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President Ramaphosa Orders Cannabis Foodstuff Ban to Be Lifted Immediately
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.
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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.
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.”
‘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.”
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!
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PM Keichel Warns Foodstuff Ban is Binding Even Though It is Legally Flawed
22 March 2025 at 07:30:00
As absurd as the hemp foodstuff ban may be, it is legally binding until such time as the Minister rescinds it or it is set aside by a court. That's just how it is, says leading cannabis lawyer Paul Michael Keichel even though legal commentators have slammed the ban as 'unconstitutional', 'illogical' and 'unenforcable'.
Cannabis Master Plan Descends into ‘Omnishambles’ as Hemp Foodstuff Ban Reveals Serious Faultlines at Cabinet Level
19 March 2025 at 20:30:00
Seven years after Government unveiled the Cannabis Master Plan, the sad truth has been laid bare: “There is no commercialization policy, there is no economic or industrial strategy, there is no plan”. That’s the view of leading private sector cannabis consultant M Ayanda Bam, who says all the stakeholder engagement with government now seems to have been a waste of time.
Enua Signs 10 Ton Offtake Order With Nexus, Opening a New Door for SA Farmers to the Lucrative German Market
19 March 2025 at 16:00:00
Major German medical cannabis distributor Enua has expressed its confidence in the quality of South African export cannabis production and is seeking a long-term relationship with SAHPRA licensees through biomass processor Nexus.
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Minister of Madness: “Absurd” Ban Puts Paid to Govt Funded Project to Develop Hemp-based ‘Superfood’ for School Feeding Schemes
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!