Cannabis Law Enforcement: SAPS Trapped in the The Gap Between Legislation and Reality
South African police find themselves in an extraordinarily difficult position as long as the daily reality of cannabis policing is at odds with the legislation they are meant to enforce. H3’s Charl Botha writes that what should be uniform has become situational and this will continue to throw up legal complications until the law itself passes the reality test.
Slowly But Steadily, the South African Cannabis Sector Job Market is Coming of Age
Experienced growers, responsible pharmacists and quality controllers are the senior jobs most in demand in South Africa’s fledgling cannabis industry. That’s the view of Lourie Campher, co-founder of Ninth Wave, the continent’s first cannabis job placement agency, who says the key to getting ahead is skills specialization.
Botswana: Growing Public Dispute Over Who Actually Owns The Cannabis Value Chain
Botswana president Duma Boko (pictured here) has acted quickly and decisively in establishing Botswana as Africa’s newest cannabis player. However, there is growing disquiet as to who the main beneficiaries of the new cannabis economy will be, as highlted in a recent editorial in the Sunday Standard.
EFF MP Mathulelwa Vows to Track Down the Missing Mpondoland Millions
EFF MP Babalwa Mathulelwa (pictured here) has vowed to track down the missing Mpondoland millions that slipped through the accountability net and was disbursed to Eastern Cape cannabis farmers in 2025. The R11 million earmarked for Mpondoland cannabis appears to have been spent there, but the question is by whom?
Minor Cannabinoids on the Rise: Move Over THC and CBD, Make Way for CBN and THCv
For much of the modern cannabis era, product development has centred on two compounds: THC and CBD. But the industry is increasingly turning its attention to a wider group of plant molecules known as minor cannabinoids, including cannabinol (CBN) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCv).
Want to Get a Cannabis License in Botswana? Take a Deep Breath, Here’s What You Need to Know
Botswana has deliberately designed its cannabis licensing regime to favour multinationals with deep pockets rather than empower local farmers, who will remain trapped at the bottom of the value chain. It has also raised barriers to entry by making its industry one of the most tightly regulated in the world.
KZN Appoints CSIR as Implementing Agent for Okhahlamba Insangu Project, Allocates R5 million Funding
The Okhlahlamba Muncipality has not been able to get its multi-million rand cannabis hub off the ground and financial control of the project has been handed over to the CSIR. This is according to the KZN Treasury in a budget appropriation vote which approved R5 million for the project in the Bergville area of the Drakensberg.
Youngsters Most Vulnerable to Cannabis Use Disorder as SA Clinic Admissions Rise Steadily
The increasing availability of cannabis and the consequences of the Covid pandemic, have seen the number of people seeking treatment for cannabis rising. That’s according to Prof Nadine Harker (pictured here), who’s recently-published study found that demand for cannabis treatment shot up by 23% between 2020 and 2023.
Four Mpumalanga Cops Nailed for Trying to Hijack Cannabis Seizure
Four Mpumalanga police officers have been charged after trying to sell cannabis seized in a vehicle at a guest house in Carolina. They were arrested by their SAPS colleagues after trying to exchange part of the haul for cash at a second-hand car dealership.
‘Prove They’re Not Being Funded by Drug Lords’: DA Calls for SAPS Probe into Gayton McKenzie and Patriotic Alliance
The Democratic Alliance has called on SAPS and SARS to investigate whether Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie and his PA party are being bankrolled by the underworld. The DA says this follows the disturbing allegations during the Madlanga Commission linking the PA to organized crime and drug trafficking, allegations which the PA has denied.