for International Guidelines 15 March 2025 at 10:00:00 There are undisputed therapeutic and nutritional benefits associated with cannabis-infused foodstuff and around the world consumer demand is rising for such products. However, there are no international guidelines protecting consumers and a framework needs to be put in place. Read More Health Dept Moves to Calm Industry Nerves: ‘Cannabis Food Ban is Start of Regulatory Process’ 15 March 2025 at 07:00:00 Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale says the recent sudden ban of cannabis in foodstuffs was done in the name of consumer safety. He hinted that the ban would not be permanent but the start of a regulatory process to assess cannabis products before they appear on shelves. Read More Health Minister's Cannabis Foods Ban Unleashes a Chorus of Condemnation 12 March 2025 at 13:00:00 Health Minister Aaron Mostoaledi’s decision to ban cannabis in foodstuffs has revealed the deep policy faultlines running through Government and widespread condemnation from industry stakeholders. The ban threatens to derail the National Cannabis Masterplan and undermines the President’s commitment to developing the hemp industry. Read More Shock Announcement! Health Minister Suddenly Bans Cannabis in All Foods and Beverages! 11 March 2025 at 08:45:00 In an astounding regulatory development, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, has issued a notice banning the use of cannabis in foodstuffs. The announcement in the Government Gazette of 7 March 2025, has left cannabis stakeholders stunned, as this flies in the face of the Presidency’s cannabis vision and undermines the National Cannabis Master Plan. Read More UCT Study Reveals About 5% of High School Kids Use Cannabis Regularly and Warns of Alarming Rise in Vaping 10 March 2025 at 11:30:00 About five percent of South African high school students use cannabis on a monthly basis. That’s according to a recent UCT study on vaping, which highlighted the health dangers of adolescents using e-cigarettes and encouraged parents to discourage the habit. Read More Hawks Hail Prosecution of Pensioner Producing Cannabis Therapeutic Products as a ‘Significant Win’ in the Fight Against Drugs 9 March 2025 at 09:30:00 Random prosecutions continue against ‘grey zone’ operators with the Hawks hailing the conviction of an elderly Somerset West woman for dealing in R50 000 worth of cannabis-related products as a ‘significant win’ in efforts to curb the ‘illegal drug trade’. Read More Durban Medical Cannabis Expert Encourages Mainstream Doctors to Make More Use of Section 21 But Warns Against Being “Led Astray” By the Illicit Market 5 March 2025 at 20:30:00 Durban medical cannabis expert Dr Yernush Naidoo says more mainstream doctors are becoming aware of the healing qualities of cannabis, but that most practioners are ignorant of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Read More Cannabis is the Gateway Drug to the World’s New Plant-based Medicine Revolution 1 March 2025 at 08:30:00 Plant-based therapies are becoming all the rage as more scientists unlock nature’s secrets to find new healing and wellness benefits. Africa is well-poised to take advantage of the new global plant-based product revolution that is integrating cosmetics and healing. Read More CBD Shots Prove There’s Life Left in the Old Nag as Israel Develops New Pain Treatment Product for Animals 20 February 2025 at 12:30:00 Israeli company Innocann, has developed a single shot CBD injection treatment for osteoarthritis that could have wide application in the international veterinary world. The Liposomal CBD treatment was administered to Ariel the elderly donkey with positive results and there could be future application for humans. Read More Dr Gallow in Demand: SA’s ‘Medical Cannabis Ambassador’ Hits the World Stage After Concluding Ground-breaking SA Research 19 February 2025 at 12:30:00 Dr Shiksha Gallow recently wrapped up SA’s first Pharma-ethics and DOH approved clinical trials involving cannabis and has now become a highly sought after presenter in the international medical cannabis arena. She is presenting two papers in Brisbane this week at the CIU Australian Medical Cannabis Conference. This follows her whirlwind tour of USA, Costa Rica, Thailand and the Philippines in the past few months Read More Welcome to the World of ‘Cosmeceuticals’: CBD Cosmetics Can Blend Beauty and Healing 14 February 2025 at 07:15:00 CBD is set to play an increasing role in cosmetic and beauty products such as skin and hair care as research highlights the cannabis compound’s anti-aging and antioxidant effects. It’s also been found to accelerate the healing of wounds. Read More Qure’s Brenda Marx: “Market Will Be Boosted By Govt Recognition of the Importance of Cannabis Testing 12 February 2025 at 15:00:00 The quiet announcement by the DTICC that product testing will be compulsory in funding applications is hugely significant says Qure's Brenda Marx. She says this requirement signals the start of a standardization process across the industry and will encourage laboratories to work more closely together. Read More DTIC Appoints Four Labs for Testing Cannabis Products as it Issues New Funding Guidelines 12 February 2025 at 11:00:00 The DTIC has issued new guidelines for entities seeking funding and has appointed Afriplex, NAFS, Qure and Vinlab as its official cannabis testing labs. The Department says funding applications for product development has to be accompanied by product test results from one of these four service providers. Read More ‘TeleHealth’ Services Drive Rapidly Growing Australian Medical Cannabis Market 4 February 2025 at 07:00:00 Australia’s medical cannabis boom is being driven by an explosion of ‘telehealth’ clinics that have eliminated procedural bottlenecks and driven up prescription volumes. But they are also coming under scrutiny by authorities for ‘fronting’ for recreational use. Read More New Partnerships, New Paradigms: Eco Green Becomes SCIPP’s Satellite Lab To Research Indigenous Psychedelics 26 January 2025 at 08:30:00 Cape Town cannabis lab Eco Green Analytics has entered the traditional medicine research field by partnering with the Pretoria-based Southern Centre for Indigenous Psycho Pharma (SCIPP). It will offer its services to analyse medicines used by traditional healers and psylocibin mushrooms in a quest to unlock the therepeutic benefits of indigenous plants. Read More SA’s Medical Cannabis Expertise Spreads its Wings: Dr Gallow Invited to Philippines to Support Legalization Bid 15 January 2025 at 06:30:00 South Africa’s ‘Medical Cannabis Ambassador’, Dr Shiksha Gallow, recently trained and certified 40 doctors in medical cannabis in the Philippines where the practice is generally outlawed. She was keynote speaker at a conference pushing to legalize medical cannabis and urged the Manilla government to accept the legitimacy of cannabis as a healing plant. Read More Poland’s Medical Cannabis Shake-Up: Drastic Drop in Patients as Authorities Halt the “Prescription Machine’. 13 January 2025 at 09:30:00 Since November 2024, Poland has observed a drastic decrease in the number of prescriptions for medical cannabis. This change is a direct result of the tightening of regulations on ‘prescription machines’ by the Ministry of Health which specifies that prospective patients have to be personally examined by a doctor. Read More Feeling the Squeeze: Over 25% SAHPRA Growers Deregistered in Last 3 Months 10 January 2025 at 08:00:00 A quarter of South Africa’s SAHPRA-licensed cannabis growers have been deregistered in the past three months. This reflects the difficulties export cultivators are facing in their struggle to crack international markets, tied-up capital and surplus inventory. Read More 2025: A Year for Removing the Rocks on the Road to Cannabis Reform 8 January 2025 at 13:00:00 The South African cannabis industry has gone through a painful few years, constrained by Government’s slow and shambolic approach to regulatory reform. The irony is that to date the ‘grey zone’ appears to have benefitted the most so far from the Constitutional Courts 2018 decision to legalize private consumption, while other sectors of the cannabis economy have lagged behind. So what lies in store for SA cannabis in the year ahead? Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber has a look ahead. Read More New Study Shows CBD Reduces Craving in Adults Addicted to Alcohol 31 December 2024 at 07:00:00 A recent study found that a simple 800 mg capsule of cannabidiol (CBD) could be effective at reducing alcohol cravings among individuals with alcohol use disorder. Read More Going into 2025, Africa’s Potential to be a Medical Cannabis Powerhouse Remains an Elusive Dream 30 December 2024 at 09:00:00 Africa faces numerous hurdles if it is ever to realize its potential to become a global leader in medical cannabis production. Among those challenges are balancing policy, economic growth and social norms. With lazy, conservative thinking entrenched in post-colonial governments across the continent, Africa is many years away from any hope of being a player in the world medical cannabis arena. Read More Regulating Traditional Healers Will Reshape South Africa’s Medical Certification Landscape. 18 December 2024 at 06:00:00 The NPA says the Traditional Healers Act is being used as a front for cannabis retail and is illegal. This may be the case now, but there’s a whole debate coming about what constitutes medicine as the Government moves to bring traditional healers into the mainstream via a new set of regulations. Read More Searching for Sanity: Scientists Seek Solutions for Modern Mental Health Issues by Understanding Africa’s Ancient Plant Medicines 15 December 2024 at 09:00:00 A ground-breakng new ‘psycho-pharma research centre has been launched at the University of Pretoria to delve into the mysteries of African psychedelics and other medicinal plants to explore their potential to treat modern mental health conditions. Read More Brazil: Medical Cannabis Market Booming as the Pieces Fall into Place 14 December 2024 at 07:00:00 Medical cannabis use has climbed to new peaks in Brazil, with a 56% increase in patients seeking treatment. This in turn has led to a 22% increase in revenue in the sector as the South American giant shows how the healing benefits of the plant are having a knock-on effect on the economy. Read More High Hopes for Zimbabwe’s Medical Cannabis Sector Despite Challenges 14 December 2024 at 05:00:00 Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has noted farmers showing a growing interest in medical cannabis Zimbabwe for medicinal purposes, but production challenges are slowing the growth of the sector. Read More First South Africans Test Positive For Fentanyl as Killer Drug Surfaces in KZN and E Cape 9 December 2024 at 05:00:00 The first signs have emerged that South Africa is heading for a fentanyl crisis. Clinics in KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape report that patients have, for the first time, tested positive for the opioid that has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States. Read More Scratching the Next Surface: Minor Cannabinoids Hold the Key to Major Therapeutic Benefits 4 December 2024 at 06:00:00 From CBN to CBG and THCA, there are more than 100 cannabinoids in the plant with different psychoactive and non-psychoactive components. Indeed, each cannabinoid counts different attributes, with research only beginning to scratch the surface of how we can leverage specific cannabinoids for specific therapies. Read More Synergy Wellness: Building a Medical Cannabis Eco-System from the Ground Up 3 December 2024 at 10:00:00 Section 21 of the Medicines Act is the only way South Africans can buy cannabis legally so there's obviously been a surge of new ‘grey zone’ operators offering this service. Given that Section 21 itself is being so widely interpreted, where does the line of compliance lie? Cannabiz Africa spoke to market leader Synergy Wellness to find out more. Read More New Long-Term Study Busts Stereotypes About Cannabis Use and Mental Decline 22 November 2024 at 07:00:00 Men with a history of cannabis use over 44 years were not any more likely to show mental decline in old age than non-users. The ‘Brain and Behaviour’ Study is the latest report to debunk the myth that cannabis use leads to age-related cognitive decline. Read More Pain Relief is what Most Medical Cannabis Patients Are Looking For 20 November 2024 at 05:00:00 In the United States nearly one-third (32%) of medical cannabis patients cite chronic pain as their primary condition for medical cannabis use, with anxiety the second most common (26.8%) followed by insomnia (18.5%). Read More Zimbabwe's Ivory Medical Launches Therapeutic Product Range Integrating Cannabis and Traditional African Medicine 11 November 2024 at 06:00:00 Zimbabwe has been struggling to develop its medical cannabis value chain but this looks set to change as Ivory Medical brings an innovative product range to market. Its CannaQure range, launched last week, integrates traditional African medicines into cannabis-based therapeutic products. Read More African Pharmacists Need to Take Cannabis Seriously – Or Risk Being Trapped in the ‘Knowledge Gap’ 7 November 2024 at 04:00:00 Only nine countries in Africa have legalized medical cannabis to some degree, but for the rest of the continent the global medical cannabis revolution is passing it by. Nonetheless, African pharmacists should tackle their own knowledge gap in anticipation of cannabis becoming part of integrated public health systems in the future. Read More ‘Understaffed’ SAHPRA ‘Over-Reliant’ on ‘High Risk’ Fee Income from Big Pharma 25 October 2024 at 05:00:00 SAHPRA’s government grant has been declining for years and the regulatory authority is increasingly reliant on fee income, which it says is a “high risk situation”. It has appealed to Treasury for further funding saying that it is understaffed and needs to invest in technical infrastructure. Read More Uganda Issues Medical Cannabis Export Guidelines 22 October 2024 at 12:00:00 Uganda’s cannabis policy is to legalize cannabis only for export. Kampala is currently not considering domestic consumption of industrial, medical or recreational cannabis, but has recently issued guidelines for prospective exporters. Read More SAHPRA Concerned Over Medical Cannabis Prescription 'Misuse': Section 21 Clampdown On Its Way 17 October 2024 at 08:00:00 Sources close to SAHPRA say a clampdown on the ‘misuse’ of medical cannabis prescriptions is on its way. The regulator is concerned that many ‘Section 21’ medical cannabis patients are actually using their prescriptions for ‘recreational’ purposes and intends taking remedial action. Read More Hawks Warn Fentanyl Has Entered Local “Drug Trafficking Conveyer Belts” Yet Two Gauteng Rehab Facilities Close Doors Because of Funding Challenges 14 October 2024 at 09:00:00 The deadly opioid fentanyl is now firmly part of the South African ‘drug conveyer belt’. This is the warning from the head of the Hawks who expects substance abuse levels to increase. This comes at a time when two major Gauteng private rehab centres have closed doors because of Government 'funding challenges', leaving hundreds of patients stranded. Read More Medical Cannabis SA: Here’s What You Need to Know 8 October 2024 at 09:00:00 There has been a huge upsurge of Section 21 medical cannabis patients in the last year, with SAHPRA expressing concern that many ‘dispensaries’ offering this service are actually just a front for ‘recreational’ sales. Just what is the current legal landscape in terms of medical cannabis in South Africa? Bassani Medical Cannabis CEO Mike Stringer lays down the line. Read More UK Study: Many ‘Cannabis Vapes’ Contain a Dangerous ‘Synthetic Cannabinoid” 8 October 2024 at 06:00:00 ‘Synthetic Cannabinoids’ (SC’s) are prevelant in the cannabis vapes sourced from the US being sold in the UK. A University of Bath study has revealed that vaping might not be such a ‘less harmful’ way of ingesting cannabis than previously believed. Read More Cannabis and Sex: Three US States Invite Public Comment About Treating Female Orgasmic Disorder with Medical Cannabis 26 September 2024 at 05:00:00 Over 40% of women worldwide have difficulty in attaining orgasm and this is now being treated as a serious health issue. In the US, the states of Oregon, New Mexico, and Arkansas opened public comment periods regarding adding Female Orgasm Difficulty/Disorder (FOD) as a condition of treatment with medical cannabis. Read More Medicines Act Amended to Pass Control of Non-Medical Cannabis to Agriculture Dept 25 September 2024 at 15:00:00 The Medicines Act has been amended, allowing control over non-medical cannabis to be passed on to the Agriculture Department. This means that future decisions, such as acceptable THC levels for various cannabis products, will ultimately be decided on by Agriculture, and not by the Health Department. Read More Cannabinoid Research: CBD & THC May Not Balance Each Other Out After All 9 September 2024 at 09:00:00 The two most studied compounds in cannabis may not balance each other out like it's commonly claimed. THC and CBD are often pitted against each other, but their effects on the human body may not be in a tug-of-war after all. A new study reveals CBD may not take the edge off THC, but in fact, taken at high doses may enhance the psychoactive effect. Read More SA’s Medical Cannabis Future Lies in Africa and the Local Market – Compliance Makes Europe an Expensive Exercise 29 August 2024 at 14:00:00 South Africa produces some of the cheapest cannabis in the world but high compliance standards make it prohibitively expensive to get into Europe. At a recent Cheeba webinar, panelists suggested that local cultivators forge long-term relationships with jurisdictions that aren’t so fussy until such time as the local medical cannabis market is sorted out. Read More Ukraine Legalizes Medical Cannabis as Russian Invasion Unleashes Widespread Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 19 August 2024 at 06:00:00 Ukraine has legalized medical cannabis as one of the ways of dealing with the Russian invasion which has obviously been deeply stressful to a large number of civilians and soldiers. One of the main reasons behind legalization is the potential healing effect cannabis may play in treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Read More UK Concern that Medical Cannabis is Being Overtaken by ‘Pseudo-Recreational Market’ 16 August 2024 at 06:00:00 Cannabis medical prescriptions in the United Kingdom have shot up in the past year, many of them for ‘unlicensed cannabis-based medicines’. A clampdown appears imminent against those doctors who are issuing medical scripts to ‘patients’ who are really wanting just to get stoned. Read More Are Women More Sensitive to THC Than Men? Science Says It Would Appear So 29 July 2024 at 08:00:00 The latest research suggests that women may need a lower dose of THC to get the same “high” as men, and that women develop resistance to the psychoactive effects of the plant more quickly than men do. Read More eSwatini Cautiously Plans to Legalize Medical Cannabis 18 June 2024 at 08:00:00 Eswatini is joining many of its African neighbours in legalizing cannabis for medical purposes, revising a colonial drug law dating back a century. Read More New Study: Drugs are Affecting the Environment, Big Pharma Needs to Make ‘Greener’ Products 8 June 2024 at 08:00:00 A report published by Nature Sustainability shows that human drug usage is becoming a threat to wildlife. Among the findings are that addiction, anxiety and sex reversal have been reported in species by researchers as a range of substances contaminate ecosystems around the world. Read More SA’s Medicinal Cannabis Sector in Trouble as ‘Grey’ Market Flourishes 8 June 2024 at 07:00:00 Can South Africa actually crack the international medicinal cannabis market? Thus far, the signs are not encouraging. The sector is haemorrhaging while the ‘grey’ adult-use market is thriving. Read More CBD Over-Hyped in Pain Treatment, Probably Doesn't Work Says International Review Panel 28 April 2024 at 06:00:00 A review of 16 randomised controlled trials testing the efficacy of CBD products for pain found they did not work. Although CBD may have positive effects in treating other conditions, a group of UK and Canadian researchers have said CBD products are over-hyped in treating pain. Read More Cannabis and Sex: Is Female Orgasmic Disorder a Qualifying Condition For Medical Cannabis? 23 March 2024 at 09:00:00 A new study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reports that the potential benefits of the plant include increased orgasm frequency, improved satisfaction and greater ease achieving in achieving orgasm. Read More Afriplex, CRI, Releaf Take the Lead in Ground-Breaking Medical Trial That Proves Cannabis is Safer Alternative to Opioids in Chronic Pain Treatment 1 February 2024 at 10:00:00 Paarl-based Afriplex, the centre-piece of cannabis group Impilovest, has emerged as a leading player in a study that indicates that cannabis is highly effective in the treatment of opioid addiction. Read More UK: CBD Overhyped; Drinks Probably Won't Cure Your Anxiety 5 January 2024 at 09:00:00 There's a big difference between the shop-bought drinks, oils and edibles, and the medicinal products that are backed by science according to UK experts: CBD might not be all it's cracked out to be. Read More UK Expert Advice to Youngsters, Pregnant Women, Drivers and the Mentally Ill: Probably a Good Idea if You Avoid Cannabis 1 November 2023 at 16:00:00 A study published by BJM has found that it’s horses for courses: cannabis compounds can be detrimental for some but can be very beneficial for others. Read More Cannabis Bill: Latest Public Input Warns of Increased Danger Legalization Poses to Kids 18 October 2023 at 12:00:00 The latest round of public input on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill was restricted to comment on new provisions relating to children and the plant. IOL reports that stakeholder opinion was divided. The deadline for comment was 13 October 2023. Read More UCT Lung Institute Study: Rich Kids Increasingly Vaping to Deal With Stress 25 September 2023 at 15:00:00 Research across three provinces shows that vaping is increasingly seen as a stress-reliever amongst wealthier kids, with their preferred substances being tobacco and cannabis. Read More US Study Shows Safe Daily CBD Dose is Up to 13 Times Higher Than What SAHPRA Allows 21 September 2023 at 14:00:00 There’s been a lot of controversy around acceptable daily doses of CBD, with SAHPRA setting a 20 mg limit. Now a US study headed for Congress says safe dosages could be 13 times higher, with up to 160 Mg of CBD/day being safe for most healthy adults. Read More Cannabis and Rugby: Not So Fast With The Red Card! 28 August 2023 at 13:00:00 With the Rugby World Cup about to get underway, we ask the question: is cannabis a performance-enhancing drug? This has become a debating point in New Zealand rugby circles after a player was banned for having THC in his system. Read More Shiksha’s Journey: Cannabis is Real Medicine, It Can Heal! Geddit? 30 July 2023 at 12:00:00 The Durban Cannabis Expo has concluded with one of the highlights being an address by acclaimed cannabis clinician Dr Shiksha Gallow. The ‘poster girl’ of the South African cannabis industry (and we say this with respect) opened up in a panel discussion how the plant had helped heal her and her partner, Wayne, heal after a motorcycle accident in 2020. Read More Unpacking Psychedelic Therapies: Basically They Enable the Brain to Make New Neural Connections and Break Past Patterns 19 May 2023 at 14:00:00 There’s been an explosion of interest in the potential healing power of psychedelics with more and more research coming onto the market. This is an excerpt from a paper by Edel Hyland of Queen’s University, Belfast, that sums up what psychedelic medicine is all about. Read More AI and Biotech: Developing New Drugs Faster 18 May 2023 at 09:00:00 The way drugs are developed is being rewritten as we speak. Discovering and approving new drugs is a lengthy process that requires years of development and a dismal success rate, but artificial intelligence (AI) could rev up the process in a major way. Read More Danish Study of 7 Million Health Records Highlights Risk of Cannabis Use Disorder – Especially Amongst Young Men 14 May 2023 at 10:00:00 As many as 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21-30 could have been prevented had they avoided cannabis use disorder, according to the study published on 11 May 2023 in Psychological Medicine. Read More Is the Tide Turning? SA Medical Cannabis Industry May Be Shaking Off the Blues as Over a Billion Rand of Investment Comes Knocking on the Door 11 May 2023 at 05:00:00 There are few players in the southern African cannabis industry that don’t have scars to show from the past few years as the sector has struggled to get off the ground. But those who’ve had deep pockets and have managed to stay the way are set to benefit from a new momentum in the medical cannabis export sector as new investments come in and international demand rises. Read More Oh No! SAHPRA Still Determined to Upset Everybody! Regulator Classifies Non-Psychoactive Cannabis Compound CBG as a Schedule 6 Substance 14 February 2023 at 10:00:00 In an astounding development, the South African Health Regulatory Authority has classified CBG as a Schedule 6 substance! This is a complete setback for commercialisation and undermines the President’s intentions to develop a cannabis and hemp economy. Read More Cannabis and Adolescents: Increasing Potency May Trigger Psychosis and Depression 9 February 2023 at 08:00:00 Cannabis has been touted as one of the safest psychoactive substances in the world, but that is not to say consumption is risk free. What are the effects of marijuana use on teenage brain development? Are there some people who should not use cannabis even if it’s legal? Dr Richard Friedman of Cornell University provides some cautionary advice. Read More What’s the Buzz? Honey Bees Respond Positively to CBD As Importance of Antioxidents in All Life Systems Becomes Apparent 8 February 2023 at 12:30:00 Bees are a crucial pollination agent and are in danger the whole world over. A study by Polish researchers has shown honey bees respond positively to CBD, but the implications go further than the health of our pollinators. It suggests that cannabis could be beneficial to antioxident systems in other species too. Read More Ibogaine: Bio-Pirates Target Gabon’s Sacred Plant As Worldwide Demand Soars 1 February 2023 at 13:00:00 Ibogaine’s healing properties are as yet to be thoroughly researched and Gabon’s sacred plant is classified as a Schedule 1 substance in the US because of its psychoactive effects. However, it increasingly being used by opioid detox clinics in Mexico, New Zealand and the Netherlands as its popularity grows rapidly, despite the dangers associated with it. Read More Gabon Sitting on an Ibogaine Goldmine as African Medicinal Plants Become the Way of the Future 28 January 2023 at 09:00:00 The world is waking up to the power of African medicine. Gabon’s sacred plant, Ibogaine, is increasingly in demand because of its powerful healing properties. Read More Pillay Lives to Fight Another Day 14 July 2022 at 22:00:00 Senior Health Official in Charge of Cannabis Regulation Gets Final Warning for His Role in the Digital Vibes Scandal But Criminal Charges Still Pending Read More SA Medical Journal: “Impossible to Argue That Teenage Cannabis Use is Safe” 20 June 2022 at 22:00:00 Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Increases Risks for Newborns Read More At Long Last SA’s First Cannabis Clinical Trials Have Begun! Biodata Study to See Whether Cannabis Can Replace Opioids in Pain Management 13 June 2022 at 06:30:00 Crowdfunding approach to ensure legal access for all to medical cannabis Read More What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. 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Call Us First White Lion Consulting has been a pioneer in the South African cannabis industry, specializing in helping internatonal and local investors find opportunities, draw up business plans, design facilities and obtain SAHPRA approval. Check out our website, www.whitelionholdings.co.za and out our feature in MMJ.Daily For more information contact Cornel van de Watt cornel@whitelionholdings.co.za . CANNABIS EXPO Gauteng Cannabis Expo 2025: Book Your Space The Gauteng Cannabis Expo returns bigger and better next year. It will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 30 and 31 May 2025. Get in early for sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor bookings. Contact Sarah for more details at sarah@thecannabisexpo.co.za . OFFTAKE AGREEMENTS Struggling with Offtake Agreements, Call Nexus Nexus is an agri-pharma company offering value addd services to the South African Cannabis Industry. We specialize in exporting final packaged products and cannabis flower to international markets, including the UK, Australia, UAE, Europe, and the USA. Read our Cannabiz Africa story here and then Contact us here FULL SERVICES Cheeba Gets Your Cannabis Project Going Cheeba Africa is a pioneering company providing Cannabis & hemp services across the supply chain. Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Academy - Africa's leading & only Higher Education accredited national education and training offering. Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Consulting - Offering services from medical farm builds to offtakes. www.cheebaafrica.com www.cheebacannabisconsulting.com JOBS OFFERED Budtenders wanted in Limpopo Experienced budtenders sought for private clubs in Polokwane, Hoedspruit, Tzaneen and Haenertsberg. Ideally people who already live in those areas and have a Cheeba or comparable certification. People without experience should not reply. For more details contact Liz at lizviv7@gmail.com Classified Advertising Form Complete the following form field fields to list your brand, product and or business in our classified section. Company name First name Last name Email Phone Category Sector Headline Actual Advertising Copy Website URL Product* CannaBiz Classified ZAR 1000 Submit What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service

Widespread legalization of cannabis could be leading to a decline in the biodiversity of the plant and make ‘cannabis in the wild’ a thing of the past. A new study suggests that commercialization may be creating ‘the bottlenecking of cannabis genetics’. Widespread legalization of cannabis could be leading to a decline in the biodiversity of the plant and make ‘cannabis in the wild’ a thing of the past. A new study suggests that commercialization may be creating ‘the bottlenecking of cannabis genetics’. 18 June 2025 at 08:00:00 Ben Adlin This report first published by Marijuana Moment , 12 June 2025. New research on cannabis genetics suggests that incentives in the legal marijuana market—such as the desire for plants to mature faster and produce more cannabinoids for extraction—may be leading to a decline in biodiversity of the plant worldwide. A graduate thesis published this month combines observations about genetic trends in cannabis with interviews with dozens of plant breeders to explain the factors behind what author Caleb Y. Chen, at California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly) Humboldt, describes as “the bottlenecking of Cannabis genetics.” The review notes that while humans have been selectively breeding the cannabis plant for thousands of years, breeders in what it refers to as the “post-prohibition” era have optimized for a handful of traits, such as a high proportion of flowers as opposed to stalks or leaves, maximum cannabinoid content, a “desirable suite” of aromatic terpenes and a reproducible chemical profile. That hasn’t always aligned with connoisseur preferences, but it’s made economic and regulatory sense sense. Citing interviews with growers in a 2021 paper, Chen writes that “their preference for High THC content in cultivars ‘was due to state testing regulations and a misinformed consumer base, rather than grower partialities.'” So-called genetic bottlenecking isn’t unique to cannabis, the paper acknowledges, but is a common occurrence among agricultural crops. Nevertheless, research indicates that wild cannabis varieties are effectively a thing of the past. “Recent genetics studies of Cannabis collections continue to suggest that wild specimens of Cannabis have gone extinct and existing ‘wild’ cannabis plants are feral escapees of domesticates,” the paper says, noting that wind pollination and other factors have “eliminated wild specimens from the genepool.” Wind pollination also threatens to “wipe out landrace populations with ‘contamination’ from pollen via modern hybrids, therefore further bottlenecking Cannabis genetic diversity on a global scale,” the research found. “This has been reported from Morocco but also in Jamaica, Mexico, Thailand…and even parts of India.” “Even without the human aspect of added Prohibition, more so than other crops, genetic bottlenecking is a real and present problem for Cannabis ,” it adds. “In 2025,” Chen writes, “just a handful of Cannabis cultivars are grown at all levels of the Post-Prohibition landscape. Most products are produced from just a handful of Cannabis cultivars which the large part of the market now considers to be generic agricultural commodities, perfectly suitable with each other.” “Craft Cannabis ,” the thesis continues, “besides being a marketing term,” is now “a counterculture within the industry.” “These results may be meaningful in highlighting the role of government action on declining genetic diversity in the worldwide Cannabis market—and its impacts on the medicinal potential and therapeutic index of available Cannabis products.” The paper calls the future for cannabis genetics “an open question,” noting that modern cannabis genetic bottlenecking is still “little explored.” Based on interviews with growers, it reports that some feel popular metrics for cannabis fail to capture everything about what’s responsible for a marijuana high. “As an example,” writes Chen, “Dr. Grinspoon is a particular cultivar that multiple breeders felt was special and not properly studied due to its long flowering time of up to 24 weeks.” “It’s a perfect example of a plant that like…there’s something else in there that we’re not testing for,” one grower said. “And there has to be…because it’s just so incredibly different and pungent in that different way that there must be something in there that is not being described in the lab results at this point.” To be sure, amid an upswing in marijuana research in the post-prohibition era, researchers are still unlocking new secrets about the cannabis plant. Researchers earlier this year, for example, announced that they successfully identified a new cannabinoid—cannabielsoxa—produced by the marijuana plant as well as a number of other compounds “reported for the first time from the flowers of C. sativa .” Other research in 2023, published by the American Chemical Society, identified “previously undiscovered cannabis compounds” that challenged conventional wisdom of what really gives cannabis varieties their unique olfactory profiles. The new paper notes that many breeders, in contrast to “ideotype breeding, which focuses on lab-measured physiological traits,” also consume the cannabis they grow to make final decisions on what’s best. “This evaluation step is arguably unique to the Cannabis breeding process and cannot be easily mechanized or automated,” it contends. Other factors, like the rise of commercial marketing of cannabis strains, further complicate efforts to correctly identify genetics by creating “an incentive…for cultivators to misrepresent the linguistic labels used to describe their Cannabis genetics especially at the stage after it has been cultivated and as now being sold,” the thesis says. “In my analysis,” Chen writes, “I’ve found that one of the effects of the Post-Prohibition landscape is a link between Cannabis regulation, falling Cannabis price, and falling Cannabis genetic diversity. As the Post-Prohibition landscape develops, the risk premium drops as does Cannabis ‘s market value. All else equal, this leads Cannabis cultivators to prefer plants which yield more – which provide more saleable output.” # PREVIOUS NEXT What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service Market Forces May be Causing a ‘Bottleneck in Cannabis Genetics’ Endangering the Plant’s Natural Diversity

Cannabiz-Africa is your hub for all cannabis news and resources. Everything from breaking news, cannabis politics, business investments, legal policies and a marketplace network where we connect you with local businesses. Be in the know with the hottest, freshest and most up-to date hemp movements. COMING IN FRESH STAY IN THE KNOW WITH TOP STORIES Trade Minister’s Questionable Grip on Cannabis Reality Exposed in Parliament Read More DTIC Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) seems to think there’s a moratorium on cannabis arrests and is out of touch with the reality of the fast-evolving cannabis economy. He doesn’t see the basic contradictions within the Master Plan, and everybody except Government is paying the price. LATEST NEWS Catch up on the latest news & updates Market Forces May be Causing a ‘Bottleneck in Cannabis Genetics’ Endangering the Plant’s Natural Diversity 18 June 2025 at 08:00:00 Widespread legalization of cannabis could be leading to a decline in the biodiversity of the plant and make ‘cannabis in the wild’ a thing of the past. A new study suggests that commercialization may be creating ‘the bottlenecking of cannabis genetics’. Read More Retired ConCourt Judge Cameron: War on Drugs Was the Biggest Mistake of the Century 18 June 2025 at 05:00:00 Retired Constitutional Court Judge, Edwin Cameron (pictured here) says the criminalization of drugs was one of the biggest public policy mistakes of the past 125 years. He says prohibition has created overcrowding in prisons, has come at a high social cost and provided no sustainable solutions. Read More Trade Minister’s Questionable Grip on Cannabis Reality Exposed in Parliament 17 June 2025 at 09:30:00 DTIC Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) seems to think there’s a moratorium on cannabis arrests and is out of touch with the reality of the fast-evolving cannabis economy. He doesn’t see the basic contradictions within the Master Plan, and everybody except Government is paying the price. Read More Justice Minister Failing in Her Legal Cannabis Obligations as ‘Crisis of Illegality’ Grows 17 June 2025 at 08:45:00 The Justice Department’s inability to fulfil its constitutional obligations is leading to increased lawlessness in the cannabis sector. It is 12 months behind publishing the regulations governing the Cannabis Act, has not yet removed cannabis from the Drugs Act and has failed to provide SAPS with clear guidelines on how to deal with cannabis offences. What’s going on with Minister Kubayi (pictured here)? Read More Tau’s Time-Frame: New Cannabis Law Must Be Passed by end February 2026 16 June 2025 at 08:30:00 Trade Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) says the Agriculture Department is working on a cannabis zoning plan to support legacy farmers and safeguard local cannabis landraces. He says at the same time the DTIC is working on an overall cannabis commercialization policy which it wants to be in law in nine months time. Read More DTIC Minister Tau: ‘Justice Dept Must Scrap Drugs Act Before Commercialization is Put on the Table’ 15 June 2025 at 11:00:00 The DTIC is waiting for the Department of Justice to scrap the Drugs Act before it can implement a commercial framework for cannabis. DTIC Minister Parks Tau has told Parliament that a draft cannabis commercialization policy is under internal discussion and will be released for comment once it is ‘finalized’. Read More SAHPRA Upgrading Systems to Deal with Surge in ‘Fake Licenses’, Bigger Regulatory Review Underway 14 June 2025 at 10:00:00 SAHPRA says it is sourcing a barcoding system to authenticate Section 21 medical cannabis service providers. This comes amidst a surge of new businesses signing up medical cannabis patients to supply them with their ‘prescriptions’, and this is ringing the regulator’s alarm bells loudly. Read More SAHPRA Warns Public Over Fake Medical Cannabis Licenses 14 June 2025 at 07:45:00 The regulator says its concerned about the increase in the use of fake SAHPRA licenses by unethical businesses as the cannabis retail ‘Grey Zone’ continues to expand rapidly. It has urged the public to be cautious when dealing with service providers as many are illegal. Read More Three SAPS Officers Charged for Dagga Dealing After N4 ‘Convoy Bust’ 13 June 2025 at 08:45:00 Three officers from the White River Flying Squad have appeared in the Volksrust District Court to face ‘dagga dealing’ charges and have been remanded in custody. This follows their arrest on Wednesday for allegedly providing safe escort to a Toyotal Corolla packed to the brim with illicit cannabis. Read More Joint Submission by Namibia's Main Cannabis Organizations to the Ministry of Justice 13 June 2025 at 07:45:00 This is the joint submission to the Namibian Government by the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), Cannabis and Hemp Association of Namibia (CHAN), Medical Marijuana Association of Namibia (MMAN) and Rasta United Front (RUF) of Namibia ahead of today's deadline for public comment on cannabis laws. They specifically criticize the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 (RSA), also known as “the Impugned Act”) and the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (“the Medicines Act”). Read More Namibian Justice Officials Attend Colorado Conference on International Cannabis Regulations 13 June 2025 at 07:00:00 Namibia may be in for a complete overhaul of its cannabis laws in the strongest indications yet from the Government of a change in its prohibitionist attitude. It has called for public input on current legislation and proposals on the way forward, and senior Justice Department officials this month attended the Cannabis Regulators Association meeting in Denver, Colarado. Read More Namibia: Friday the 13th is Deadline for Public Input on Cannabis Laws 11 June 2025 at 19:30:00 The Namibian government has indicated a willingness to revisit the country’s prohibitionist cannabis laws following months of stakeholder pressure. The four manor Namibian advocacy groups have submitted their proposals and other interested parties, who haven’t yet done so, have until close of business, 13 June 2025, to have their say, Read More Read All Breaking News Here THE CANNABIZ CLASSIFIEDS Cannabiz Africa is the continent's premier B2B news platform. We reach the main industry stakeholders with over 4000+ unique users per month and 1500 Newsline subscribers - and growing. Click Here for the CannaBiz Classifieds INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Medical Cannabis Investment Opportunities in W Cape Cape Town is your ideal SA location to invest in the fast-growing South African medicinal cannabis market. The Wesgro Trade Unit provides a free and confidential service to help you establish and grow your business in Cape Town and the Western Cape. Contact us through the Wesgro One Stop Investment Shop here to find out why you should be investing in the Western Cape pharmaceutical hub. EXPORTS Top Quality SA Flower Available for Export SafriCanna is a SAHPRA-registered cultivation and processing facility whose efforts are focused on the growth, cultivation, processing, and export of Medicinal EU-GMP Cannabis products to international markets. See our catalogue of flower products here , Phone: + 27 (0) 10 880 6269; Email: info@safricanna.com, or contact us here GROW EQUIPMENT CapeCanna LED Lights Sale Now On CapeCanna is your hydroponic cannabis cultivation specialist. We offer the complete range of high quality equipment to set you up. Right now there's a sale on LED grow lights. Click here to buy. We deliver nationwide. LEGAL SERVICES Schindlers Dedicated Cannabis Law Department For All Legal Requirements Schindlers is South Africa’s first law firm to have a department dedicated to ‘M&R’ (‘medicinal’ & ‘recreational’) cannabis law, advising both international and local clients. We have been experts in the Cannabis field for years, and were instrumental in cases leading to the Constitutional Court ruling that legalized the personal consumption of cannabis in a private space. Click here to get connected with us . Cannabiz Africa NewsLine coming in fresh every week. NewsLine Archives Cannabiz Africa: Your Gateway to Cannabis Industry News & Insights Stay ahead of the curve with Cannabiz Africa, the leading source for cannabis industry news, business updates, and regulatory developments across Africa. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or enthusiast, we provide the latest insights into market trends, legislative changes, and emerging opportunities shaping the region's cannabis economy. 2025 Outlook: Rubble Removal Newsline # 124: 9 January 2024 The Year to Remove the Rocks on the Road to Cannabis Reform 2025 to be the Year of Psilocybin Lawfare Newsline # 123: 2 January 2025 State Opposes ConCourt Bid to Have Psilocybin Legalized 50 Shades of ‘Grey Zone’ Newsline # 122: 26 December 2024 Cannabis Cowboys Drive the Rapid Rise of an Unregulated Retail Sector Worth Billions Join the Dixie Jane Private Cannabis Club from anywhere in South Africa. FREE membership for over 21's Cannabiz Africa offers you the chance to become a member of the Dixie Jane private cannabis club, a curated top-shelf experience. Membership is FREE and easy. Become a member anywhere in South Africa and enjoy the benefits of club membership from your own home. Delivery for members nationwide. Click Here Now To Start Your New Journey Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Yes, subscribe me to your newsletter. Submit Justice Minister Failing in Her Legal Cannabis Obligations as ‘Crisis of Illegality’ Grows Read More The Justice Department’s inability to fulfil its constitutional obligations is leading to increased lawlessness in the cannabis sector. It is 12 months behind publishing the regulations governing the Cannabis Act, has not yet removed cannabis from the Drugs Act and has failed to provide SAPS with clear guidelines on how to deal with cannabis offences. What’s going on with Minister Kubayi (pictured here)?

Discover and explore a curated cannabis Business Directory. Coming soon. Cannabiz Africa Marketplace The Business of Cannabis Find out who’s doing what in the rapidly evolving African cannabis market. Your trusted source of business news and views, investment opportunities, corporate developments and our Meet the Team Business Directory. COMING IN FRESH MARKETPLACE BREAKING NEWS DTIC Minister Tau: ‘We’re Waiting for Justice Dept to Scrap Drugs Act Before We Put Commercialization on the Table’ Read More The DTIC is waiting for the Department of Justice to scrap the Drugs Act before it can implement a commercial framework for cannabis. DTIC Minister Parks Tau has told Parliament that a draft cannabis commercialization policy is under internal discussion and will be released for comment once it is ‘finalized’. History in the Making: South Africa and Lesotho To Set Up Cross-Border Cannabis Trade Agreement Read More South Africa and Lesotho have taken the first concrete steps to establishing a cannabis ‘SADEC’ with trade representatives agreeing to establish a common regulatory framework. The two countries intend to standardize their cannabis guidelines and seek ways to leverage this trade agreement to take advantage of international markets. Market Forces May be Causing a ‘Bottleneck in Cannabis Genetics’ Endangering the Plant’s Natural Diversity 18 June 2025 at 08:00:00 Widespread legalization of cannabis could be leading to a decline in the biodiversity of the plant and make ‘cannabis in the wild’ a thing of the past. A new study suggests that commercialization may be creating ‘the bottlenecking of cannabis genetics’. Read More Retired ConCourt Judge Cameron: War on Drugs Was the Biggest Mistake of the Century 18 June 2025 at 05:00:00 Retired Constitutional Court Judge, Edwin Cameron (pictured here) says the criminalization of drugs was one of the biggest public policy mistakes of the past 125 years. He says prohibition has created overcrowding in prisons, has come at a high social cost and provided no sustainable solutions. Read More Trade Minister’s Questionable Grip on Cannabis Reality Exposed in Parliament 17 June 2025 at 09:30:00 DTIC Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) seems to think there’s a moratorium on cannabis arrests and is out of touch with the reality of the fast-evolving cannabis economy. He doesn’t see the basic contradictions within the Master Plan, and everybody except Government is paying the price. Read More Justice Minister Failing in Her Legal Cannabis Obligations as ‘Crisis of Illegality’ Grows 17 June 2025 at 08:45:00 The Justice Department’s inability to fulfil its constitutional obligations is leading to increased lawlessness in the cannabis sector. It is 12 months behind publishing the regulations governing the Cannabis Act, has not yet removed cannabis from the Drugs Act and has failed to provide SAPS with clear guidelines on how to deal with cannabis offences. What’s going on with Minister Kubayi (pictured here)? Read More Tau’s Time-Frame: New Cannabis Law Must Be Passed by end February 2026 16 June 2025 at 08:30:00 Trade Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) says the Agriculture Department is working on a cannabis zoning plan to support legacy farmers and safeguard local cannabis landraces. He says at the same time the DTIC is working on an overall cannabis commercialization policy which it wants to be in law in nine months time. Read More DTIC Minister Tau: ‘Justice Dept Must Scrap Drugs Act Before Commercialization is Put on the Table’ 15 June 2025 at 11:00:00 The DTIC is waiting for the Department of Justice to scrap the Drugs Act before it can implement a commercial framework for cannabis. DTIC Minister Parks Tau has told Parliament that a draft cannabis commercialization policy is under internal discussion and will be released for comment once it is ‘finalized’. Read More SAHPRA Upgrading Systems to Deal with Surge in ‘Fake Licenses’, Bigger Regulatory Review Underway 14 June 2025 at 10:00:00 SAHPRA says it is sourcing a barcoding system to authenticate Section 21 medical cannabis service providers. This comes amidst a surge of new businesses signing up medical cannabis patients to supply them with their ‘prescriptions’, and this is ringing the regulator’s alarm bells loudly. Read More SAHPRA Warns Public Over Fake Medical Cannabis Licenses 14 June 2025 at 07:45:00 The regulator says its concerned about the increase in the use of fake SAHPRA licenses by unethical businesses as the cannabis retail ‘Grey Zone’ continues to expand rapidly. It has urged the public to be cautious when dealing with service providers as many are illegal. Read More Three SAPS Officers Charged for Dagga Dealing After N4 ‘Convoy Bust’ 13 June 2025 at 08:45:00 Three officers from the White River Flying Squad have appeared in the Volksrust District Court to face ‘dagga dealing’ charges and have been remanded in custody. This follows their arrest on Wednesday for allegedly providing safe escort to a Toyotal Corolla packed to the brim with illicit cannabis. Read More BREAKING BUSINESS NEWS THE CANNABIZ CLASSIFIEDS Cannabiz Africa is the continent's premier B2B news platform. We reach the main industry stakeholders with over 4000+ unique users per month and 1500 Newsline subscribers - and growing. Click Here to advertise. INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Cape Town is your ideal SA location to invest in the fast-growing South African medicinal cannabis market. The Wesgro Trade Unit provides a free and confidential service to help you establish and grow your business in Cape Town and the Western Cape. Contact us through the Wesgro One Stop Investment Shop here to find out why you should be investing in the Western Cape pharmaceutical hub. EXPORTS SafriCanna is a SAHPRA-registered cultivation and processing facility whose efforts are focused on the growth, cultivation, processing, and export of Medicinal EU-GMP Cannabis products to international markets. See our catalogue of flower products here , Phone: + 27 (0) 10 880 6269; Email: info@safricanna.com, or contact us here GROW EQUIPMENT CapeCanna is your hydroponic cannabis cultivation specialist. We offer the complete range of high quality equipment to set you up. Right now there's a sale on LED grow lights. Click here to buy. We deliver nationwide. LEGAL SERVICES Schindlers is South Africa’s first law firm to have a department dedicated to ‘M&R’ (‘medicinal’ & ‘recreational’) cannabis law, advising both international and local clients. We have been experts in the Cannabis field for years, and were instrumental in cases leading to the Constitutional Court ruling that legalized the personal consumption of cannabis in a private space. Click here to get connected with us . CULTIVATION EQUIPMENT Specialists in AC Infinity grow equipment and much more - from homegrow to commercial set-ups. All your pre- to -post harvesting requirements under one roof at www.rockandrolled.co.za . You won't be disappointed in our range and quality. Easy, secure payments, delivery nationwide. PRIVATE CLUBS Our self-regulatory grow club model supports the non-commercial, responsible sharing of cannabis within private social clubs with full tracking available on all cannabis products shared. Our model encourages good business practices, ultimately supporting sustainable small business growth within this new industry. To start your club journey contact Kirsten now: compliance@growone.africa " CANNABIS CONSULTANTS White Lion Consulting has been a pioneer in the South African cannabis industry, specializing in helping internatonal and local investors find opportunities, draw up business plans, design facilities and obtain SAHPRA approval. Check out our website, www.whitelionholdings.co.za and out our feature in MMJ.Daily For more information contact Cornel van de Watt cornel@whitelionholdings.co.za . CANNABIS EXPO The Gauteng Cannabis Expo returns bigger and better next year. It will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 30 and 31 May 2025. Get in early for sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor bookings. Contact Sarah for more details at sarah@thecannabisexpo.co.za . OFFTAKE AGREEMENTS Nexus is an agri-pharma company offering value addd services to the South African Cannabis Industry. We specialize in exporting final packaged products and cannabis flower to international markets, including the UK, Australia, UAE, Europe, and the USA. Read our Cannabiz Africa story here and then Contact us here FULL SERVICES Cheeba Africa is a pioneering company providing Cannabis & hemp services across the supply chain. Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Academy - Africa's leading & only Higher Education accredited national education and training offering. Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Consulting - Offering services from medical farm builds to offtakes. www.cheebaafrica.com www.cheebacannabisconsulting.com JOBS OFFERED Experienced budtenders sought for private clubs in Polokwane, Hoedspruit, Tzaneen and Haenertsberg. Ideally people who already live in those areas and have a Cheeba or comparable certification. People without experience should not reply. For more details contact Liz at lizviv7@gmail.com Africa Premier Cannabis Academy Get educated, get involved, and get ahead in the Cannabis and Hemp Industry. Choose from a range of our online self-study and blended learning Cannabis courses where you can study at your own pace and join online classes. Or join us at our Rivonia (Johannesburg) flagship campus or our Plettenberg Bay satellite campus for full and part-time study opportunities or check out our workshops, short courses and master classes that we hold in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Contact us at email: info@cheebaafrica.com or call our Business Whatsapp line on 073 384 3721. What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service

Cannabiz-Africa is your hub for all cannabis news and resources. Everything from breaking news, cannabis politics, business investments, legal policies and a marketplace network where we connect you with local businesses. Be in the know with the hottest, freshest and most up-to date hemp movements. BREAKING African News Cannabiz Africa brings you the hottest breaking African cannabis news right here! From crucial developments in laws and reform to socio-economic changes in the industry. Find your latest dose of breaking news right here and stay onto of the earliest developments! Namibian Justice Officials Attend Colorado Conference on International Cannabis Regulations Read More Namibia may be in for a complete overhaul of its cannabis laws in the strongest indications yet from the Government of a change in its prohibitionist attitude. It has called for public input on current legislation and proposals on the way forward, and senior Justice Department officials this month attended the Cannabis Regulators Association meeting in Denver, Colarado. History in the Making: South Africa and Lesotho To Set Up Cross-Border Cannabis Trade Agreement Read More South Africa and Lesotho have taken the first concrete steps to establishing a cannabis ‘SADEC’ with trade representatives agreeing to establish a common regulatory framework. The two countries intend to standardize their cannabis guidelines and seek ways to leverage this trade agreement to take advantage of international markets. Joint Submission by Namibia's Main Cannabis Organizations to the Ministry of Justice 13 June 2025 at 07:45:00 This is the joint submission to the Namibian Government by the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), Cannabis and Hemp Association of Namibia (CHAN), Medical Marijuana Association of Namibia (MMAN) and Rasta United Front (RUF) of Namibia ahead of today's deadline for public comment on cannabis laws. They specifically criticize the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 (RSA), also known as “the Impugned Act”) and the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (“the Medicines Act”). Read More Namibian Justice Officials Attend Colorado Conference on International Cannabis Regulations 13 June 2025 at 07:00:00 Namibia may be in for a complete overhaul of its cannabis laws in the strongest indications yet from the Government of a change in its prohibitionist attitude. It has called for public input on current legislation and proposals on the way forward, and senior Justice Department officials this month attended the Cannabis Regulators Association meeting in Denver, Colarado. Read More Namibia: Friday the 13th is Deadline for Public Input on Cannabis Laws 11 June 2025 at 19:30:00 The Namibian government has indicated a willingness to revisit the country’s prohibitionist cannabis laws following months of stakeholder pressure. The four manor Namibian advocacy groups have submitted their proposals and other interested parties, who haven’t yet done so, have until close of business, 13 June 2025, to have their say, Read More Windhoek Police Clamp Down on Cannabis Users as Namibian Government Calls for Suggested Changes to the Law 10 June 2025 at 11:30:00 The campaign for cannabis legalization in Namibia has ramped up significantly this year, while at the same time police harassment of cannabis users has turned into a human rights issue. This week police arrested six people were arrested in Windhoek for possession, while the Government received submissions on cannabis law reform. Read More South African Arrested in Major Northern Namibian Cannabis Bust 9 June 2025 at 08:15:00 Namibian police say the bust was one of the largest ever in Namibia’s history and believe the large-scale illicit cannabis network was one of the main suppliers to the Windhoek black market. Read More Ghana on the Go! Hemp Licensing Applications to Open Soon! 7 June 2025 at 12:30:00 Ghana is to open up its industrial cannabis licensing process soon. An estimated 600 farmers from across the West African country are hoping to 'get in on the ground', and are anxiously waiting to find out how much licenses will cost and other T's and C's. Read More History in the Making: South Africa and Lesotho To Set Up Cross-Border Cannabis Trade Agreement 6 June 2025 at 10:45:00 South Africa and Lesotho have taken the first concrete steps to establishing a cannabis ‘SADEC’ with trade representatives agreeing to establish a common regulatory framework. The two countries intend to standardize their cannabis guidelines and seek ways to leverage this trade agreement to take advantage of international markets. Read More Namibia May Be Easing Prohibitionist Stance as Government Calls for Public Input on Cannabis Laws 4 June 2025 at 03:45:00 Namibian cannabis stakeholders have until Friday 13 June 2025 to have their say on cannabis reform. The Namibian government has invited public comment on current cannabis legislation, and its new-found openness to engagement could result in an easing of its prohibitionist laws. Read More Botswana Activists Launch New Advocacy Group to Decriminalize Cannabis and Ensure Govt Policy Benefits the People 24 May 2025 at 10:30:00 CAB head Peo Seed (pictured here) says cannabis legalization should not just be about job creation but entrepreneurial development and technological innovation. CAB wants cannabis decriminalized and to reshape the nation’s approach to the plant as one that could bring prosperity to the people Read More Botswana Stakeholder Conference Planned: ‘Cannabis Policy Not Just Up to Govt Alone’ 21 May 2025 at 10:30:00 The private sector must get in on the ground to help shape Botswana’s cannabis and hemp policies. This is the view of IETD director Charity Kennedy (pictured here) who is organizaing a stakeholder conference at the end of August 2025 to help shape Government policy. Read More Namibia is the New Frontline in Southern Africa’s Battle for Cannabis Reform 20 May 2025 at 07:45:00 Namibia’s draconian anti-drug laws are increasingly under the spotlight as cannabis activists mobilise to legally challenge Windhoek’s prohibitiosist stance. Here Cannabiz Africa’s Africa editor, John Makoni takes a deep dive into the Namibian cannabis landscape where the fault lines are opening up like never before. Read More Infrastructure Snags Slow Down Rwanda’s Flagship Cannabis Development Project 15 May 2025 at 10:15:00 Rwanda’s Development Board has put up US$1,5 million of the US$3 million needed to complete a major project in partnership with US company KKOG which has already sunk US$10 million into its Musanze facility. The project, already delayed by a year, is now ‘83%’ complete according to the RDB. Read More Namibia’s Jailed Cannabis Organization President Brian Jaftha Ends Hunger Strike 9 May 2025 at 11:00:00 The jailed Ganja Users of Namibia leader Brian Jaftha (pictured here) ended his hunger strike after five days following the intervention of Namibia’s presidency which says that it will pick up on his human rights complaints. And it looks like he may be out on parole soon. Read More Rastas Lead the Drive for ‘Full Adult-Use' Cannabis Legalization in Botswana 9 May 2025 at 10:30:00 Botswana’s President Duma Boko is to legalize medical and industrial cannabis under his new government, but the nation’s Rastafarian community wants him to go further and legalize cannabis for full adult-use. Read More Cannabis Becoming a Human Rights Issue in Namibia as Jailed Activist Brian Jaftha Embarks on a Hunger Strike 7 May 2025 at 17:30:00 Cannabis has become a human rights issue more than ever in Namibia as the country becomes the new frontline in the push for legalization. Following last week’s protest march in Windhoek, jailed Namibian cannabis leader Brian Jaftha has gone on hunger strike in a call for human rights Read More Cannabis Legalization on the Agenda As Tanzania Prepares for October Elections 3 May 2025 at 08:45:00 Activists in Tanzania are calling on the government to legalise cannabis as the country prepares for a general election in October 2025, which the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) is expected to win. However, it appears there's still a long road ahead for any softening of prohibitionist attitudes in the East African country. Read More Namibian Chiefs: Legalization 'Will Bring Madness to the People' 3 May 2025 at 09:00:00 Former Namibian Justice Minister and Ongandjera Traditional Authority spokesperson, Sakeus Shangula (pictured here), says cannabis legalization runs against the grain of the country’s commitment to prevent substance abuse. He says there is increased alcohol and tobacco consumption amongst Namibia’s youth and any form of legalization will make matters worse. Read More Namibian Cannabis Activists to Take to Windhoek’s Streets This Saturday to Call for Legalization 30 April 2025 at 10:30:00 The cannabis legalization movement in Namibia is gathering momentum as a second protest march is planned for this Saturday in the capital. More protests are planned ahead of a July court hearing challenging the constitutionality of cannabis prohibition. Read More Morocco’s Historic Moment as it Exports Landrace to the Pharma Industry for the First Time 23 April 2025 at 17:00:00 Morocco is Africa’s leading cannabis export nation having embarked on an ambitious legalizatio progamme that put small-scale farmers at its core. Now start up Cannaflex has successfully exported for the first time the famed Moroccan landrace, Beldia, to European pharmaceutical buyers Read More Namibian Activists Call for Legalization of Medical Cannabis on 420 Day 22 April 2025 at 10:00:00 Namibian cannabis activists marched in Windhoek on 20 April 2025 to mark 420 Day and to call for the legalization of medical cannabis. The march, led by advocate Borro Ndungula (pictured here) of the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), was aimed at highlighting an upcoming court case challenging the Government’s prohibitionist stance.. Read More Major International Cannabis Conference Coming to SA: Overcoming Barriers and Developing Standards 16 April 2025 at 10:30:00 A major international conference on ‘Barriers to Entry’ in the cannabis industry is to take place in South Africa next month. The ASTM conference will also look at refining international standards on cannabis food and beverages. Deadline for registration is next week. Read More Buffalo Soldiers: Zambian Defence Force’s Cannabis Mission to Malawi 16 April 2025 at 09:00:00 The Zambian Defence Force National Service is the only entity in the country legally permitted to cultivate and sell industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis. It recently sent a delegation to Malawi on a cannabis fact-finding mission as it prepares to be a potential player in the African market. Read More Probably a World Record: Nigeria Destroys 1,4 Million Tons of Illegal Cannabis in One Go 14 April 2025 at 11:00:00 Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) carried out what is probably the biggest cannabis burn ever: 1,4 million tons of cannabis were destroyed in Abuja at the weekend as part of a public drug awareness campaign. By way of comparison, legal cannabis sales in the US in 2023 amounted to less than 3 000 tons. Read More Botswana to Establish ‘Central Cannabis Authority’ to Oversee Policy Implementation and Regulation 12 April 2025 at 12:00:00 Botswana is to establish a central institutional authority to oversee the roll-out of a planned medical and industrial cannabis strategy. This is one of the recommendations by the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture in a policy document drawn up for the Government and leaked to Cannabiz Africa. Read More Main Networking Event of the Year: Cheeba Africa’s Industry Summit at Cannabis Expo 9 April 2025 at 18:30:00 Cheeba Africa has announced it will hold a two day ‘Cannabis and Hemp Summit’ at the Cannabis Expo to bring stakeholders together to network, upskill and develop their business concepts. It will also provide a forum for the industry to discuss how best to deal with Government in the imminent ‘stakeholder discussons’ on cannabis policy. Read More 'If SA Gets Cannabis Framework Right, It Could Be a Blueprint for BRICS+' 7 April 2025 at 09:00:00 An unlikely newcomer to the cannabis industry commentariat has just weighed in with the unlikely notion that if South Africa gets its policy framework right, it could serve as a blueprint for the BRICS+ group of nations. Independent media owner Dr Iqbal Surve, says cannabis could be a way of fostering new trade relationships outside traditional cannabis markets. Read More Political Pressure Forces Last-Minute Postponement of Botswana Hemp Conference 5 April 2025 at 11:30:00 Pressure from opposition political parties forced the last minute postponement of the Botswana Inaural Hemp Business Conferrence, which will now only take place in July. Read More Last Mover Advantage: Botswana Better Placed Than SA to Become Regional Hemp Powerhouse 2 April 2025 at 14:30:00 Botswana looks set to bypass the regulatory nightmare that has beset South Africa's industrial cannabis industry by putting in a set of rules for the game before it opens up the market. Neighbouring South Africa, by comparison, has found itself in a quandary where permits are being issued with no clear market guidelines yet in place. Read More SANDF: Cross Border Cannabis Trafficking Almost a ‘Daily Occurrence’ 30 March 2025 at 10:30:00 The SANDF has been deployed for the last six months along the South Africa’s northern and eastern borders to combat transnational smuggling. Defence Web reports that this month’s seizure of R1,5 m worth of cannabis on the border between KwaZulu Natal and eSwatini highlights how porous the country’s frontiers are to drug smugglers. Read More Botswana Hosts Major Hemp Indaba to Chart Regulatory Way Forward 26 March 2025 at 19:30:00 Botswana will once again get a chance to showcase its bold vision to incorporate hemp into its economy when it hosts the Inaugural Hemp Business Summit in Gaborone on 5 April 2025. Read More ‘Heartbreaking’ Policy Inertia and Public Stigma Holding Back Kenyan Hemp Sector 24 March 2025 at 09:00:00 Cannabis is still stuck in research mode in Kenya, despite Government promises to allow an industrial hemp sector to develop. One of the major problems is the stigma attached to cannabis, which stakeholders have suggested be countered with a public education campaign. Read More Zimbabwe’s 'Dr Zoey': The Region Should Harmonize Regulations And Market Itself as a Solid Bloc on World Markets 22 March 2025 at 13:15:00 Imagine a ‘Cannabis SADEC’ in which the member countries harmonized their regulatory criteria and worked as a solid bloc to market southern African medical and industrial cannabis to the world. That’s the vision of Zimbabwe’s leading cannabis change-maker, Dr Zorodzai Maroveke who says that would make a real difference Africa’s prospects of becoming a real player in the global game. Read More Namibia: Definition of Dealing Under Scrutiny in the Courts 17 March 2025 at 11:30:00 Namibian law assumes anyone found with over 115 gm of cannabis is guilty of dealing. That definition is being contested in the Windhoek High Court where a Keetmanshoop man convicted of having 241 gm in his possession was convicted as a drug dealer. Read More Applications Open: DTIC Seeks Project Manager for Cannabis Master Plan 12 March 2025 at 07:00:00 The DTIC has restructured and seeking a project manager for the National Cannabis Master Plan: You're Interested? Apply Here Read More Botswana Leverages Gaberone’s Twin City Status with Toronto to its Cannabis Advantage 4 March 2025 at 10:00:00 Botswana is the latest African country to partially legalize cannabis, and South African and Canadian stakeholders are getting in on the regulatory ground floor. Botswana hopes to use South African and Canadian expertise in getting a framework in place that will enable it to use cannabis to reduce its dependence on diamond exports, stimulate business and reduce unemployment. Read More Cannabis is the Gateway Drug to the World’s New Plant-based Medicine Revolution 1 March 2025 at 08:30:00 Plant-based therapies are becoming all the rage as more scientists unlock nature’s secrets to find new healing and wellness benefits. Africa is well-poised to take advantage of the new global plant-based product revolution that is integrating cosmetics and healing. Read More Cannabis Mission DRC: Cheeba to the Rescue to Fix Broken Hemp Project 26 February 2025 at 07:00:00 The DRC hasn’t featured much in the African legal cannabis landscape because the industry is going through the teething pains of developing an export market. A major industrial hemp project near Kinshasa ran into trouble with its first harvest and called in South African-based Cheeba Consultancy to help iron out the problems. Read More Ghana: Clearing the Ground for West Africa’s First Industrial Cannabis Revolution 24 February 2025 at 10:00:00 After years of legislative delays, Ghana’s plans to develop a hemp sector are finally underway. It hasn't been an easy ride getting here says 'Hempire's' CEO Nana Kwaku Agyemang. He tells Cannabiz Africa that large tracts of land are being cleared for hemp planting and that industrial cannabis in Ghana is open for business. Read More Zimbabwe Hopes Local Genetics Research Will Lower High Input Costs of Cannabis Farming 18 February 2025 at 14:00:00 Zimbabwe has embarked on a programme to cross-breed indigenous landrace strains with imported genetics in the hope of bringing down farm input costs. This comes as it struggles to build traction in the industrial hemp market with only seven of the 48 licensees actually in operation. Read More Malawi Makes Up Lost Ground as Cannabis Momentum Begins to Build 18 February 2025 at 08:00:00 Malawi’s ‘head of cannabis’ says that the creation of a single cannabis authority, co-ordination between government departments and meaningful incentives for foreign investors have laid a solid foundation for future growth. Malawi is now poised to capitalize on its most famous landrace, Malawi Gold, as the export market opens up. Read More Colorado-Based Nutiva Gets in Quick as Botswana Begins Developing Hemp Sector 17 February 2025 at 06:00:00 Botswana is to kick off its part-legalization of cannabis with a hemp business summit in Gaberone in April, at which international companies and banks will be in attendance. The meeting’s main objective is to chart a regulatory way forward. Read More Rwanda Sets Aside Large Site for Cannabis Production, Five Companies Interested 1 February 2025 at 05:30:00 Last year Rwanda issued the first cannabis industry guidelines focusing on medical and industrial cannabis for export. Kigali has now set aside a large tract of land as a cannabis hub and is looking for investors. Read More African Cannabis Hits an Impasse: Limited Vision, Disappointing Exports and No Local Market Development 29 January 2025 at 19:00:00 Africa has missed out on the first wave of cannabis legalization that has swept the Americas and Europe. Exports have not lived up to expectation and there has been limited local market development. African cannabis is now at an impasse and is being left further behind as international markets grow exponentially . Read More Morocco: Growers Call for Recreational Cannabis to be Legalized as Hemp Stockpile Mounts and Prices Drop 24 January 2025 at 12:30:00 Morocco is Africa’s largest exporter of cannabis, mostly hemp for industrial purposes. However, cannabis reform has faltered with record crops and lower prices, prompting traditional growers to call for a legal domestic adult-use market to be legalized. Read More Namibian Police Seize 380 kg Cannabis in December, Concerns That Other Drug Use is Rising 17 January 2025 at 06:45:00 Namibian police are concerned that the country is becoming a “nation of drug addicts and drug dealers". This follows the arrest of 126 people in December for drug-related offences, the appearance of metamphetamine in the country and the increasing use of Namibians as ‘drug mules’. Read More Zimbabwe Seeks Investors for Ambitious US$ 17m Goromonzi Cannabis Hub Project 14 January 2025 at 11:00:00 ZIDA has put out a call for investors to fund an ambitious US$16,9 million ‘industrial hemp and cannabis hub' at Goromonzi, 40 km east of Harare. Read More Hello Hemp: Networking Event in Nairobi is Kenya’s First Step Towards Developing an Industrial Cannabis Sector 6 January 2025 at 14:00:00 Kenya has taken the first step towards realizing the potential of industrial cannabis with a landmark hemp workshopping conference planned for Nairobi on 20 January 2025. Read More Africa: Cannabis Reform Stuck in the Shadows of a Substance Abuse Crisis 6 January 2025 at 07:00:00 Cannabis reform in Africa is taking a very different route from the legalization in other jurisdictions as the continent’s policy-makers see the plant simply as a drug. That approach means that cannabis is lumped in the same category as heroin, metamphetamines and cocaine which tends to obscure the real drug problem - Africa's growing synthetic drugs crisis. Read More Going into 2025, Africa’s Potential to be a Medical Cannabis Powerhouse Remains an Elusive Dream 30 December 2024 at 09:00:00 Africa faces numerous hurdles if it is ever to realize its potential to become a global leader in medical cannabis production. Among those challenges are balancing policy, economic growth and social norms. With lazy, conservative thinking entrenched in post-colonial governments across the continent, Africa is many years away from any hope of being a player in the world medical cannabis arena. Read More Malawi: Invegrow Kickstarts Exports But Cannabis Reform is Failing the Rural Poor It Was Meant to Help 13 December 2024 at 13:00:00 Where have we heard this before? Well, in South Africa, Lesotho, eSwatini, Rwanda, Uganda, Morocco and just about every other African country that has legalized cannabis for export. Now Malawi joins their ranks in a sad but familiar repeat from the African cannabis playbook, with Invegrow being its only success story to date. Read More Ghana Launches Chamber of Cannabis Industry to Guide Policy and Set Standards 9 December 2024 at 06:00:00 Earlier this year Ghana’s Chamber of Commerce set up a specialist division to help establish a regulated cannabis industry in the West African country. The CCI’s CEO Mark Darko writes how Ghana is taking the regional lead in creating a commercial medicinal and industrial cannabis industry. Read More Namibia: Cops Refuse Permission for Cannabis Protest Because ‘Foreign Nationals’ Are Involved. 24 November 2024 at 06:00:00 The Namibian Police won’t allow a planned cannabis protest march to take place on 10 December 2024 because ‘foreign nationals’ have been invited to participate’. A top officer says this will be ‘detrimental to Namibia’s sovereignty and will only let the protest go ahead if no foreigners are involved. Read More Botswana Breakthrough: New President Embraces Cannabis in First SONA 20 November 2024 at 09:00:00 Botswana will diversify its diamond-dependent economy by launching into the medicinal cannabis market and exploiting its abundant sunshine, President Duma Boko said on Tuesday, 19 November 2024 in his first State of the Nation address (SONA). Read More SA Court Censures Swaziland News for Calling eSwatini King a “Dangerous Dagga Dealer " Intent on Looting the Nation 18 November 2024 at 09:00:00 Judgement has been reserved in a Mbombela court case in which the eSwatini Prime Minister is tryng to gag the rebel Swaziland News, accusing it of terrorism and defamation. Part of the PM’s objection is that the paper reported without substantiating its sources, that King Mswati III is involved in the Kingdom’s illegal cannabis trade. Read More Zimbabwe's Ivory Medical Launches Therapeutic Product Range Integrating Cannabis and Traditional African Medicine 11 November 2024 at 06:00:00 Zimbabwe has been struggling to develop its medical cannabis value chain but this looks set to change as Ivory Medical brings an innovative product range to market. Its CannaQure range, launched last week, integrates traditional African medicines into cannabis-based therapeutic products. Read More African Pharmacists Need to Take Cannabis Seriously – Or Risk Being Trapped in the ‘Knowledge Gap’ 7 November 2024 at 04:00:00 Only nine countries in Africa have legalized medical cannabis to some degree, but for the rest of the continent the global medical cannabis revolution is passing it by. Nonetheless, African pharmacists should tackle their own knowledge gap in anticipation of cannabis becoming part of integrated public health systems in the future. Read More Global Cannabis Market Just Keeps Growing, Africa Nowhere Really to be Seen 31 October 2024 at 07:00:00 International consulting company Global G has just released its Global Cannabis Market: Fall 2024 Outlook which shows the market just keeps growing. The oils market especially has expanded rapidly in a sector that has increased by 14% in value over the past year. Sadly, Africa is nowhere to be found in this positive prognosis. Read More eSwatini Cannabis Confusion, Cannabis Bill Floats in Parliamentary Backwaters, While Police Intensify War Against Growers 29 October 2024 at 16:00:00 eSwatini’ MP’s hope that the controversial Cannabis Bill will still be retabled before the year is out, but with more ministries being pulled into the legalization issue, don’t expect this to happen. Read More Lesotho Loses Revenue to Unchecked Cannabis Licensing Corruption 26 October 2024 at 07:00:00 cannabis licencing corruption remains rife in the country and the government is turning a blind eye. That's according to The Lesotho Reporter, the Kingdom’s main newspaper, which alleges there is a single mastermind behind the ongoing licensing fraud whose identity is known to the authorities. Read More Malawi: Cannabis Bill Delayed by Faith Leaders' Objections 22 October 2024 at 13:00:00 Malawi’s president has not yet enacted into law a Bill passed by Parliament in March this year intended to regulate the cannabis industry. This was because of objections by religious leaders that not enough harms prevention measures had been put in place, even though the Malawi is only permitting cultivation for export. Read More Uganda Issues Medical Cannabis Export Guidelines 22 October 2024 at 12:00:00 Uganda’s cannabis policy is to legalize cannabis only for export. Kampala is currently not considering domestic consumption of industrial, medical or recreational cannabis, but has recently issued guidelines for prospective exporters. Read More Namibia Lifts Lid on Legalization Debate; Sends MP’s on Cannabis Fact-Finding mission to Lesotho. 17 October 2024 at 09:00:00 All forms of cannabis consumption are illegal in Namibia but that could soon change as the country’s lawmakers begin discussing the possibilities of partial legalization. Namibian MP’s recently visited Lesotho to find out how that country is dealing with medical cannabis regulation and culivation Read More Africa is ‘Modernizing’ its Hemp Policies But It’s on a Slow Path to Being a Global Player 7 October 2024 at 09:00:00 The African Hemp Fund reports that industrial cannabis, or hemp, is experiencing “significant economic expansion” in Africa although the overall regulatory market remains constrained. Despite this analysts project that Africa’s industrial hemp industry possesses a market potential of US$2.4 billion – and this excludes CBD, which itself is a massive market. Read More Malawi: US$10 Million Mega-Cannabis Facility Under Construction; Ambitious Revenue Hopes 21 September 2024 at 11:00:00 A US10 million cannabis processing facility planned for Malawi’s capital, Llilongwe, has ambitious revenue targets, aiming to generate US$300 million a year in four years time Read More South African Law Firms Well Poised to Ride the Wave of African Cannabis Legalization 13 September 2024 at 14:00:00 The South African legal sector has significant experience in dealing with cannabis legislation and is well-positioned to benefit from the regulatory reform that is taking place in the rest of the continent. Read More Morocco: Now the Push is On to Legalize Full-on ‘Recreational’ Use 12 September 2024 at 06:00:00 Morocco’s cannabis policy has centred on medical and industrial exports and bringing small-scale farmers into the mainstream. This has given stakeholders new impetus to urge the Kingdom to go further and open a discussion on full adult-use legalization. Read More West Africa: Abuse of Killer Synthetic Cannabis Drug ‘Kush’ Now a Regional Crisis 11 September 2024 at 09:00:00 Kush, also known as the ‘Zombie Drug’ or ‘KJ’, is spreading across the Mano River Basin in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, ensnaring young people and straining social services. This is according to a report from the Institute of Security Studies which says a united front by these three governments is needed to prevent this transnational drug crisis from disrupting the region’s fragile stability. Read More Mozambique: Cannabis the Most Trafficked Drug But Heroin Seizures Are Going Through the Roof 5 September 2024 at 07:00:00 Cannabis seizures were up almost 20% in 2023 but the alarming statistic is in the amount of heroin confiscated. This is a fourfold rise over the previous year highlighting Mozambique’s growing role as a transhipment point in the international narcotics supply chain – and that of neighbouring South Africa. Read More Moroccan King Mohommed VI Pardons 5 000 Small-Scale Growers and Dealers for Cannabis Offences 2 September 2024 at 09:00:00 Morocco is emerging as Africa’s leading exporter of legal cannabis with an estimated 225 tons shipped out this year,, almost as much as it exported in the whole of 2023. The Kingdom is limiting cultivation to the centuries-old Rif region cannabis growing areas and has a strict anti-recreational use laws. Now it has pardoned 5 000 small-scale cannabis offenders. Read More ‘Knowledge Gap’ Holding Back Zimbabwe’s Hemp Industry 27 August 2024 at 08:00:00 Zimbabwe is failing to live up to its expectations of being a major player in the African industrial cannabis sector. Although 61 various hemp licenses have been issued, exports have been minimal and there’s a long way to go before there’s any serious talk about cannabis reducing Zimbabwe’s dependence on tobacco. Read More Justice Denied as Kenya’s Court System Overwhelmed by Drugs Cases 19 August 2024 at 07:00:00 Expediting major narcotics cases could improve Kenyans’ trust in the criminal justice system and help curb trafficking. Read More US-Based King Kong Organics Finally Set to Open Rwanda Cannabis Oil Extraction Facility 18 August 2024 at 10:00:00 KKOG’s CEO Rene Joseph says the multi-million dollar cannabis processing facility is 70% complete and will open in September. The company has a five year license from the Rwanda Development Board, which also invested capital in the project. The primary aim is to export cannabis oils internationally and KKOG says it intends expanding its African footprint. Read More ‘African Policymakers Need to Overhaul Existing Cannabis Laws in Favour of More Inclusive Legislation’ 13 August 2024 at 09:00:00 African policymakers in country’s allowing cannabis cultivation should re-evaluate existing cannabis laws as they are disproportionately repressive and largely ineffective. A new report says that to be effective, new cannabis laws need to be inclusive by actively seeking the input of cannabis stakeholders. Read More Morocco’s Illegal Cannabis Farmers Emerge Boldly From the Shadows Under New Regulatory Regime 10 August 2024 at 09:00:00 Morocco's partial legalisation of cannabis has seen the number of legal farmers rocket from 430 to 3 000 in just a year. This has seen the area under cannabis cultivation increase tenfold to 2 700 ha as the country cautiously reform the regulatory landscape. Read More Mozambique: President Nyusi Calls for ‘Deep Reflection’ on Legalizing Cannabis 7 August 2024 at 11:00:00 Mozambique is lifting the lid on cannabis legalization. Speaking at a drug policy conference in Maputo, the President said he seeks ‘closer co-operation’ with other countries on how to legalize and regulate cannabis. The European Union has stepped up smartly and said it’s ready to help. Read More Madagascar Now Africa’s Biggest Illegal Cannabis Exporter as Cartels Use the Island for Repackaging and Distribution 25 July 2024 at 10:00:00 Africa produces about 25% of the world’s cannabis. Almost all of it is illegal and much of it is consumed domestically. According to a report on maritime smuggling, Madagascar is now the key illegal exporter of cannabis in Africa with syndicates specialising in repackaging and international distribution. Read More Interpol Comes Knocking as SA Emerges as a Key Player on the International Narco-Trafficking Scene 24 July 2024 at 15:00:00 South Africa’s role as a key hub in international narco-trafficking is coming to the fore and the country is also a “cornerstone production location for crystal meth, cat, mandrax and MDMA. Now Interpol has dropped in for a look. Read More Seychelles: 33% of Public Support Cannabis Legalization, 49% Oppose, as Government Struggles With Horror Spike in Heroin Addiction 8 July 2024 at 08:00:00 In a first-ever survey in Seychelles, Afrobarometer explored citizens' views on drugs. Seychellois say they want drug abuse, addiction, and trafficking to be prioritized after the management of the island's economy. The survey showed a strong resistance to legalization with 49% of those polled opposing it, while 30% were in favour. Read More Nitazenes: Highly Potent Opioids Surface in West African Drug Market for the First Time 1 July 2024 at 11:00:00 Nitazenes can be 100 times more potent than heroin and 10 times the strength of fentanyl meaning that users get their high from small hits but with huge risks of overdosing. Now they’ve found their way into the West African drug market for the first time Read More Liberia: Killer ‘Kush Cannabis’ Crisis Takes Root in Monrovia 1 July 2024 at 10:00:00 Liberia says it’s facing a national health emergency because of widespread use of ‘kush cannabis’, a dangerous new cocktail that includes opioids, among the nation’s youth. Drug seizures over the past year reveal an alarming array of new synthetic psychoactive substances. Read More Zimbabwe: New Cannabis Pharmaceutical Sector Emerging as Three Companies Begin Manufacturing 1 July 2024 at 09:00:00 Three pharmaceutical companies in Zimbabwe have started to manufacture cannabis medicines under the country’s five-year-old industrial hemp reforms. Read More UN Drug Body: 90% of Global Tramadol Seizures in Past Five Years Have Been in Africa 28 June 2024 at 07:00:00 The UNODC reports that Africa is facing an alarming increase in ‘dangerous drug cocktails’, with youngsters most susceptible to this growing trend. This is highlighted by news that almost all global seizures of tramadol – an opioid analgesic used in most of these cocktails – occur the region. Read More Africa’s Cannabis Consumption is Growing Faster Than Anywhere Else, So is the Use of Dangerous New Drug “Cocktails” 27 June 2024 at 08:00:00 Cannabis use in Africa is growing faster than any other region in the world, according to the latest UN Drug Report. The continent is also increasingly affected by drug trafficking and the use of new and dangerous drug “cocktails” Read More Khat in Kenya: Borderline Legal But Prohibitionists Kick Back 26 June 2024 at 09:30:00 Khat appeared to have secured legal status in Kenya even though it’s a prohibited substance in most countries. However, there is a kick-back underway with a regional governor banning muguka, a variety of khat, on health grounds following a trade dispute over import levies. Read More eSwatini Cautiously Plans to Legalize Medical Cannabis 18 June 2024 at 08:00:00 Eswatini is joining many of its African neighbours in legalizing cannabis for medical purposes, revising a colonial drug law dating back a century. Read More Revealed! Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organisation’s Secret Cannabis Farm 10 June 2024 at 10:00:00 International policy Investigative organization, The Sentry, has exposed Zimbabwe's secretive CIO’s vast business network which focuses on diamonds, coal and industrial cannabis. It has urged the Government to dissolve this empire and make the CIO more accountable and be paid for from the National Budget instead of the shady financing that is currently taking place. Read More The African Cannabis Market Overview: Estimated Legal Market Worth was US$41 million in 2021/2 2 June 2024 at 10:00:00 Prohibition Partners has just released its African Cannabis Market Overview for 2022. Among its key findings are that, driven by South Africa, the continent has seen significant growth but that it lags behind other cannabis-producing nations. It reports that over the next five years the South African market for decriminalized cannabis in South Africa will grow. Read More Zimbabwe Govt Asks Tobacco Research Body to Look at Viability of Large-Scale Cannabis Production 31 May 2024 at 06:00:00 Zimbabwe’s hopes of capitalizing on cannabis have not yielded the results that Harare hoped for. Africa’s largest tobacco producer is concerned that cigarette consumption is dropping world-wide and has now called on the sector’s research experts to look at how cannabis can become a meaningful alternative export commodity. Read More Nigeria: NDLEA Clamps Down on Cartels Dealing in Cocaine, Fentanyl and Synthetic Cannabis 29 May 2024 at 10:00:00 West Africa has become a critical international drug smuggling hub, while at home substance abuse is getting out of hand in several countries in the region. This has prompted Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies to step up their ‘War Against Drugs’, leading to the recent break up of two major trafficking cartels. Read More Zimbabwe: Grassroots of Hope in a Dysfunctional Landscape 24 May 2024 at 10:00:00 Of the 57 cannabis cultivation license-holders, only seven are actually in production. Among them is a farming trio from the Bulawayo area who have overcome the capex and bureaucratic hurdles whose Thathokuhle Farm enterprise seeks to inspire surrounding farmers to grow cannabis. Read More Lesotho Should Review Its Cannabis Laws: ‘No Place for Small Business’ 23 May 2024 at 12:00:00 Lesotho was the first African country to legalize medical cannabis for export purposes. However, recent research says Lesotho’s cannabis laws have proved very challenging, have not been applied objectively and have been at the expense of small, medium and micro-enterprises. Read More Amnesty International Condemns Nigeria’s Intention to Punish Drug Traffickers with the Death Penalty. 23 May 2024 at 11:00:00 Amnesty International and human rights activists in Nigeria are criticizing a new bid put forward by Nigerian lawmakers to punish drug trafficking with the death penalty. The move has divided the country’s lawmakers in Abuja, many of whom support the measure as part of the “War Against Drugs”. Read More King Kong’s First Cannabis Facility Nearing Completion in Rwanda 16 May 2024 at 08:00:00 The construction of Rwanda's first cannabis facility in Musanze is set to be completed by the end of May 2024, according to license holders KKOG. Read More Nigerian Senate Wants Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers As It Tries To Cope With A Growing Substance Abuse Crisis 11 May 2024 at 06:00:00 Nigeria has in recent years gone from being a transit point for illegal drugs to a full-blown producer, consumer and distributor. Now the authorities are upping the stakes with the country’s Senate proposing the death penalty as part of their arsenal in the West African 'War Against Drugs'. Read More Middle East Conflict: Moroccan Hash Dealers Boycott Israel Over Gaza 7 May 2024 at 04:00:00 Although exporting Hashish to Israel was incredibly lucrative to dealers in Morocco, they are no longer willing to sell to Israeli dealers: 'Why Should Israelis be able to make a living selling Moroccan hashish when our Palestinian brothers are suffering from hunger?' Read More UN: Cannabis Resin Bound for Europe is the Most Trafficked Drug in the West African Sahel . 6 May 2024 at 07:00:00 A UN report says Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger are a “natural stopover point” for drug trafficking between South America and Europe, but authorities are beginning to take down the criminal networks involved. Read More Zimbabwe: It Doesn't Bode Well - Cannabis Reform Is Pitting Small-Scale Farmers Against Agri-Business 3 May 2024 at 09:00:00 Bristol University academic Clemence Rusenga offers a deep dive into Zimbabwe’s cannabis sector. One of his conclusions is that Harare’s cannabis reform is aimed at attracting foreign investment rather than uplifting subsistence farmers and that this is going to create a deepening schism between agri-business and illicit growers. Read More Sierra Leone: Voodoo Kush Addictions Spiralling; the Nation's Kids Are at Risk 19 April 2024 at 10:00:00 Substance abuse in West Africa is spiralling out of control, with hybrid drugs coming onto the market that are aimed soley at creating addiction. Cannabis is the base for fentynal-laced Voodoo Kush, which is creating a social health crisis. Here we take you to the streets of Freetown for how the new drug is affecting ordinary people. Read More Malawi Passes Cannabis Bill Allowing ‘Chamba’ to be Grown Despite Stiff Opposition from Justice Minister and House Speaker 17 April 2024 at 10:00:00 DPP walks out of Parliament concerned that legalization will lead to the nation’s moral decay, and then walks back in, despite there was no substance to their protestations that the Bill will lead to moral decay, but could earn the country US$700 million Read More King Kong Secures Rwanda’s First Medical Cannabis Export License 25 March 2024 at 12:00:00 King Kong Organics (KKOG Rwanda) has become the first local company to secure a 5-year license to cultivate cannabis for medicinal purposes, extraction, and export various medicinal products in the central African country. Read More What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service

Cannabiz-Africa is your hub for all cannabis news and resources. Everything from breaking news, cannabis politics, business investments, legal policies and a marketplace network where we connect you with local businesses. Be in the know with the hottest, freshest and most up-to date hemp movements. LATEST CANNABIZ AFRICA NEWSLINE THE BUSINESS OF CANNABIS COMING IN FRESH EVERY WEEK NEWSLINE # 111 Top Story: Retail Hemp Comes of Age as Hemporium Opens Flagship Store in Cape Town NEWSLINE # 110 Top Story: Afriplex Takes Cannabis SciTech to a New Level Altogether NEWSLINE # 109 Top Story: Alarming Biomass Build Up NEWSLINE # 108 Top Story: Africa’s Leading Business School Seeks to Create Cannabis Entrepreneurs What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service

Cannabiz-Africa is your hub for all cannabis news and resources. Everything from breaking news, cannabis politics, business investments, legal policies and a marketplace network where we connect you with local businesses. Be in the know with the hottest, freshest and most up-to date hemp movements. LEGAL NEWS FEATURE SAHPRA Upgrading Systems to Deal with Surge in ‘Fake Licenses’, Bigger Regulatory Review Underway Read More SAHPRA says it is sourcing a barcoding system to authenticate Section 21 medical cannabis service providers. This comes amidst a surge of new businesses signing up medical cannabis patients to supply them with their ‘prescriptions’, and this is ringing the regulator’s alarm bells loudly. 24 Hour bail hotline call 0631740938 CANNABIZ AFRICA LEGAL DESK Your guide to the latest news and views on legal developments in the African Cannabis Industry. Keep up to date with policy changes, court cases, corporate activity, activism and news from the legislature. Retired ConCourt Judge Cameron: War on Drugs Was the Biggest Mistake of the Century 18 June 2025 at 05:00:00 Retired Constitutional Court Judge, Edwin Cameron (pictured here) says the criminalization of drugs was one of the biggest public policy mistakes of the past 125 years. He says prohibition has created overcrowding in prisons, has come at a high social cost and provided no sustainable solutions. Read More Trade Minister’s Questionable Grip on Cannabis Reality Exposed in Parliament 17 June 2025 at 09:30:00 DTIC Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) seems to think there’s a moratorium on cannabis arrests and is out of touch with the reality of the fast-evolving cannabis economy. He doesn’t see the basic contradictions within the Master Plan, and everybody except Government is paying the price. Read More Justice Minister Failing in Her Legal Cannabis Obligations as ‘Crisis of Illegality’ Grows 17 June 2025 at 08:45:00 The Justice Department’s inability to fulfil its constitutional obligations is leading to increased lawlessness in the cannabis sector. It is 12 months behind publishing the regulations governing the Cannabis Act, has not yet removed cannabis from the Drugs Act and has failed to provide SAPS with clear guidelines on how to deal with cannabis offences. What’s going on with Minister Kubayi (pictured here)? Read More Tau’s Time-Frame: New Cannabis Law Must Be Passed by end February 2026 16 June 2025 at 08:30:00 Trade Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) says the Agriculture Department is working on a cannabis zoning plan to support legacy farmers and safeguard local cannabis landraces. He says at the same time the DTIC is working on an overall cannabis commercialization policy which it wants to be in law in nine months time. Read More DTIC Minister Tau: ‘Justice Dept Must Scrap Drugs Act Before Commercialization is Put on the Table’ 15 June 2025 at 11:00:00 The DTIC is waiting for the Department of Justice to scrap the Drugs Act before it can implement a commercial framework for cannabis. DTIC Minister Parks Tau has told Parliament that a draft cannabis commercialization policy is under internal discussion and will be released for comment once it is ‘finalized’. Read More SAHPRA Upgrading Systems to Deal with Surge in ‘Fake Licenses’, Bigger Regulatory Review Underway 14 June 2025 at 10:00:00 SAHPRA says it is sourcing a barcoding system to authenticate Section 21 medical cannabis service providers. This comes amidst a surge of new businesses signing up medical cannabis patients to supply them with their ‘prescriptions’, and this is ringing the regulator’s alarm bells loudly. Read More SAHPRA Warns Public Over Fake Medical Cannabis Licenses 14 June 2025 at 07:45:00 The regulator says its concerned about the increase in the use of fake SAHPRA licenses by unethical businesses as the cannabis retail ‘Grey Zone’ continues to expand rapidly. It has urged the public to be cautious when dealing with service providers as many are illegal. Read More Three SAPS Officers Charged for Dagga Dealing After N4 ‘Convoy Bust’ 13 June 2025 at 08:45:00 Three officers from the White River Flying Squad have appeared in the Volksrust District Court to face ‘dagga dealing’ charges and have been remanded in custody. This follows their arrest on Wednesday for allegedly providing safe escort to a Toyotal Corolla packed to the brim with illicit cannabis. Read More Joint Submission by Namibia's Main Cannabis Organizations to the Ministry of Justice 13 June 2025 at 07:45:00 This is the joint submission to the Namibian Government by the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), Cannabis and Hemp Association of Namibia (CHAN), Medical Marijuana Association of Namibia (MMAN) and Rasta United Front (RUF) of Namibia ahead of today's deadline for public comment on cannabis laws. They specifically criticize the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 (RSA), also known as “the Impugned Act”) and the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (“the Medicines Act”). Read More Namibian Justice Officials Attend Colorado Conference on International Cannabis Regulations 13 June 2025 at 07:00:00 Namibia may be in for a complete overhaul of its cannabis laws in the strongest indications yet from the Government of a change in its prohibitionist attitude. It has called for public input on current legislation and proposals on the way forward, and senior Justice Department officials this month attended the Cannabis Regulators Association meeting in Denver, Colarado. Read More Namibia: Friday the 13th is Deadline for Public Input on Cannabis Laws 11 June 2025 at 19:30:00 The Namibian government has indicated a willingness to revisit the country’s prohibitionist cannabis laws following months of stakeholder pressure. The four manor Namibian advocacy groups have submitted their proposals and other interested parties, who haven’t yet done so, have until close of business, 13 June 2025, to have their say, Read More White River Flying Squad Officers Bust for Allegedly Escorting Multi-Million Rand Cannabis Haul 11 June 2025 at 16:30:00 SAPS collusion with the cannabis underworld came into sharp focus at 3 pm on a blisteringly cold day on the N4 highway in Mpumulanga when three policemen – in full uniform, on duty, and in a marked car - were pulled over by fellow officers for escorting a vehicle loaded with illicit cannabis! Read More Windhoek Police Clamp Down on Cannabis Users as Namibian Government Calls for Suggested Changes to the Law 10 June 2025 at 11:30:00 The campaign for cannabis legalization in Namibia has ramped up significantly this year, while at the same time police harassment of cannabis users has turned into a human rights issue. This week police arrested six people were arrested in Windhoek for possession, while the Government received submissions on cannabis law reform. Read More Going Green? Trademark Experts Warn of Branding Risks 10 June 2025 at 08:30:00 Registering trademarks that rely on the word ‘Green’ are high risk because their general descriptive nature. Specialist trademark law firm Adams and Adams suggests that cannabis businesses – and others – should consider suggestive rather than descriptive terms in registering a brand. Read More South African Arrested in Major Northern Namibian Cannabis Bust 9 June 2025 at 08:15:00 Namibian police say the bust was one of the largest ever in Namibia’s history and believe the large-scale illicit cannabis network was one of the main suppliers to the Windhoek black market. Read More Ghana on the Go! Hemp Licensing Applications to Open Soon! 7 June 2025 at 12:30:00 Ghana is to open up its industrial cannabis licensing process soon. An estimated 600 farmers from across the West African country are hoping to 'get in on the ground', and are anxiously waiting to find out how much licenses will cost and other T's and C's. Read More SAHRC: Lack of Cannabis Arrest Guidelines Only Encourages SAPS to Victimize Rastas 7 June 2025 at 11:30:00 The South African Human Rights Commission is to step up its campaign to support the Rastafarian community in the face of ongoing police persecution. It says the systematic victimization of Rastas around the country is a continuing constitutional violation of their human rights. Read More Synergy Post the Expo: The Future is Compliance, and Retailers Are Catching on Quick 4 June 2025 at 20:00:00 Cannabis Expo headline sponsor Synergy Wellness capitalized on the exposure generated by the event, saying it had an overwhelming response from retailers and prospective patients interested in its medical cannabis services. Brett Hilton-Barber caught up with Synergy Wellness’s CEO John Hodes (pictured here) and COO Gareth Williams to see what the event generated for them. Read More The Capone Connection: Joining the Dots Between Dr Green and Professor Herb 4 June 2025 at 16:45:00 Ricardo Capone appears to have successfully eluded his pressing creditor issues and is alive and well and in an unknown location. The Dr Green executive abandoned his digital cannabis marketing campaign ahead of the Cannabis Expo and fled South Africa, where he had also been setting up a dodgy medical cannabis scheme under the Professor Herb brand. Read More Charl Botha: Cannabis Expo A Showcase for Opportunists With Little Regard to Public Safety 4 June 2025 at 13:15:00 Cannabis legal strategist Charl Botha says the Cannabis Expo has become an extension of the ‘Grey Zone’ where unregulated cannabis products are on sale without regard for consumer safety. He says the current policy vacuum has led to the Expo being a showground for opportunism. Read More Need Evidence of Medical Cannabis Misuse? Say Hi to Professor Herb 4 June 2025 at 06:00:00 Among the many new medical cannabis service providers entering the fray is UK-based Professor Herb, which through its local franchise, Dr Kush, is offering an online cannabis buying service. Professor Herb’s main product line is distributing CBD products in Europe, but as of April, it has started selling ‘medical’ cannabis in South Africa outside the regulatory channels. Read More Namibia May Be Easing Prohibitionist Stance as Government Calls for Public Input on Cannabis Laws 4 June 2025 at 03:45:00 Namibian cannabis stakeholders have until Friday 13 June 2025 to have their say on cannabis reform. The Namibian government has invited public comment on current cannabis legislation, and its new-found openness to engagement could result in an easing of its prohibitionist laws. Read More Expo Mystery: ‘Dr Green’ Disappears with Suspicious Looking Men From His Sandton Hotel 3 June 2025 at 10:30:00 Dr Green, a flash Californian cannabis digital token marketing business, was meant to put on a big show at the Expo but the mystery disappearance of one of its senior executives effectively pulled the plug on the US company’s bid to market its new cannabis NFT. The question is: whatever happened to Ricardo Capone, and who took him away? Read More Cannabis Expo Showcases Product Innovation and Highlights Regulatory Vacuum 3 June 2025 at 08:00:00 The cannabis sector continues to drive market innovation despite the regulatory hurdles that continue to dog the industry. This was evident in the offering of over 100 exhibitors, who had thousands of products on display, and a general consensus that the industry is thriving and this was a great networking event charting the future. Read More Health Department Challenges Tobacco Industry Over Safety of Vaping 3 June 2025 at 10:00:00 The Health Department wants to impose greater restrictions on the sale of vapes, accusing the tobacco industry of misrepresenting e-cigarettes as a means of ‘harms reduction’. Vaping is getting out of hand amongst youngsters, say public health advocates, who want the Bill to put severe restrictions on how vaping products are sold and displayed. Read More FGFA and UCT Launch Data-Driven Police Reform Programme to Highlight Where the System is Going Wrong 28 May 2025 at 20:15:00 FGFA will be using its presence at the Cannabis Expo to raise awareness and cash for its new research project. The data-driven exercise, in partnership with UCT, hopes to provide police management with the evidence they need to reform SAPS from within to stop using cannabis arrests to persecute the poor Read More Cannabis Act Signed Off One Year Ago. Today, Nowhere to be Seen 28 May 2025 at 10:00:00 President Cyril Ramaphosa signed off on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act a year ago, but the law has not yet been enacted into law. This is now SEVEN years since the Constitutional Court instructed Government to come up with a law regulating the private use of cannabis by adults. Read More Here in the Wild West, Nature Abhors a Vacuum 28 May 2025 at 11:00:00 The cannabis retail ‘grey zone’ is the anomaly in Government’s cannabis reform programme. In the absence of domestic market regulations, this sector has exploded into a whole new consumer segment of its own, generating billions of rand. That’s all well and good for consumers, says Silverleaf Investments Director Darryl Weisz, but legitimate investors continue to be penalized by officialdom’s inability to come up with rules for the game. Read More Compliant Players Feel the Pain as Losses Rack Up in the Absence of Regulations’ 27 May 2025 at 11:00:00 Government promises have cost private cannabis stakeholders billions of rand, left traditional growers in the lurch, and have created a regulatory vacuum which is penalising legitimate businesses. Cannabis legal activist Charl Botha says it’s time a multi-stakeholder cannabis task team to was set up to get a new overarching cannabis law on the books in 2026. Read More CBD Use Should Not Register Positive in Workplace Drug Tests, But THC is a Different Story 24 May 2025 at 15:30:00 Just because cannabis can be consumed legally in the privacy of your home doesn’t mean you can come to work stoned. That’s the view of substance testing equipment producer Rhys Evans, who says employers and employees need to understand how the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act affects the workplace. Read More Botswana Activists Launch New Advocacy Group to Decriminalize Cannabis and Ensure Govt Policy Benefits the People 24 May 2025 at 10:30:00 CAB head Peo Seed (pictured here) says cannabis legalization should not just be about job creation but entrepreneurial development and technological innovation. CAB wants cannabis decriminalized and to reshape the nation’s approach to the plant as one that could bring prosperity to the people Read More Crackdown on Organized Crime Sends Shockwaves Through Portuguese Medical Cannabis Industry 22 May 2025 at 16:15:00 The massive Portuguese police operation, Operation Weed, targeted several major legal medical cannabis companies for allegedly being part of an international drug trafficking syndicate. The nationwide raids by over 300 Portuguese police officers has resulted so far in the seizure of over seven tons of cannabis and five arrests – and has sent shockwaves through the industry. Read More Deputy President Tells French Trade Conference that SA is Developing an “Investor-Friendly Cannabis Framework” 22 May 2025 at 13:00:00 The Presidency has activated its resources to try and attract international investors for South Africa’s struggling cannabis and hemp sector. Deputy President Paul Mashatile (pictured here) has told a high level trade conference in Paris that South Africa is developing an ‘investor-friendly cannabis framework’ that warrants their attention. Read More DTIC: ‘Setting Up a Commercial Cannabis Framework is Our Priority!’ 21 May 2025 at 16:45:00 The DTIC is rebooting the Cannabis Master Plan telling key stakeholders that it’s priority is to commercialize cannabis. The Department wants to fast-track changes in the law to allow this and open up the channels of communication within government departments. Read More TCC’s Herman van Der Watt: ‘Legalize Private Cannabis Clubs Already, the Model is There!’ 21 May 2025 at 10:45:00 The co-founder of one of South Africa’s oldest private cannabis clubs, The CannaClub, has called on the Government to urgently introduce a clear legal framework under which cannabis social clubs can operate. The TCC’s Herman van der Watt says the private club movement can play an important role in social development as well as provide a safe environment for consumers, if only Government would let it. Read More Botswana Stakeholder Conference Planned: ‘Cannabis Policy Not Just Up to Govt Alone’ 21 May 2025 at 10:30:00 The private sector must get in on the ground to help shape Botswana’s cannabis and hemp policies. This is the view of IETD director Charity Kennedy (pictured here) who is organizaing a stakeholder conference at the end of August 2025 to help shape Government policy. Read More Namibia is the New Frontline in Southern Africa’s Battle for Cannabis Reform 20 May 2025 at 07:45:00 Namibia’s draconian anti-drug laws are increasingly under the spotlight as cannabis activists mobilise to legally challenge Windhoek’s prohibitiosist stance. Here Cannabiz Africa’s Africa editor, John Makoni takes a deep dive into the Namibian cannabis landscape where the fault lines are opening up like never before. Read More Charl Botha: Our Constitution Upholds the Right to Free Trade, This Should Apply to Cannabis As Well 19 May 2025 at 11:45:00 Section 22 of the Constitution upholds the right to free trade. Cannabis has been freely traded in southern Africa for hundreds of years. Legal activist Charl Botha of H3 Legal Solutions says there are seven Government departments who have it within their power to enable this trade. This is what he suggests they do. Read More Synergy to Give Away a Million Rands Worth of Medibles at the Cannabis Expo! 14 May 2025 at 19:15:00 Synergy Wellness will be celebrating its fifth birthday at the Cannabis Expo and spreading the joy with a mass hand out of its new 'medibles' range. Sponsorship of the Expo is a milestone for the group which is now one of the largest medical cannabis distribution networks in the world, with a network of over 250 outlets and a healthy flow of product to market. Read More Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Summit at the Expo: Major Networking Event Comes at Key Moment in Cannabis Reform 14 May 2025 at 19:15:00 South Africa’s premier cannabis industry networking event will be held alongside the Cannabis Expo taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 30 and 31 May 2025. The Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Industry Summit will bring together cannabis and hemp sector leaders with senior advisor Garth Strachan (pictured above) delivering the keynote address. Read More The CannaClub : South Africa’s Oldest Private Cannabis Club 10 Years On and Still Going Strong! 14 May 2025 at 17:30:00 The CannaClub (TCC) is South Africa’s oldest private cannabis club and had its roots in an informal cannabis ‘stokvel’ in the Western Cape’s Garden Route founded by Herman and Heidi van der Watt way back in 2015. Since then they’ve turned that vision into a leading ‘best business practice' not-for-profit organization with over 4 000 members and firm ties with local legacy cannabis communities and officialdom. Read More Postcard from Berlin: SA Viewed as a ‘Sleeping Giant’ on the Cusp of Something Significant says Nexus' Johann Slabber 14 May 2025 at 13:00:00 Nexus Pharma’s Johann Slabber (pictured here) was at the International Cannabis Conference in Berlin at the end of April and sent us his key take-outs on Europe’s biggest annual cannabis indaba. In the old days, he says, compliance with international standards was a differentiator for South African exporters. Nowdays, it’s a prerequisite if the country is to realise its potential as a world player. Read More ‘Crisis of Illegality’ Getting Worse: Grey Zone Sees More Cops on the Take and Consumers Increasingly Vulnerable 11 May 2025 at 10:30:00 Government’s lack of regulations for South Africa’s cannabis sector is perpetuating a ‘crisis of illegality’ that is spinning out of control. The unregulated explosion of the retail ‘grey zone’ has led to mass corruption in the police, employee abuse and lack of consumer protection and a critical intervention is urgently required. Read More One Year On: Why is the Cannabis Act Still Gathering Dust in the Legislative Parking Bay? 11 May 2025 at 09:30:00 Two stakeholder organizations have asked the Justice Department why it's taking so long to publish the draft regulations that would allow the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act 2024 to finally come into law. Read More Health Minister Says Public Consultations on Regulations for Cannabis and Foodstuffs 'Coming Soon’ 11 May 2025 at 09:00:00 The Health Ministry’s draft regulations around cannabis and foodstuffs will be put out for public comment ‘soon’. That’s according to Minister Aaron Motsoaledi who has yet to explain to stakeholders why he chose a to ban substances that were already illegal and in the process wreaked havoc on the hemp industry. Read More Unapologetic Health Minister Won’t Acknowledge Damage Done by Cannabis Foodstuff Ban, Which He Says Was “To Protect Children” 11 May 2025 at 07:30:00 Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi (pictured here) says he didn’t seek public comment on his shock cannabis in foodstuffs ban because legally he didn’t have to. Answering a question in the National Assembly, the Minister said the ban was issued as a prohibition notice which meant he could take an executive decision without consultation, and he did so to protect youngsters from harm. Read More CASP Cannabis Funding: Forget About Applying if You’re White and Afrikaans But it's OK if You're Chinese 10 May 2025 at 18:45:00 If you’re Chinese and holding South African citizenship you may qualify for cannabis funding under the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, but forget about it if you’re white and Afrikaans. That’s according to the eligibility criteria for grants from the controversial state funding entity. Read More Govt-Funded Silver Tree Cannabis Project: No Training, No SAHPRA License and BTW the Director Used to Work for the Land Bank 10 May 2025 at 13:30:00 Silver Tree cannabis farm's director is a former Land Bank manager specialising in BEE transactions who conceptualized his cannabis ‘vision’ during his last year at the Bank in 2019. Simphiwe Yako is the man behind Silver Tree which is accused of misappropriating R20 million in government funding for cannabis training. Read More Namibia’s Jailed Cannabis Organization President Brian Jaftha Ends Hunger Strike 9 May 2025 at 11:00:00 The jailed Ganja Users of Namibia leader Brian Jaftha (pictured here) ended his hunger strike after five days following the intervention of Namibia’s presidency which says that it will pick up on his human rights complaints. And it looks like he may be out on parole soon. Read More Rastas Lead the Drive for ‘Full Adult-Use' Cannabis Legalization in Botswana 9 May 2025 at 10:30:00 Botswana’s President Duma Boko is to legalize medical and industrial cannabis under his new government, but the nation’s Rastafarian community wants him to go further and legalize cannabis for full adult-use. Read More Essential Reading: Current Cannabis Regulations in South Africa 2025 9 May 2025 at 09:45:00 The global CBD industry continues to grow rapidly, and South Africa has positioned itself as one of the most progressive CBD markets in Africa. While CBD products are legally available to consumers, there is still a degree of uncertainty around the regulations—especially concerning dosage limits, THC content, and product categories. Read More CASP: The Rot at the Core of Government’s Plans to Fund Cannabis Training 7 May 2025 at 16:45:00 It beggars belief that the state entity involved in funding the fraudulent Gupta-linked Free State dairy scheme, is now disbursing cannabis funding on behalf of the Agriculture Department. But, yup, it’s true, and there should be no surprise that the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme is behind the missing R20 million earmarked for West Rand cannabis training Read More Cannabis Becoming a Human Rights Issue in Namibia as Jailed Activist Brian Jaftha Embarks on a Hunger Strike 7 May 2025 at 17:30:00 Cannabis has become a human rights issue more than ever in Namibia as the country becomes the new frontline in the push for legalization. Following last week’s protest march in Windhoek, jailed Namibian cannabis leader Brian Jaftha has gone on hunger strike in a call for human rights Read More The Tier-Drop Solution: Here’s How to Rein In the Cannabis Cowboys and Regulate the ‘Grey Zone’ 5 May 2025 at 09:30:00 South Arica is in urgent need of a cannabis retail licensing system as the so-called ‘grey zone’ expands beyond regulatory reach. Charl Botha of H3 Legal Solutions has put forward a cannabis retail model that could address the absurdity of a system that criminalizes legitimate entrepreneurs and mainstreams drug dealers - and all the while emasculating officialdom. Read More Cheeba’s Trenton Birch: R20 million Govt Cannabis Training Shambles is ‘Sadly, Typical’ 4 May 2025 at 16:45:00 The founder and CEO of South Africa’s leading cannabis skills and training academy says he’s not surprised that Gauteng Government has mismanaged a West Rand training scheme in which R20 million appears to have been misappropriated. Cheeba Africa’s Trenton Birch says this is a “sadly, typical government project”. Read More Govt Quietly Overhauls Hemp Regulations in a Major Way, Confirms THC Limit Will Be Raised to 2% 3 May 2025 at 17:00:00 Government has quietly overhauled its hemp farming regulations, confirming the lift in THC limits to 2%, dropping fencing requirements and size restrictions and getting the police out of the picture. This has emerged from a written response by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen to a question in Parliament on the National Cannabis Master Plan. Read More Cannabis Legalization on the Agenda As Tanzania Prepares for October Elections 3 May 2025 at 08:45:00 Activists in Tanzania are calling on the government to legalise cannabis as the country prepares for a general election in October 2025, which the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) is expected to win. However, it appears there's still a long road ahead for any softening of prohibitionist attitudes in the East African country. Read More DA Accuses Gauteng Govt of Blowing R20 Million on West Rand Cannabis Project ‘That Has Nothing To Show For It’ 2 May 2025 at 11:30:00 The Democratic Alliance is taking on Gauteng’s Agriculture Department for wasting money on an ill-advised cannabis project at Tarlton near Mogale City. The Silver Tree project received R20 million funding to train cannabis farmers, but the money appears to have vanished without being spent on its intended purpose. Read More Synergy Medibles' Robin Grobelaar: Making Plant Alchemy Work Within the Rules 30 April 2025 at 16:15:00 Robin Grobelaar (pictured here) is the man behind Synergy Medibles, the innovative business concept that has navigated the hazards of the current regulatory regime to produce SAH|PRA compliant ‘medibles. He explains to Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber how these edibles are not foodstuffs at all, but are complementary medicines in line with the regulator’s consumer safety guidelines. Read More Namibian Chiefs: Legalization 'Will Bring Madness to the People' 3 May 2025 at 09:00:00 Former Namibian Justice Minister and Ongandjera Traditional Authority spokesperson, Sakeus Shangula (pictured here), says cannabis legalization runs against the grain of the country’s commitment to prevent substance abuse. He says there is increased alcohol and tobacco consumption amongst Namibia’s youth and any form of legalization will make matters worse. Read More Namibian Cannabis Activists to Take to Windhoek’s Streets This Saturday to Call for Legalization 30 April 2025 at 10:30:00 The cannabis legalization movement in Namibia is gathering momentum as a second protest march is planned for this Saturday in the capital. More protests are planned ahead of a July court hearing challenging the constitutionality of cannabis prohibition. Read More Freedom Day Not: Police Harassment Worse Since Rasta Round Table in February 28 April 2025 at 07:00:00 The Human Rights Commission tried to broker a halt to cannabis arrests during its Rasta Round Table meeting between communities and SAPS in February this year. SAPS played hardball then, and still are – the harassment of Rastafarians around the country is getting worse. Read More If Govt Taxed the ‘Grey Zone’, There’d Be No VAT Increase Debate 28 April 2025 at 06:30:00 A cannabis 'sin tax' could conceivably remove or reduce the perceived need to raise VAT by 0.5 percentage points. That’s the view of the Daily Maverick’s Ed Stoddard, who says that cannabis remains the missing link in Treasury’s arsenal of taxes. Read More Standard Bank Interested in Financing the ‘Organic Products’ Sector, Cannabis Just Happens to be Part of That! 27 April 2025 at 10:00:00 Mainstream banks are beginning to nibble at the prospect of financing cannabis businesses as calls mount for the Government to remove the obstacles to funding this sector. Standard Bank is seeking more to business in the ‘organic’ market as a way of tip-toeing into the cannabis space. Read More 420 Day Used to Raise Anti-Drug Awareness at Schools and Churches 23 April 2025 at 16:00:00 An anti-drug agency has used 420 Day to push back against the “rising normalization of cannabis use among teens. World Changers Candidate (WCC) says South Africa is facing a ‘generational emergency’ in drug use in young people and has teamed up with Elspark Hoerskool to push back against cannabis use by kids. Read More Cannabis Policy Paralysis is Scaring Off Investors and Eroding Consumer Trust 23 April 2025 at 13:30:00 The government’s inability to craft a meaningful framework for the development of a domestic cannabis industry is keeping investors away and eroding consumer trust. That’s the view of the former CE of the Tobacco Institute of SA, who says authorities urgently need to develop an integrated strategy for the industry to keep cannabis reform afloat. Read More Five Red Flags That Should Alert Cannabis Investors to Scams 22 April 2025 at 13:00:00 Despite the lack of guiding regulations, the South African cannabis retail sector is booming – and attracting millions of rands of investment. Investors have climbed into the ‘grey zone’, despite the sale of cannabis being illegal – and many have been taken for a ride. If you’re looking to invest in any cannabis business, these are the five red flags you should look out for. Read More Tangled Webb of Woe: Detectives After Gauteng Cannabis Scam Artist for Skimming Investors 22 April 2025 at 11:30:00 A disgruntled investor has hired a private security company to try and track down 34 year old Christopher Webb, the man alleged to have scammed hundreds of thousands of rands off many people in a fake cannabis scheme involving South African farmers. Read More Half-Baked: Prospective Private Club Partnership Falls Apart in Crypto Fundraising Muddle 22 April 2025 at 10:15:00 Iconic Cape Town private cannabis club Baked has to repay a prospective partner R5,7 million after disagreement over a promised crypto-currency fund-raising deal that never materialized. Baked’s appeal against having to repay the funds has been dismissed by the Western Cape High Court. Read More Namibian Activists Call for Legalization of Medical Cannabis on 420 Day 22 April 2025 at 10:00:00 Namibian cannabis activists marched in Windhoek on 20 April 2025 to mark 420 Day and to call for the legalization of medical cannabis. The march, led by advocate Borro Ndungula (pictured here) of the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), was aimed at highlighting an upcoming court case challenging the Government’s prohibitionist stance.. Read More Medigrow Investors Pause Funding for Eastern Cape Cannabis Project Because of Hemp Foodstuff Ban 16 April 2025 at 10:30:00 Medigrow’s international investors have pressed the pause button on further investment in the company’s R1 billion Eastern Cape cannabis project because of the lack of clarity over South Africa’s hemp policy. The company has been caught up in the aftermath of the now-rescinded hemp foodstuff ban and has halted operations while ‘sensitive negotiations’ are underway to seek resolution. Read More Major International Cannabis Conference Coming to SA: Overcoming Barriers and Developing Standards 16 April 2025 at 10:30:00 A major international conference on ‘Barriers to Entry’ in the cannabis industry is to take place in South Africa next month. The ASTM conference will also look at refining international standards on cannabis food and beverages. Deadline for registration is next week. Read More Probably a World Record: Nigeria Destroys 1,4 Million Tons of Illegal Cannabis in One Go 14 April 2025 at 11:00:00 Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) carried out what is probably the biggest cannabis burn ever: 1,4 million tons of cannabis were destroyed in Abuja at the weekend as part of a public drug awareness campaign. By way of comparison, legal cannabis sales in the US in 2023 amounted to less than 3 000 tons. Read More CSIR tells President: All our Cannabis Foodstuff Products Have Always Been Legal 14 April 2025 at 09:45:00 The CSIR says it has incubated scores of small businesses to process and trade in cannabis-related foodstuffs and all have been within the guidelines laid down by SAHPRA and the Department of Agriculture. This emerged during the President’s tour of the CSIR’s cannabis research unit last week - which had its lighter moments! Read More Synergy’s Hodes: There’s No Regulatory Uncertainty Around Medical Cannabis and the Market is Growing 9 April 2025 at 20:00:00 Fast-growing Synergy Wellness is the headline sponsor for this year’s Cannabis Expo and will be using the event as a major drive to make people aware of the medical benefits of cannabis. Synergy director Jon Hodes (pictured here) believes health and wellness will be one of the most sustainable sectors of the new cannabis market and has structured the company’s business plan around this. Read More Main Networking Event of the Year: Cheeba Africa’s Industry Summit at Cannabis Expo 9 April 2025 at 18:30:00 Cheeba Africa has announced it will hold a two day ‘Cannabis and Hemp Summit’ at the Cannabis Expo to bring stakeholders together to network, upskill and develop their business concepts. It will also provide a forum for the industry to discuss how best to deal with Government in the imminent ‘stakeholder discussons’ on cannabis policy. Read More Medical Research Council: Standardize THC Dosage Limits and Labelling Guidelines 8 April 2025 at 13:30:00 The SAMRC has called for standardized dosage regulations for THC edible products and appropriate labelling guidelines. It says legalization of cannabis carries risks for youngsters and with edibles consumption on the rise, authorities need to be increasingly conscious of consumer safety. Read More Big Alcohol Wants to Be Tennessee’s Hemp Regulator: ‘It’s Like Asking the Malboro Man to Run a Yoga Studo’ 7 April 2025 at 11:00:00 Big Booze is nervous. Alcohol sales are dropping and cannabis consumption is rising. In the US, Tennessee Alcoholic Hemp Commission wants to be the regulator of the cannabis industry. Columnist Stephen Brown from Nothing But Hemp says this is a bad idea: a cannabinoid is not something you chase with lime and salt, and that maybe scientists should be in charge. Read More Stakeholder Pressure: Foodstuff Ban Sorted, Now Scrap the Drugs Act! 7 April 2025 at 07:00:00 Cannabis reform cannot proceed while cannabis is still defined as an illicit substance. That’s the view of activist lawyer, Charl Botha, who has written to President Ramaphosa, saying that his proposed stakeholder engagement will be hollow as long as the Drugs Act is in force. Read More Political Pressure Forces Last-Minute Postponement of Botswana Hemp Conference 5 April 2025 at 11:30:00 Pressure from opposition political parties forced the last minute postponement of the Botswana Inaural Hemp Business Conferrence, which will now only take place in July. Read More Eight SAHPRA Cannabis Cultivators Lose Their Licenses 4 April 2025 at 08:45:00 Eight cannabis farming companies have lost their Section 22 cultivation licenses. This has been confirmed by SAHPRA, which says two were due to permanent facility closures, three were revoked and four were cancelled. Read More Stakeholder Input Meaningless Until Govt Sorts Out the ‘Three Ministry Muddle’ 2 April 2025 at 15:30:00 President Ramphosa’s bold move to shift stakeholder engagement to the centre of the cannabis policy debate has assuaged an industry injured by the flip-flop of the cannabis foodstuff. But unless Government sorts out its ‘three ministry muddle’ ahead of industry consultation, any good advice it receives will remain out in the vortex Read More Last Mover Advantage: Botswana Better Placed Than SA to Become Regional Hemp Powerhouse 2 April 2025 at 14:30:00 Botswana looks set to bypass the regulatory nightmare that has beset South Africa's industrial cannabis industry by putting in a set of rules for the game before it opens up the market. Neighbouring South Africa, by comparison, has found itself in a quandary where permits are being issued with no clear market guidelines yet in place. Read More Govt Must Learn its Cannabis Lesson When it Comes to Regulating Tobacco Products 31 March 2025 at 11:30:00 Government has committed itself to stakeholder engagement over future cannabis policy but this approach should not apply to this sector alone. The new Tobacco bill is due to reach Parliament soon, but in its current form it’s unlikely to pass constitutional muster. In order to avoid the same fate as the Cannabis Act, which is stuck in a legislative vacuum, Sifiso Skenjana, (pictured here) says authorities should listen to industry objections before trying to pass new laws affecting them. Read More Presribed Maximums Likely to Be Most Contentious Point in Cannabis Act Regulations 30 March 2025 at 16:30:00 The Justice Department is to circulate its proposed regulations for the Cannabis Act for stakeholder comment before they are gazetted. The most contentious regulations are likely to be the number of plants one may privately cultivated says leading cannabis lawyer Paul-Michael Keichel (pictured here) Read More SANDF: Cross Border Cannabis Trafficking Almost a ‘Daily Occurrence’ 30 March 2025 at 10:30:00 The SANDF has been deployed for the last six months along the South Africa’s northern and eastern borders to combat transnational smuggling. Defence Web reports that this month’s seizure of R1,5 m worth of cannabis on the border between KwaZulu Natal and eSwatini highlights how porous the country’s frontiers are to drug smugglers. Read More Minister’s Unbanning of Illegal Edibles Creates Wrong Impression That They’re Now Legal 30 March 2025 at 09:45:00 Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s clumsy attempt to protect consumers by banning cannabis-related foodstuffs continues to create market confusion even though the ban has been rescinded. There is a widespread perception among cannabis consumers that with the lifting of the ban, edibles are legal. They’re not, warns FGFA’s Myrtle Clarke (pictured here). Read More Health Minister ‘Not Disappointed’ That His Ban Was Lifted, Says President Understands His Safety Concerns 29 March 2025 at 10:00:00 The Health Minister was one of thousands of stakeholders who was ‘not disappointed’ by the lifting of his ban on cannabis-related foodstuffs. Dr Motsoaledi made this bizarre remark in an interview with News24, in which he emphasized that there was still an urgent need for regulation of such products in order to protect consumers. Read More Big Shape-Shift Underway: Justice Dept Now to Get Public Input Before Deciding on Regulations Governing Cannabis Act 28 March 2025 at 09:00:00 The public will be able to have its say on the long-awaited regulations governing the Cannabis Act before they are formalized by the Justice Department. This major shift in government’s approach to the private sector was almost thrown in an as an after-thought in Wednesday’s post-cabinet briefing, but, people, this is a bigger deal than it seems. Read More Cabinet Privately Reprimands Health Minister, Nips Department’s 'Grand Plan’ in the Bud 28 March 2025 at 07:45:00 It’s not clear exactly what the Health Department’s unilateral ‘grand plan’ for cannabis and foodstuffs was, but it has come crashing down before it got out the starting blocks. Cabinet is understood to have chastised the Health Minister for trying to go it alone and told him that stakeholder consultation is critical going forward. Read More UN Bans HHC or ‘Synthetic Cannabis’ for Worldwide Non-Medical Use 27 March 2025 at 07:00:00 South Africa voted along with 49 other nations to ban hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) at the UN Commission on Psychotropic Substances (CND) in Vienna earlier this month. HHC, which is synthetically derived and similar in effect to THC, has been widely available legally in many parts of the US and Europe. Read More Vayej: ‘The President’s Call to Lift ‘The Ban’ Is Pivotal to Moving Towards Industry Transparency’ 26 March 2025 at 20:00:00 Open Farms chairman Shaad Vayej says the President’s move to lift ‘The Ban’ signals a much needed shift towards as transparency and stakeholder engagement in formulating future policy. Read More Silverleaf’s Weisz: President’s Rapid Response Lifting The Ban Bodes Well, Let’s Give Enabling Legislation the Same Urgency 26 March 2025 at 17:00:00 The Director of South Africa’s first dedicated cannabis investment fund, Silverleaf Investments, Darryl Weisz (pictured here), says he didn't expect the President’s decisiveness in lifting the controversial cannabis in foodstuffs ban. He says the same urgency should be applied in following this through with enabling legislation to unlock the domestic cannabis market. Read More Stakeholder Pressure Gets The Ban Lifted, Now The Momentum Shifts to Getting Legislation Sorted 26 March 2025 at 17:00:00 It was overwhelming stakeholder pressure that pushed President Cyril Ramaphosa to act decisively in reversing his Health Minister’s horrific blanket ban on cannabis in foodstuffs. Can this energy be harnessed into getting Government to put a commercial framework on the table? Read More Thanks to the Health Minister SA Now Has One of the Most Restrictive Food Policies in the World 25 March 2025 at 10:45:00 South Africa now has one of the most restrictive food policies in the world following the ban on hemp foodstuffs. Open Farms chairman and attorney, Shaad Vayej (pictured here), says government should be aligning with international best practice in developing the hemp sector, but has instead imposed “a backward-looking restriction that harms businesses, limits consumer access, and contradicts prior regulations.” Read More ‘He Needs to be Charged or Fired!’ CTAA Prepares Interdict, Says Health Minister has been ‘Criminally Negligent’ 25 March 2025 at 07:00:00 The push-back is gaining momentum as more cannabis stakeholders gear up for lawfare against the hemp foodstuff ban. The CTAA is to preparing to file an interdict against the Health Minister, saying his actions could be construed as criminally negligent, and “he needs to be charged or fired.” Read More Minister of Madness: “Absurd” Ban Puts Paid to Govt Funded Project to Develop Hemp-based ‘Superfood’ for School Feeding Schemes 24 March 2025 at 13:30:00 The DoH issued a research permit to Druids Garden to investigate nutrition in hemp. The project got traction and was funded by government entities and developed in collaboration with the CSIR and seven years later there’s an amazing hemp-based porridge perfect for school feeding schemes. What a great story…..except the self-same DoH has now banned it! Read More W Cape Slams 'The Ban' as a ‘Direct Assault on Economic Growth and Job Creation’ 24 March 2025 at 06:30:00 The Western Cape’s plan to develop a cannabis and hemp economy has been derailed by the Health Minister’s ‘ill-considered” blanket ban on cannabis in foodstuffs. Ivan Meyer, the province’s Agriculture MEC, says central government must move swiftly to reverse the ban before further damage is done. Read More The Ban: Here Comes the First Legal Challenge Along With Claims for Millions in Damages 23 March 2025 at 08:30:00 Hemp businessman Hennie Venter is leading the legal charge against the Health Minister with a court application to have the cannabis foodstuff ban overturned. He says he is bringing the action on behalf of all entrepreneurs who have seen their investments “go down in flames” because of the ban. Read More Ministers Run for Cover as Hemp Foodstuff Ban Turns Into a Political Issue and Heads for the Courts 22 March 2025 at 10:00:00 Two weeks after Dr Aaron Motsoaled’s shock ban on cannabis in foodstuff, the Health Minister has yet to make a public statement or explain the intentions behind his actions which have wreaked havoc beyond the hemp industry. Neither has the DTIC nor the Presidency said a word about the major policy blunder that has derailed the Cannabis Master Plan and now become a political issue. Read More Cannabiz Africa MarketPlace Cannabiz Africa MarketPlace is your source of business news focussing on the African cannabis market. Stay up to date with new projects, investments, company news and market developments in this rapidly-growing sector. Explore More Legal services are in high demand, in the rapidly evolving African cannabis market. Expose your brand, and market your services to this target market. For advertising, details call Nicolaas on +27716869332 What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service COMING IN FRESH TOP LEGAL STORIES Joint Submission by Namibia's Main Cannabis Organizations to the Ministry of Justice Read More This is the joint submission to the Namibian Government by the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), Cannabis and Hemp Association of Namibia (CHAN), Medical Marijuana Association of Namibia (MMAN) and Rasta United Front (RUF) of Namibia ahead of today's deadline for public comment on cannabis laws. They specifically criticize the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 (RSA), also known as “the Impugned Act”) and the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (“the Medicines Act”).

Harambe Solutions is a professional legal and compliance business in the Cannabis and controlled substances markets. #We are Here to Help Harambe Solutions is a professional legal and compliance business in the Cannabis and controlled substances markets. Impassioned by the plant’s capacity to accelerate the healing history of South Africa, we work in a continuous feedback loop, designing and harmonising our clients’ systems and operations with a creative yet cautious interpretation of the legal and regulatory frameworks across the medicinal, industrial, food and cosmetics, and adult-use Cannabis sectors and spaces. Inspired to deliver robust and fit-for-purpose solutions to its clients, Harambe Solutions strives to become a household name as an inclusive and professional legal advisory and systems services provider in the South African Cannabis, and controlled substances markets. Private Cannabis Clubs Training of Club Employees Design of PCC Management System Model blueprinting & design Compilation of Legal Documents Ongoing Advice & Support Consulting, Feasibility & Legal Advice #Who We Are Systems designer and lawyer, Harambe Solutions founders Marleen Theunissen and Brett Pollack established a synergistic working relationship towards the end of the divided and predominantly prohibitionist era of the South African Cannabis industries. In early 2022 their consistent efforts and commitments culminated in the publication of their Private Cannabis Club: Framework Manual for Set-up & Management , a tool used for the independent set-up and management of a Private Cannabis Club, according to carefully formulated arguments. Naturally, they decided to pull together and galvanise their complementary expertise and in 2023 founded Harambe Solutions at an exciting moment : when, for the first time, the death knells of the prohibitionist era started ringing and the hopes for properly liberated and inclusive Cannabis economies in South Africa became realistic. Approaching a decade of combined, synergistic experience in the Cannabis markets, Harambe Solutions is determined to interactively contribute fit-for-purpose and highly professionalised legal and systems services in the Cannabis and controlled substance markets. Our Management Team Systems designer and lawyer, Harambe Solutions founders Marleen Theunissen and Brett Pollack established a synergistic working relationship towards the end of the divided and predominantly prohibitionist era of the South African Cannabis industries. Learn More Medicinal Cannabis Consulting, Feasibility & Legal Advice SAHPRA License Applications Master File Design & Compilation GACP / GMP System Design Training of Facility Employees Processing Site Inspections

Cannabiz-Africa is your hub for all cannabis news and resources. Everything from breaking news, cannabis politics, business investments, legal policies and a marketplace network where we connect you with local businesses. Be in the know with the hottest, freshest and most up-to date hemp movements. BREAKING Business News Cannabiz Africa brings you the hottest breaking business cannabis news right here! From crucial developments in laws and reform to socio-economic changes in the industry. Find your latest dose of breaking news right here and stay onto of the earliest developments! SAHPRA Upgrading Systems to Deal with Surge in ‘Fake Licenses’, Bigger Regulatory Review Underway Read More SAHPRA says it is sourcing a barcoding system to authenticate Section 21 medical cannabis service providers. This comes amidst a surge of new businesses signing up medical cannabis patients to supply them with their ‘prescriptions’, and this is ringing the regulator’s alarm bells loudly. Going Green? Trademark Experts Warn of Branding Risks Read More Registering trademarks that rely on the word ‘Green’ are high risk because their general descriptive nature. Specialist trademark law firm Adams and Adams suggests that cannabis businesses – and others – should consider suggestive rather than descriptive terms in registering a brand. Trade Minister’s Questionable Grip on Cannabis Reality Exposed in Parliament 17 June 2025 at 09:30:00 DTIC Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) seems to think there’s a moratorium on cannabis arrests and is out of touch with the reality of the fast-evolving cannabis economy. He doesn’t see the basic contradictions within the Master Plan, and everybody except Government is paying the price. Read More Justice Minister Failing in Her Legal Cannabis Obligations as ‘Crisis of Illegality’ Grows 17 June 2025 at 08:45:00 The Justice Department’s inability to fulfil its constitutional obligations is leading to increased lawlessness in the cannabis sector. It is 12 months behind publishing the regulations governing the Cannabis Act, has not yet removed cannabis from the Drugs Act and has failed to provide SAPS with clear guidelines on how to deal with cannabis offences. What’s going on with Minister Kubayi (pictured here)? Read More Tau’s Time-Frame: New Cannabis Law Must Be Passed by end February 2026 16 June 2025 at 08:30:00 Trade Minister Parks Tau (pictured here) says the Agriculture Department is working on a cannabis zoning plan to support legacy farmers and safeguard local cannabis landraces. He says at the same time the DTIC is working on an overall cannabis commercialization policy which it wants to be in law in nine months time. Read More DTIC Minister Tau: ‘Justice Dept Must Scrap Drugs Act Before Commercialization is Put on the Table’ 15 June 2025 at 11:00:00 The DTIC is waiting for the Department of Justice to scrap the Drugs Act before it can implement a commercial framework for cannabis. DTIC Minister Parks Tau has told Parliament that a draft cannabis commercialization policy is under internal discussion and will be released for comment once it is ‘finalized’. Read More SAHPRA Upgrading Systems to Deal with Surge in ‘Fake Licenses’, Bigger Regulatory Review Underway 14 June 2025 at 10:00:00 SAHPRA says it is sourcing a barcoding system to authenticate Section 21 medical cannabis service providers. This comes amidst a surge of new businesses signing up medical cannabis patients to supply them with their ‘prescriptions’, and this is ringing the regulator’s alarm bells loudly. Read More SAHPRA Warns Public Over Fake Medical Cannabis Licenses 14 June 2025 at 07:45:00 The regulator says its concerned about the increase in the use of fake SAHPRA licenses by unethical businesses as the cannabis retail ‘Grey Zone’ continues to expand rapidly. It has urged the public to be cautious when dealing with service providers as many are illegal. Read More Joint Submission by Namibia's Main Cannabis Organizations to the Ministry of Justice 13 June 2025 at 07:45:00 This is the joint submission to the Namibian Government by the Ganja Users of Namibia (GUN), Cannabis and Hemp Association of Namibia (CHAN), Medical Marijuana Association of Namibia (MMAN) and Rasta United Front (RUF) of Namibia ahead of today's deadline for public comment on cannabis laws. They specifically criticize the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 (RSA), also known as “the Impugned Act”) and the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (“the Medicines Act”). Read More PotAround’s Green Lady Takes Cannabis Marketing into the Extremely Fast Lane 11 June 2025 at 18:15:00 Cannabis brands are usually associated with peace, calm, love and understanding. Not with high torque extreme car racing and smack-in-your-face martial arts or jumping a Motor x bike 23m into the air, but Hey! There’s no rule book in this game and the guys behind the PotAround franchise are redefining plant marketing – and it’s paying off! Read More Going Green? Trademark Experts Warn of Branding Risks 10 June 2025 at 08:30:00 Registering trademarks that rely on the word ‘Green’ are high risk because their general descriptive nature. Specialist trademark law firm Adams and Adams suggests that cannabis businesses – and others – should consider suggestive rather than descriptive terms in registering a brand. Read More Ghana on the Go! Hemp Licensing Applications to Open Soon! 7 June 2025 at 12:30:00 Ghana is to open up its industrial cannabis licensing process soon. An estimated 600 farmers from across the West African country are hoping to 'get in on the ground', and are anxiously waiting to find out how much licenses will cost and other T's and C's. Read More History in the Making: South Africa and Lesotho To Set Up Cross-Border Cannabis Trade Agreement 6 June 2025 at 10:45:00 South Africa and Lesotho have taken the first concrete steps to establishing a cannabis ‘SADEC’ with trade representatives agreeing to establish a common regulatory framework. The two countries intend to standardize their cannabis guidelines and seek ways to leverage this trade agreement to take advantage of international markets. Read More Synergy Post the Expo: The Future is Compliance, and Retailers Are Catching on Quick 4 June 2025 at 20:00:00 Cannabis Expo headline sponsor Synergy Wellness capitalized on the exposure generated by the event, saying it had an overwhelming response from retailers and prospective patients interested in its medical cannabis services. Brett Hilton-Barber caught up with Synergy Wellness’s CEO John Hodes (pictured here) and COO Gareth Williams to see what the event generated for them. Read More Cheeba’s Trenton Birch: ‘We Must Work Together, The Real Competition is in the International Market' 4 June 2025 at 19:30:00 The Cannabis Expo is a vital matrix in the South African cannabis industry and has a vital role in bringing people together. But there could have been a bit more support from South African cannabis professionals. That’s the view of Trenton Birch (pictured here), convener of the Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Industry Summit which took place alongside the Cannabis Expo last weekend. Read More The Capone Connection: Joining the Dots Between Dr Green and Professor Herb 4 June 2025 at 16:45:00 Ricardo Capone appears to have successfully eluded his pressing creditor issues and is alive and well and in an unknown location. The Dr Green executive abandoned his digital cannabis marketing campaign ahead of the Cannabis Expo and fled South Africa, where he had also been setting up a dodgy medical cannabis scheme under the Professor Herb brand. Read More Charl Botha: Cannabis Expo A Showcase for Opportunists With Little Regard to Public Safety 4 June 2025 at 13:15:00 Cannabis legal strategist Charl Botha says the Cannabis Expo has become an extension of the ‘Grey Zone’ where unregulated cannabis products are on sale without regard for consumer safety. He says the current policy vacuum has led to the Expo being a showground for opportunism. Read More Need Evidence of Medical Cannabis Misuse? Say Hi to Professor Herb 4 June 2025 at 06:00:00 Among the many new medical cannabis service providers entering the fray is UK-based Professor Herb, which through its local franchise, Dr Kush, is offering an online cannabis buying service. Professor Herb’s main product line is distributing CBD products in Europe, but as of April, it has started selling ‘medical’ cannabis in South Africa outside the regulatory channels. Read More Expo Mystery: ‘Dr Green’ Disappears with Suspicious Looking Men From His Sandton Hotel 3 June 2025 at 10:30:00 Dr Green, a flash Californian cannabis digital token marketing business, was meant to put on a big show at the Expo but the mystery disappearance of one of its senior executives effectively pulled the plug on the US company’s bid to market its new cannabis NFT. The question is: whatever happened to Ricardo Capone, and who took him away? Read More Cannabis Expo Showcases Product Innovation and Highlights Regulatory Vacuum 3 June 2025 at 08:00:00 The cannabis sector continues to drive market innovation despite the regulatory hurdles that continue to dog the industry. This was evident in the offering of over 100 exhibitors, who had thousands of products on display, and a general consensus that the industry is thriving and this was a great networking event charting the future. Read More Health Department Challenges Tobacco Industry Over Safety of Vaping 3 June 2025 at 10:00:00 The Health Department wants to impose greater restrictions on the sale of vapes, accusing the tobacco industry of misrepresenting e-cigarettes as a means of ‘harms reduction’. Vaping is getting out of hand amongst youngsters, say public health advocates, who want the Bill to put severe restrictions on how vaping products are sold and displayed. Read More In the Game? In Gauteng? You’d be Crazy to Miss the 2025 Cannabis Expo This Weekend 28 May 2025 at 13:45:00 The Sandton Convention Centre will become the cannabis capital of Africa this weekend as thousands of people are expected to visit the long-awaited Cannabis Expo 2025, presented by Synergy Wellness. Read More Cannabis Act Signed Off One Year Ago. Today, Nowhere to be Seen 28 May 2025 at 10:00:00 President Cyril Ramaphosa signed off on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act a year ago, but the law has not yet been enacted into law. This is now SEVEN years since the Constitutional Court instructed Government to come up with a law regulating the private use of cannabis by adults. Read More Here in the Wild West, Nature Abhors a Vacuum 28 May 2025 at 11:00:00 The cannabis retail ‘grey zone’ is the anomaly in Government’s cannabis reform programme. In the absence of domestic market regulations, this sector has exploded into a whole new consumer segment of its own, generating billions of rand. That’s all well and good for consumers, says Silverleaf Investments Director Darryl Weisz, but legitimate investors continue to be penalized by officialdom’s inability to come up with rules for the game. Read More Trending USA: Guys More Likely to Smoke, Women Prefer Edibles, Drinks and Lotions 27 May 2025 at 12:45:00 A new report from a US federal agency examines modes of cannabis consumption preferred by Americans, finding that while smoking remains the most common method overall, it’s also far more popular among male consumers than female ones. Meanwhile, women are more likely to consume cannabis edibles, beverages and topicals than men are. Read More The Matekwane Sandbox Aims to Empower North West Cannabis Communities 27 May 2025 at 12:45:00 North-West University (NWU) has unveiled its innovative Matekwane Sandbox, a “transformative research and development hub” aimed at integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into the legal cannabis industry. University cannabis researcher, Dr Thandeka Kunene (pictured here), says this is a significant milestone in ensuring people are able to access opportunities in the commercialization of cannabis. Read More Compliant Players Feel the Pain as Losses Rack Up in the Absence of Regulations’ 27 May 2025 at 11:00:00 Government promises have cost private cannabis stakeholders billions of rand, left traditional growers in the lurch, and have created a regulatory vacuum which is penalising legitimate businesses. Cannabis legal activist Charl Botha says it’s time a multi-stakeholder cannabis task team to was set up to get a new overarching cannabis law on the books in 2026. Read More Mpumalanga Govt Says it Wants to Support Small-Scale Cannabis Businesses 25 May 2025 at 08:00:00 Mpumulanga’s Agriculture and Small Business Development departments are actively seeking to fund ‘sustainable’ cannabis businesses with a focus on grassroots entreprenuers. This emerged at the recent Cannabis Symposium held near Mbombela earlier this month. Read More CBD Use Should Not Register Positive in Workplace Drug Tests, But THC is a Different Story 24 May 2025 at 15:30:00 Just because cannabis can be consumed legally in the privacy of your home doesn’t mean you can come to work stoned. That’s the view of substance testing equipment producer Rhys Evans, who says employers and employees need to understand how the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act affects the workplace. Read More Botswana Activists Launch New Advocacy Group to Decriminalize Cannabis and Ensure Govt Policy Benefits the People 24 May 2025 at 10:30:00 CAB head Peo Seed (pictured here) says cannabis legalization should not just be about job creation but entrepreneurial development and technological innovation. CAB wants cannabis decriminalized and to reshape the nation’s approach to the plant as one that could bring prosperity to the people Read More Deputy President Tells French Trade Conference that SA is Developing an “Investor-Friendly Cannabis Framework” 22 May 2025 at 13:00:00 The Presidency has activated its resources to try and attract international investors for South Africa’s struggling cannabis and hemp sector. Deputy President Paul Mashatile (pictured here) has told a high level trade conference in Paris that South Africa is developing an ‘investor-friendly cannabis framework’ that warrants their attention. Read More DTIC: ‘Setting Up a Commercial Cannabis Framework is Our Priority!’ 21 May 2025 at 16:45:00 The DTIC is rebooting the Cannabis Master Plan telling key stakeholders that it’s priority is to commercialize cannabis. The Department wants to fast-track changes in the law to allow this and open up the channels of communication within government departments. Read More TCC’s Herman van Der Watt: ‘Legalize Private Cannabis Clubs Already, the Model is There!’ 21 May 2025 at 10:45:00 The co-founder of one of South Africa’s oldest private cannabis clubs, The CannaClub, has called on the Government to urgently introduce a clear legal framework under which cannabis social clubs can operate. The TCC’s Herman van der Watt says the private club movement can play an important role in social development as well as provide a safe environment for consumers, if only Government would let it. Read More Botswana Stakeholder Conference Planned: ‘Cannabis Policy Not Just Up to Govt Alone’ 21 May 2025 at 10:30:00 The private sector must get in on the ground to help shape Botswana’s cannabis and hemp policies. This is the view of IETD director Charity Kennedy (pictured here) who is organizaing a stakeholder conference at the end of August 2025 to help shape Government policy. Read More Charl Botha: Our Constitution Upholds the Right to Free Trade, This Should Apply to Cannabis As Well 19 May 2025 at 11:45:00 Section 22 of the Constitution upholds the right to free trade. Cannabis has been freely traded in southern Africa for hundreds of years. Legal activist Charl Botha of H3 Legal Solutions says there are seven Government departments who have it within their power to enable this trade. This is what he suggests they do. Read More Okhahlamba Hopes Planned ‘Shared Cannabis Processing Facility’ Will Create Jobs as KZN Now Has Highest Unemployment Rate in SA 16 May 2025 at 08:00:00 Okhahlamba (Bergville) Municipality in the Kwazulu Natal Drakensberg his pinning its hopes to bring down crippling unemployment in the area with the development of a cannabis processing facility. The pilot project is being funded by the province but the Municipality hopes to raise an additional R10 million to bring it to fruition. Read More Infrastructure Snags Slow Down Rwanda’s Flagship Cannabis Development Project 15 May 2025 at 10:15:00 Rwanda’s Development Board has put up US$1,5 million of the US$3 million needed to complete a major project in partnership with US company KKOG which has already sunk US$10 million into its Musanze facility. The project, already delayed by a year, is now ‘83%’ complete according to the RDB. Read More Synergy to Give Away a Million Rands Worth of Medibles at the Cannabis Expo! 14 May 2025 at 19:15:00 Synergy Wellness will be celebrating its fifth birthday at the Cannabis Expo and spreading the joy with a mass hand out of its new 'medibles' range. Sponsorship of the Expo is a milestone for the group which is now one of the largest medical cannabis distribution networks in the world, with a network of over 250 outlets and a healthy flow of product to market. Read More Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Summit at the Expo: Major Networking Event Comes at Key Moment in Cannabis Reform 14 May 2025 at 19:15:00 South Africa’s premier cannabis industry networking event will be held alongside the Cannabis Expo taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 30 and 31 May 2025. The Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Industry Summit will bring together cannabis and hemp sector leaders with senior advisor Garth Strachan (pictured above) delivering the keynote address. Read More The CannaClub : South Africa’s Oldest Private Cannabis Club 10 Years On and Still Going Strong! 14 May 2025 at 17:30:00 The CannaClub (TCC) is South Africa’s oldest private cannabis club and had its roots in an informal cannabis ‘stokvel’ in the Western Cape’s Garden Route founded by Herman and Heidi van der Watt way back in 2015. Since then they’ve turned that vision into a leading ‘best business practice' not-for-profit organization with over 4 000 members and firm ties with local legacy cannabis communities and officialdom. Read More Postcard from Berlin: SA Viewed as a ‘Sleeping Giant’ on the Cusp of Something Significant says Nexus' Johann Slabber 14 May 2025 at 13:00:00 Nexus Pharma’s Johann Slabber (pictured here) was at the International Cannabis Conference in Berlin at the end of April and sent us his key take-outs on Europe’s biggest annual cannabis indaba. In the old days, he says, compliance with international standards was a differentiator for South African exporters. Nowdays, it’s a prerequisite if the country is to realise its potential as a world player. Read More ‘Crisis of Illegality’ Getting Worse: Grey Zone Sees More Cops on the Take and Consumers Increasingly Vulnerable 11 May 2025 at 10:30:00 Government’s lack of regulations for South Africa’s cannabis sector is perpetuating a ‘crisis of illegality’ that is spinning out of control. The unregulated explosion of the retail ‘grey zone’ has led to mass corruption in the police, employee abuse and lack of consumer protection and a critical intervention is urgently required. Read More One Year On: Why is the Cannabis Act Still Gathering Dust in the Legislative Parking Bay? 11 May 2025 at 09:30:00 Two stakeholder organizations have asked the Justice Department why it's taking so long to publish the draft regulations that would allow the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act 2024 to finally come into law. Read More Health Minister Says Public Consultations on Regulations for Cannabis and Foodstuffs 'Coming Soon’ 11 May 2025 at 09:00:00 The Health Ministry’s draft regulations around cannabis and foodstuffs will be put out for public comment ‘soon’. That’s according to Minister Aaron Motsoaledi who has yet to explain to stakeholders why he chose a to ban substances that were already illegal and in the process wreaked havoc on the hemp industry. Read More Unapologetic Health Minister Won’t Acknowledge Damage Done by Cannabis Foodstuff Ban, Which He Says Was “To Protect Children” 11 May 2025 at 07:30:00 Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi (pictured here) says he didn’t seek public comment on his shock cannabis in foodstuffs ban because legally he didn’t have to. Answering a question in the National Assembly, the Minister said the ban was issued as a prohibition notice which meant he could take an executive decision without consultation, and he did so to protect youngsters from harm. Read More CASP Cannabis Funding: Forget About Applying if You’re White and Afrikaans But it's OK if You're Chinese 10 May 2025 at 18:45:00 If you’re Chinese and holding South African citizenship you may qualify for cannabis funding under the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, but forget about it if you’re white and Afrikaans. That’s according to the eligibility criteria for grants from the controversial state funding entity. Read More Govt-Funded Silver Tree Cannabis Project: No Training, No SAHPRA License and BTW the Director Used to Work for the Land Bank 10 May 2025 at 13:30:00 Silver Tree cannabis farm's director is a former Land Bank manager specialising in BEE transactions who conceptualized his cannabis ‘vision’ during his last year at the Bank in 2019. Simphiwe Yako is the man behind Silver Tree which is accused of misappropriating R20 million in government funding for cannabis training. Read More Essential Reading: Current Cannabis Regulations in South Africa 2025 9 May 2025 at 09:45:00 The global CBD industry continues to grow rapidly, and South Africa has positioned itself as one of the most progressive CBD markets in Africa. While CBD products are legally available to consumers, there is still a degree of uncertainty around the regulations—especially concerning dosage limits, THC content, and product categories. Read More CASP: The Rot at the Core of Government’s Plans to Fund Cannabis Training 7 May 2025 at 16:45:00 It beggars belief that the state entity involved in funding the fraudulent Gupta-linked Free State dairy scheme, is now disbursing cannabis funding on behalf of the Agriculture Department. But, yup, it’s true, and there should be no surprise that the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme is behind the missing R20 million earmarked for West Rand cannabis training Read More The Tier-Drop Solution: Here’s How to Rein In the Cannabis Cowboys and Regulate the ‘Grey Zone’ 5 May 2025 at 09:30:00 South Arica is in urgent need of a cannabis retail licensing system as the so-called ‘grey zone’ expands beyond regulatory reach. Charl Botha of H3 Legal Solutions has put forward a cannabis retail model that could address the absurdity of a system that criminalizes legitimate entrepreneurs and mainstreams drug dealers - and all the while emasculating officialdom. Read More Cheeba’s Trenton Birch: R20 million Govt Cannabis Training Shambles is ‘Sadly, Typical’ 4 May 2025 at 16:45:00 The founder and CEO of South Africa’s leading cannabis skills and training academy says he’s not surprised that Gauteng Government has mismanaged a West Rand training scheme in which R20 million appears to have been misappropriated. Cheeba Africa’s Trenton Birch says this is a “sadly, typical government project”. Read More Agriculture Dept Says It’s Ready to Roll-Out its New Hemp Support Programme Across the Country 4 May 2025 at 08:45:00 The Agriculture Department says it’s to embark on a nationwide ‘multiplication drive’ for the two local hemp varietals it has registered, and will provide permit holders with training and support with the assistance of the Agricultural Research Council. Read More Global Medical Cannabis Market Experiencing Healthy, Double Digit Growth Despite Regulatory Challenges 2 May 2025 at 14:00:00 The ‘Medical Marijuana Global Strategic Business Report 2025’ projects over 14% compound growth in the international market with key growth drivers including increased legalization, technological advancements in cultivation and extraction, and rising chronic disease prevalence. Among the challenges are regulatory hurdles and social stigma. Read More DA Accuses Gauteng Govt of Blowing R20 Million on West Rand Cannabis Project ‘That Has Nothing To Show For It’ 2 May 2025 at 11:30:00 The Democratic Alliance is taking on Gauteng’s Agriculture Department for wasting money on an ill-advised cannabis project at Tarlton near Mogale City. The Silver Tree project received R20 million funding to train cannabis farmers, but the money appears to have vanished without being spent on its intended purpose. Read More Synergy Medibles' Robin Grobelaar: Making Plant Alchemy Work Within the Rules 30 April 2025 at 16:15:00 Robin Grobelaar (pictured here) is the man behind Synergy Medibles, the innovative business concept that has navigated the hazards of the current regulatory regime to produce SAH|PRA compliant ‘medibles. He explains to Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber how these edibles are not foodstuffs at all, but are complementary medicines in line with the regulator’s consumer safety guidelines. Read More Edibles Game Changer: Synergy to Launch ‘Medibles' Concept at Expo 30 April 2025 at 15:45:00 South Africa’s largest medical cannabis service provider, Synergy Wellness, has taken advantage of the whole furore over cannabis edibles to launch a new product concept – ‘medibles’. In a classic case of guerrilla marketing, Synergy has used the publicity around the recently rescinded cannabis in foodstuffs ban to bring to market a completely compliant over-the-counter cannabis edibles range with health benefits. Read More Cannabis Expo: Health and Wellness is Trending, Is it Replacing the Novelty of ‘Rec’? 30 April 2025 at 13:00:00 With Gauteng’s Cannabis Expo just a month away, it’s clear that there is a growing consumer interest in the health and wellness benefits of cannabis and that the novelty of unfettered access to recreational THC products is not what it used to be. Nonetheless there will be plenty of both at the Sandton Convention Centre from 30 May to 1 June 2025 Read More If Govt Taxed the ‘Grey Zone’, There’d Be No VAT Increase Debate 28 April 2025 at 06:30:00 A cannabis 'sin tax' could conceivably remove or reduce the perceived need to raise VAT by 0.5 percentage points. That’s the view of the Daily Maverick’s Ed Stoddard, who says that cannabis remains the missing link in Treasury’s arsenal of taxes. Read More Standard Bank Interested in Financing the ‘Organic Products’ Sector, Cannabis Just Happens to be Part of That! 27 April 2025 at 10:00:00 Mainstream banks are beginning to nibble at the prospect of financing cannabis businesses as calls mount for the Government to remove the obstacles to funding this sector. Standard Bank is seeking more to business in the ‘organic’ market as a way of tip-toeing into the cannabis space. Read More Morocco’s Historic Moment as it Exports Landrace to the Pharma Industry for the First Time 23 April 2025 at 17:00:00 Morocco is Africa’s leading cannabis export nation having embarked on an ambitious legalizatio progamme that put small-scale farmers at its core. Now start up Cannaflex has successfully exported for the first time the famed Moroccan landrace, Beldia, to European pharmaceutical buyers Read More Cannabis Policy Paralysis is Scaring Off Investors and Eroding Consumer Trust 23 April 2025 at 13:30:00 The government’s inability to craft a meaningful framework for the development of a domestic cannabis industry is keeping investors away and eroding consumer trust. That’s the view of the former CE of the Tobacco Institute of SA, who says authorities urgently need to develop an integrated strategy for the industry to keep cannabis reform afloat. Read More E Cape Looks to ‘Blended’ Finance Model to ‘Derisk’ Legacy Cannabis Growers 23 April 2025 at 10:15:00 The Eastern Cape’s business model for supporting legacy growers is taking shape under the Agri-Blended Finance Scheme, which it has introduced as a general agricultural support mechanism in Mpondoland and other rural areas. Cannabis growers were among the 30 beneficiaries who received over R50 million from the first phase of a pilot project. Read More Five Red Flags That Should Alert Cannabis Investors to Scams 22 April 2025 at 13:00:00 Despite the lack of guiding regulations, the South African cannabis retail sector is booming – and attracting millions of rands of investment. Investors have climbed into the ‘grey zone’, despite the sale of cannabis being illegal – and many have been taken for a ride. If you’re looking to invest in any cannabis business, these are the five red flags you should look out for. Read More Tangled Webb of Woe: Detectives After Gauteng Cannabis Scam Artist for Skimming Investors 22 April 2025 at 11:30:00 A disgruntled investor has hired a private security company to try and track down 34 year old Christopher Webb, the man alleged to have scammed hundreds of thousands of rands off many people in a fake cannabis scheme involving South African farmers. Read More Half-Baked: Prospective Private Club Partnership Falls Apart in Crypto Fundraising Muddle 22 April 2025 at 10:15:00 Iconic Cape Town private cannabis club Baked has to repay a prospective partner R5,7 million after disagreement over a promised crypto-currency fund-raising deal that never materialized. Baked’s appeal against having to repay the funds has been dismissed by the Western Cape High Court. Read More Medigrow Investors Pause Funding for Eastern Cape Cannabis Project Because of Hemp Foodstuff Ban 16 April 2025 at 10:30:00 Medigrow’s international investors have pressed the pause button on further investment in the company’s R1 billion Eastern Cape cannabis project because of the lack of clarity over South Africa’s hemp policy. The company has been caught up in the aftermath of the now-rescinded hemp foodstuff ban and has halted operations while ‘sensitive negotiations’ are underway to seek resolution. Read More Major International Cannabis Conference Coming to SA: Overcoming Barriers and Developing Standards 16 April 2025 at 10:30:00 A major international conference on ‘Barriers to Entry’ in the cannabis industry is to take place in South Africa next month. The ASTM conference will also look at refining international standards on cannabis food and beverages. Deadline for registration is next week. Read More Buffalo Soldiers: Zambian Defence Force’s Cannabis Mission to Malawi 16 April 2025 at 09:00:00 The Zambian Defence Force National Service is the only entity in the country legally permitted to cultivate and sell industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis. It recently sent a delegation to Malawi on a cannabis fact-finding mission as it prepares to be a potential player in the African market. Read More CSIR tells President: All our Cannabis Foodstuff Products Have Always Been Legal 14 April 2025 at 09:45:00 The CSIR says it has incubated scores of small businesses to process and trade in cannabis-related foodstuffs and all have been within the guidelines laid down by SAHPRA and the Department of Agriculture. This emerged during the President’s tour of the CSIR’s cannabis research unit last week - which had its lighter moments! Read More Botswana to Establish ‘Central Cannabis Authority’ to Oversee Policy Implementation and Regulation 12 April 2025 at 12:00:00 Botswana is to establish a central institutional authority to oversee the roll-out of a planned medical and industrial cannabis strategy. This is one of the recommendations by the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture in a policy document drawn up for the Government and leaked to Cannabiz Africa. Read More Chic Power: Women Drive the Worldwide ‘Cannabis Wellness Revolution’ 11 April 2025 at 11:00:00 ‘Cannabis and wellness’ is a growing trend, and internationally, women are driving innovation and shaping this new market. They are seeking out products that fit into a healthier lifestyle and using them with more sophisticated intention. Read More Synergy’s Hodes: There’s No Regulatory Uncertainty Around Medical Cannabis and the Market is Growing 9 April 2025 at 20:00:00 Fast-growing Synergy Wellness is the headline sponsor for this year’s Cannabis Expo and will be using the event as a major drive to make people aware of the medical benefits of cannabis. Synergy director Jon Hodes (pictured here) believes health and wellness will be one of the most sustainable sectors of the new cannabis market and has structured the company’s business plan around this. Read More Main Networking Event of the Year: Cheeba Africa’s Industry Summit at Cannabis Expo 9 April 2025 at 18:30:00 Cheeba Africa has announced it will hold a two day ‘Cannabis and Hemp Summit’ at the Cannabis Expo to bring stakeholders together to network, upskill and develop their business concepts. It will also provide a forum for the industry to discuss how best to deal with Government in the imminent ‘stakeholder discussons’ on cannabis policy. Read More Cannabis Expo’s Howarth: ‘We’re Building the Highway Even if the Road Signs Aren’t Up Yet’ 9 April 2025 at 13:30:00 This year’s Cannabis Expo comes at a crucial time for the cannabis industry as the ‘grey zone’ consumer market explodes and Government says its ‘really willing’ to engage stakeholders on policy. It’s also been a tough time for players wanting to be legitimate, but that could all be changing. Expo CEO Silas Howarth (pictured here) shares his thoughts on putting together Africa’s biggest cannabis event and where the market is at. Read More Cannabis Expo Signs Up Synergy as Headline Sponsor, Gets Ready to Rock Sandton at the End of May 9 April 2025 at 13:15:00 Africa’s grandest cannabis show comes to town next month in the form of the Cannabis Expo. The three day celebration of cannabis culture and essential business networking will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from 30 May to 1 June 2025. Thousands of people are expected to attend the Expo which will also see a ‘summit’ of industry stakeholders take place to discuss how to push cannabis reform forward. Read More Medical Research Council: Standardize THC Dosage Limits and Labelling Guidelines 8 April 2025 at 13:30:00 The SAMRC has called for standardized dosage regulations for THC edible products and appropriate labelling guidelines. It says legalization of cannabis carries risks for youngsters and with edibles consumption on the rise, authorities need to be increasingly conscious of consumer safety. Read More Khopotse: Now Ban is Behind Us, Let’s Use Hemp Foods to Tackle Malnutrition 8 April 2025 at 09:45:00 The chairman of the recently formed cannabis and hemp lobby group, SACHIDA says now is the time to develop hemp-based superfoods to tackle malnutrition. Katelga Khopotse says Government’s new attitude opens up the industrial cannabis value and that hemp can help feed the people. Read More Druids Taps Into Ancient Wisdom: Launches Biotika, Plant Medicine Booster Range 7 April 2025 at 14:15:00 Druids Garden, the SAHPRA-licensed Gauteng facility has been at the forefront of much of the innovation in South Africa’s cannabis industry. The latest fruit from its garden is Biotika, a range of plant-based energy boosters and health supplements that it bought to market last month. Cannabis Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber got the lowdown on the worldwide return to ancient medicines with Druids’ CEO Cian McLelland, who also shared his thoughts on the sorry state of SA cannabis reform. Read More Big Alcohol Wants to Be Tennessee’s Hemp Regulator: ‘It’s Like Asking the Malboro Man to Run a Yoga Studo’ 7 April 2025 at 11:00:00 Big Booze is nervous. Alcohol sales are dropping and cannabis consumption is rising. In the US, Tennessee Alcoholic Hemp Commission wants to be the regulator of the cannabis industry. Columnist Stephen Brown from Nothing But Hemp says this is a bad idea: a cannabinoid is not something you chase with lime and salt, and that maybe scientists should be in charge. Read More 'If SA Gets Cannabis Framework Right, It Could Be a Blueprint for BRICS+' 7 April 2025 at 09:00:00 An unlikely newcomer to the cannabis industry commentariat has just weighed in with the unlikely notion that if South Africa gets its policy framework right, it could serve as a blueprint for the BRICS+ group of nations. Independent media owner Dr Iqbal Surve, says cannabis could be a way of fostering new trade relationships outside traditional cannabis markets. Read More Stakeholder Pressure: Foodstuff Ban Sorted, Now Scrap the Drugs Act! 7 April 2025 at 07:00:00 Cannabis reform cannot proceed while cannabis is still defined as an illicit substance. That’s the view of activist lawyer, Charl Botha, who has written to President Ramaphosa, saying that his proposed stakeholder engagement will be hollow as long as the Drugs Act is in force. Read More Stellenbosch Researchers Squeeze Value Out of Waste in New Cannabis Extraction Breakthrough 5 April 2025 at 13:30:00 Stellenbosch University chemical engineers have developed a unique wax-based method of extraction that recovers valuable compounds that would otherwise be wasted. They say their methodology could make African cannabis exporters far more competitive on the global stage. Read More Political Pressure Forces Last-Minute Postponement of Botswana Hemp Conference 5 April 2025 at 11:30:00 Pressure from opposition political parties forced the last minute postponement of the Botswana Inaural Hemp Business Conferrence, which will now only take place in July. Read More Enua Riding Green Wave in Germany, Seeks SA Flower as Demand Surges 4 April 2025 at 10:00:00 Leading German cannabis company Enua is seeking South African cultivators to feed growing demand for medical cannabis in Europe. Enua’s managing partner , Albert Schwarzmeier was in the Cape recently cementing a supplier relationship with local partner Nexus. He’s told MJBiz how the German market has exceeded expectations. Read More Eight SAHPRA Cannabis Cultivators Lose Their Licenses 4 April 2025 at 08:45:00 Eight cannabis farming companies have lost their Section 22 cultivation licenses. This has been confirmed by SAHPRA, which says two were due to permanent facility closures, three were revoked and four were cancelled. Read More Stakeholder Input Meaningless Until Govt Sorts Out the ‘Three Ministry Muddle’ 2 April 2025 at 15:30:00 President Ramphosa’s bold move to shift stakeholder engagement to the centre of the cannabis policy debate has assuaged an industry injured by the flip-flop of the cannabis foodstuff. But unless Government sorts out its ‘three ministry muddle’ ahead of industry consultation, any good advice it receives will remain out in the vortex Read More Last Mover Advantage: Botswana Better Placed Than SA to Become Regional Hemp Powerhouse 2 April 2025 at 14:30:00 Botswana looks set to bypass the regulatory nightmare that has beset South Africa's industrial cannabis industry by putting in a set of rules for the game before it opens up the market. Neighbouring South Africa, by comparison, has found itself in a quandary where permits are being issued with no clear market guidelines yet in place. Read More Is Labat Starting to Exit the Cannabis Space? 31 March 2025 at 10:00:00 Labat Africa is moving rapidly into the IT space with a distribution deal with Ubits Technology, while it reviews the risks associated with its cannabis operations. The JSE listed group was one of the first movers in the South African cannabis space but now it appears to be on an exit strategy from the sector. Read More Minister’s Unbanning of Illegal Edibles Creates Wrong Impression That They’re Now Legal 30 March 2025 at 09:45:00 Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s clumsy attempt to protect consumers by banning cannabis-related foodstuffs continues to create market confusion even though the ban has been rescinded. There is a widespread perception among cannabis consumers that with the lifting of the ban, edibles are legal. They’re not, warns FGFA’s Myrtle Clarke (pictured here). Read More Health Minister ‘Not Disappointed’ That His Ban Was Lifted, Says President Understands His Safety Concerns 29 March 2025 at 10:00:00 The Health Minister was one of thousands of stakeholders who was ‘not disappointed’ by the lifting of his ban on cannabis-related foodstuffs. Dr Motsoaledi made this bizarre remark in an interview with News24, in which he emphasized that there was still an urgent need for regulation of such products in order to protect consumers. Read More Big Shape-Shift Underway: Justice Dept Now to Get Public Input Before Deciding on Regulations Governing Cannabis Act 28 March 2025 at 09:00:00 The public will be able to have its say on the long-awaited regulations governing the Cannabis Act before they are formalized by the Justice Department. This major shift in government’s approach to the private sector was almost thrown in an as an after-thought in Wednesday’s post-cabinet briefing, but, people, this is a bigger deal than it seems. Read More Cabinet Privately Reprimands Health Minister, Nips Department’s 'Grand Plan’ in the Bud 28 March 2025 at 07:45:00 It’s not clear exactly what the Health Department’s unilateral ‘grand plan’ for cannabis and foodstuffs was, but it has come crashing down before it got out the starting blocks. Cabinet is understood to have chastised the Health Minister for trying to go it alone and told him that stakeholder consultation is critical going forward. Read More UN Bans HHC or ‘Synthetic Cannabis’ for Worldwide Non-Medical Use 27 March 2025 at 07:00:00 South Africa voted along with 49 other nations to ban hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) at the UN Commission on Psychotropic Substances (CND) in Vienna earlier this month. HHC, which is synthetically derived and similar in effect to THC, has been widely available legally in many parts of the US and Europe. Read More Vayej: ‘The President’s Call to Lift ‘The Ban’ Is Pivotal to Moving Towards Industry Transparency’ 26 March 2025 at 20:00:00 Open Farms chairman Shaad Vayej says the President’s move to lift ‘The Ban’ signals a much needed shift towards as transparency and stakeholder engagement in formulating future policy. Read More Botswana Hosts Major Hemp Indaba to Chart Regulatory Way Forward 26 March 2025 at 19:30:00 Botswana will once again get a chance to showcase its bold vision to incorporate hemp into its economy when it hosts the Inaugural Hemp Business Summit in Gaborone on 5 April 2025. Read More Silverleaf’s Weisz: President’s Rapid Response Lifting The Ban Bodes Well, Let’s Give Enabling Legislation the Same Urgency 26 March 2025 at 17:00:00 The Director of South Africa’s first dedicated cannabis investment fund, Silverleaf Investments, Darryl Weisz (pictured here), says he didn't expect the President’s decisiveness in lifting the controversial cannabis in foodstuffs ban. He says the same urgency should be applied in following this through with enabling legislation to unlock the domestic cannabis market. Read More Stakeholder Pressure Gets The Ban Lifted, Now The Momentum Shifts to Getting Legislation Sorted 26 March 2025 at 17:00:00 It was overwhelming stakeholder pressure that pushed President Cyril Ramaphosa to act decisively in reversing his Health Minister’s horrific blanket ban on cannabis in foodstuffs. Can this energy be harnessed into getting Government to put a commercial framework on the table? Read More President Ramaphosa Orders Cannabis Foodstuff Ban to Be Lifted Immediately 25 March 2025 at 18:00:00 President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to withdraw the controversial ban on cannabis in foodstuffs with immediate effect. He’s also ordered the Minister to begin consultations with stakeholders before issuing any further notice on the matter. This is a statement from the Presidency. Read More Thanks to the Health Minister SA Now Has One of the Most Restrictive Food Policies in the World 25 March 2025 at 10:45:00 South Africa now has one of the most restrictive food policies in the world following the ban on hemp foodstuffs. Open Farms chairman and attorney, Shaad Vayej (pictured here), says government should be aligning with international best practice in developing the hemp sector, but has instead imposed “a backward-looking restriction that harms businesses, limits consumer access, and contradicts prior regulations.” Read More ‘He Needs to be Charged or Fired!’ CTAA Prepares Interdict, Says Health Minister has been ‘Criminally Negligent’ 25 March 2025 at 07:00:00 The push-back is gaining momentum as more cannabis stakeholders gear up for lawfare against the hemp foodstuff ban. The CTAA is to preparing to file an interdict against the Health Minister, saying his actions could be construed as criminally negligent, and “he needs to be charged or fired.” Read More Minister of Madness: “Absurd” Ban Puts Paid to Govt Funded Project to Develop Hemp-based ‘Superfood’ for School Feeding Schemes 24 March 2025 at 13:30:00 The DoH issued a research permit to Druids Garden to investigate nutrition in hemp. The project got traction and was funded by government entities and developed in collaboration with the CSIR and seven years later there’s an amazing hemp-based porridge perfect for school feeding schemes. What a great story…..except the self-same DoH has now banned it! Read More ‘Heartbreaking’ Policy Inertia and Public Stigma Holding Back Kenyan Hemp Sector 24 March 2025 at 09:00:00 Cannabis is still stuck in research mode in Kenya, despite Government promises to allow an industrial hemp sector to develop. One of the major problems is the stigma attached to cannabis, which stakeholders have suggested be countered with a public education campaign. Read More What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service

Cannabiz-Africa is your hub for all cannabis news and resources. Everything from breaking news, cannabis politics, business investments, legal policies and a marketplace network where we connect you with local businesses. Be in the know with the hottest, freshest and most up-to date hemp movements. WHY CANNABIZ AFRICA? Cannabiz Africa is Africa's leading B2B cannabis news platform. Let us expose your brand, products and service to the African cannabis marketplace. See our sponsorship and advertising details below. Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service Key Facts: Established in 2020 by veteran journalist Brett Hilton-Barber Published over 1 000 news reports since then Based in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province SA Readership includes key decision-makers across the value chain in the African cannabis industry; Over 4,000 unique users 1 500 subscribers to the weekly Newsline Fourfold increase in traffic over the past three months 80% of readers in SA with a nationwide footprint (130 cities, towns, villages) Most international readers are from the US, UK, Germany, Canada and the Netherlands Also regular site visitors from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, Jamaica, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Poland, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Russia and Ukraine Reaching African readers in Namibia, eSwatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Mauritius What Sets Us Apart ? Cannabiz Africa is the leading B2B news platform for the continent's cannabis industry, connecting you directly with key stakeholders. With over 4,000 unique monthly users and a growing audience of 1,500 engaged Newsline subscribers, we provide unmatched visibility for your brand. Advertise with us today to reach the heart of the industry! Click here, to advertise your brand, product and or service