The cannabis community has showed unprecedented unity in backing the Cannabis Crisis Coalition’s appeal for executive intervention to prevent the sector from descending into further chaos. As of 11 November 2026, the draft open letter to the president, which had been circulating for just over a week, had received 1099 endorsements, made up of 837 individuals, 69 organizations and 193 companies.
“What’s interesting is that over 900 signees were happy to be publicly identified” says Myrtle Clarke, CEO of activist organization Fields of Green for ALL, which provided the operational muscle to circulate the letter and sign up respondents on behalf of the CCC.
Cannabis reform has taken a leap backwards in the past few months. There is a crisis unfolding daily around the SAHPRA’s abrupt closure of the Section 21 pathway, and now Gauteng SAPS signalling it intends to crack down on ‘non-SAHPRA compliant’ cannabis outlets in the province through complicated under-cover operations.
The chaos and confusion that these two actions have created in the cannabis sector cannot be underestimated. Government’s inability to create a cohesive framework governing the local market has led to the ‘crisis of illegality’ that former DTIC consultant Garth Strachan warned was unfolding – that was three years ago! But now that crisis is on steroids.
SAHPRA’s unilateral action prompted the formation of the Cannabis Crisis Coalition (CCC), an informal grouping of individuals representing medical cannabis service providers, pharmacists and doctors, proponents of general adult use, media and cannabis processors and cultivators, all of whom are directly affected by government’s regulatory failure.
At a CCC stakeholder webinar organized by media platform Cannabiz Africa on 2 November 2026, over 250 attendees agreed on a course of action to pressurize the government to take seven urgent steps to get cannabis reform back on track. The recommendations are contained in an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, in which the signatories express their “deep concern at the escalating crisis caused by the absence of a coherent, workable and constitutionally sound regulatory framework for cannabis.
The letter makes the point that eight years after the Constitutional Court legalized the private personal cultivation, possession and consumption of cannabis, the sector remains dogged by legal uncertainty.
The CCC points out that the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act of 2024 (CfPPA) remains in abeyance because final regulations are yet to be published, which in turn has held up the removal of cannabis from the schedules in the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 2024. This means that in the eyes of the law, cannabis remains a narcotic and this has prevented the full implementation of the Plant Improvement Act which seeks to define cannabis as an agricultural product.
“Compounding this crisis, medical cannabis providers report that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has largely ceased approving Section 21 applications since 18 July 2026, jeopardising the principal existing pathway through which doctors obtain authorisation for patients to access locally manufactured, unregistered cannabis medicines.
“Patients with serious medical conditions, particularly those with multidrug-resistant epilepsy who have benefited from prescribed cannabinoid medicines, face interruptions to potentially life-changing treatment.
The CCC says that consumers and cultivators continue to report harassment, arrests, confiscations and corruption involving law enforcement while “traditional growers, small enterprises and emerging businesses remain excluded from meaningful economic participation”.
“Meanwhile, cannabis establishments proliferate under questionable compliance claims and inconsistent legal interpretations, leaving consumers inadequately protected and responsible operators without certainty.”
The CCC is to deliver the letter to the Presidency this weekend (Saturday, 14 November 2026) and has asked the President. It calls on him to ensure Government undertakes the following urgent steps:
- Finalise and publish the CfPPA regulations, taking account of public submissions, and establish a clear timetable for parliamentary approval and commencement.
- Implement the consequential legislative amendments, including those affecting the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, to establish legal certainty.
- Ensure constitutionally compliant policing, with clear national directives, training and accountability for unlawful harassment, confiscation and corruption.
- Require SAHPRA to urgently restore effective Section 21 access, enabling doctors to continue treating patients with serious, treatment-resistant conditions without unnecessary interruption.
- Establish a regulatory category for quality-assured cannabinoid medicines, enabling appropriately manufactured South African products to be registered, prescribed, dispensed and considered for reimbursement under applicable healthcare arrangements.
- Develop an inclusive commercial framework, including regulated cultivation and supply for the private-use market, appropriate quality standards, and meaningful participation by traditional growers and small enterprises.
- Coordinate implementation across government, with clear departmental responsibilities, measurable milestones and transparent public reporting.
The CCC has requested a reponse within 14 days, together with a publicly accountable timetable for implementing the CfPPA and addressing the broader regulatory crisis.
“South Africa is also losing opportunities for investment, agricultural development, beneficiation, exports and job creation. An inclusive, properly regulated cannabis economy could contribute significantly to rural livelihoods and national economic growth” the CCC concludes.
“The overwhelming majority of our community wants to live, work, cultivate, access medicine and participate responsibly in a lawful, properly regulated environment. We want laws, standards, accountability, public health protection, human rights, economic opportunity and legal certainty. Above all, we want an end to the confusion, conflict and unnecessary harm that have persisted for far too long” concludes the CCC letter.
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