Thousands of people flocked to the Expo, presented by Synergy Wellness, at the Sandton Convention Centre from 30 May to 1 June 2025.
The Cannabis Expo’s Big Bounce Back
Cannabis Expo CEO Silas Howarth said this year’s Expo had come out in full force: He told the Daily Sun: “After the Covid hit, business wasn’t good, but we managed to recover from the pandemic and grew”.
He said his vision was to break the stigma surrounding cannabis and for people to learn the benefits of the plant beyond just smoking. “The herb has many uses. I don’t even know some of its benefits. The Expo taught me a lot because I didn’t even know some of these businesses existed. I learn all the time and that gives me joy. What I love most is it creates employment”.
One of the low-key, but significant launches at the Expo was that of the Cannabis Retail Association (CRA) which seeks to assist the industry by ensuring self-regulatory compliance in the face of the legal vacuum. Another new organization representing stakeholders that was on show was the South African Hemp and Industry Development Association (SACHIDA).
What was also encouraging was to interact with the Township Cannabis Incubator which is mentoring a number of small businesss with the backing of the Small Business Development Council, and the Eastern Cape Rural Development Association, which has a number of cannabis pilot projects underway in the province.
Medigrow CEO Edgar Adams told me that his main take-out from the Expo was the need for the private sector to come together to lobby for market-friendly regulations.
Cannabiz Africa Key Take Outs
In making sense of the swirl of the giddiness of the Expo, which with its Freedom Festival, became a THC liberated zone that gave the whole experience a touch of unreality:
- Cultivation equipment and grow systems operators were out in full force – the fact that Farmers Weekly was visibly involved shows the extent to which cannabis is mainstreaming;
- Synergy Wellness was pleased with the exposure it gained with the launch of its ‘Medibles’ brand and other elements of its medical cannabis services;
- Medical cannabis was generally a key talking point with a noticeable increase in service providers and criticism that the Section 21 provision in the Medicines Act which allows patients to legally buy cannabis, was being widely misused; Myrtle Clarke of FGFA was particularly vocal about the issue, saying that Section 21 was increasingly being used as a front for recreational users to obtain cannabis:
- The Private Club model is taking off – a key example if Pot Around’s Andrew Ward, who has had rapid uptake on his franchise model and is in expansionry mode;
- Health and wellness was a dominant theme running through the Expo (particularly around issues of womens’ health), with non-cannabis exhibitors such as iTouch, also cashing in on the sector with a range of personalized electronic health monitors;
- The discussions around cannabis compounds and the multi-faceted benefits they hold for the human body indicated a new sophistication in understanding cannabis as medicine; for instance, New Moon Botanicals has taken the health benefits of cannabis into chakra-based healing;
- Community-based organizations were well-represented with a plethora of new CBD products having come through the production pipeline;
- A variety of government officials visited the Expo, including an informal delegation from SAHPRA);
- ‘Grey Zone’ operators were spoilt for choice in the variety of products available and the increased sophistication of cannabis-related products (for example the electronic grinders which don’t damage the trichomes when used);
And Whatever Happened to Doctor Green?
But, the hottest gossip topic was the implosion of the Dr Green digital marketing drive after one of its key members, Ricardo Capone, disappeared mysteriously from his Sandton hotel room on the eve of the Expo, leaving the Dr Green speaking slot and stand noticeably empty with no official explanation.
The other talking point was the misplaced Department of Trade, Industry and Competition presence at the Expo. The DTIC sponsored Proudly South Africa and seven small enterprises to exhibit – great, except none of them were in the cannabis space. Zulu Girl Wines said the DTIC had paid the costs of bringing her brand and product line from KZN and the decision to exhibit was made for her by PSA.
SAPS dropped in on the Expo although no incidents were reported. They would have come across Fields of Green for All’s Stop the Cops messaging at their stand. FGFA is looking to raise funds for a data-driven project to try and reform SAPS from within.
Ed Stoddard of the Daily Maverick said the Cannabis Expo “underlined the energy of private businesses that are forging ahead with investment, sales and job creation in the face of dazed and confused government policy that appears to have been crafted over a bong”.
Stoddard was impressed by the fine art of speed roling as displayed by Walter Pretorius of Pretoria-based Aaptwak Foundation & Club : “On his rolling platform, this correspondent watched Pretorius three times over the course of the morning. His first go was a warm-up that took more than six seconds to complete — think of Usain Bolt warming up for the 100m dash. The third time I witnessed Pretorius in action (see video), it took him 3.52 seconds to roll a joint. If you blinked, you might have missed it.”
“Walter also displayed an 80g monster joint that was longer than most of the trout this angling correspondent has caught in a lifetime of fishing. Presumably, that would have taken a little longer than 3.52 seconds to roll.
“By contrast, government policy on this front is moving at a snail’s pace. It is another brick in a wall of what should be a window of transparency with the sunlight shining on a field of dreams”.
Brett Pollack, a lawyer who heads Harambe Solutions, told Daily Maverick that the industry was “… moving along ahead of government without the laws in place. So right now we are in a liminal space. We don’t have a commercial framework, which is exactly what we need to build an economy out of this.”
Cannabis Expo Shows There’s No Going Back
In summary, the Cannabis Expo demonstrated that there is no stopping cannabis retail and product innovation, and that the Grey Zone continues its meteoric rise. It’s fitting that the Cannabis Retail Association was launched at the Expo, with one of its main aims being to tackle the lack of regulatory guidelines, while SACHIDA seeks to represent producers as well as other stakeholders.
The exhibitors I spoke to were almost of one voice that government regulations for the industry are not expected any time soon and that the cannabis sector is developing itself, led by consumer-driven market choices.
