Bungling Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has not only wreaked havoc in the hemp sector with his ill-advised ban, he’s also created confusion among consumers.

By banning an already-illegal cannabis foodstuff and then unbanning it, Government has created the mistaken impression that it has now legalized cannabis edibles. It has not.

The fact that they have been so publicly available in thousands of illegal ‘grey zone’ outlets for over the past two years – and the fact that authorities have done very little about this – has reinforced the perception that they were legal, then banned, and now unbanned.

The reality is that the cannabis edibles market has already built up a head of steam in the 'grey zone', where it rivals flower in the top sales category. Although there's no data available on cannabis consumer behaviour, widespread anecdotal evidence is that edibles has been the fastest growing sector of the illegal retail market over the past year, particularly among the Gen Z and Millennial consumers. With the turnover of the 'grey zone' believed to be north of R5 billion a year, the edibles market is probably worth at least R1 billion a year.

Fields of Green for All’s CEO Myrtle Clarke says tht although cannabis edibles are widely available, sellers need to be reminded that the retraction of the ban on edibles did not make them legal.

In a post on the organization’s website, Clarke said that while FGFA was relieved at the withdrawal of the ban, this was not real progress.

“Here at Fields of Green for ALL we are very relieved that the Dept of Health has seen the error of their ways and we look forward to the public consultations. We sincerely hope that they will heed the advice of experts as civil society is frustrated and exhausted with the slow pace, endless promises and proliferation of misinformation out there. "

She said: "The only thing we need is evidence-based legal regulation."

The need for regulation of cannabis products has long been a call from the industry and this is one area of commonality with the DoH.

The fact Government has now been committed by the President to stakeholder engagement on regulations means that evidence-based rules are far more likely to surface than has been the case, where they have largely originated from the desk of Dr Anban Pillay, the DDG of the Department, who is believed to have been the driving force behind the Minister’s ban.

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