Going Green? Trademark Experts Warn of Branding Risks
Registering trademarks that rely on the word ‘Green’ are high risk because their general descriptive nature. Specialist trademark law firm Adams and Adams suggests that cannabis businesses – and others – should consider suggestive rather than descriptive terms in registering a brand.
Cannabis Expo Showcases Product Innovation and Highlights Regulatory Vacuum
The cannabis sector continues to drive market innovation despite the regulatory hurdles that continue to dog the industry. This was evident in the offering of over 100 exhibitors, who had thousands of products on display, and a general consensus that the industry is thriving and this was a great networking event charting the future.
Expo Mystery: ‘Dr Green’ Disappears with Suspicious Looking Men From His Sandton Hotel
Dr Green, a flash Californian cannabis digital token marketing business, was meant to put on a big show at the Expo but the mystery disappearance of one of its senior executives effectively pulled the plug on the US company’s bid to market its new cannabis NFT. The question is: whatever happened to Ricardo Capone, and who took him away?
Cheeba’s Trenton Birch: ‘We Must Work Together, The Real Competition is in the International Market’
The Cannabis Expo is a vital matrix in the South African cannabis industry and has a vital role in bringing people together. But there could have been a bit more support from South African cannabis professionals. That’s the view of Trenton Birch (pictured here), convener of the Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Industry Summit which took place alongside the Cannabis Expo last weekend.
Gauteng Cannabis Expo 2025 Unlocked Millions of Rand Across the Value Chain, The Show Moves to Cape Town Next Year
The Cannabis Expo 2025 was a significant turning point for the event organizers, representing a broader maturing of the cannabis market. That’s according to CEO Silas Howarth (pictured here) who said the three-day trade show generated mass consumer excitement and millions of rands for businesses across the value chain and that Cape Town will host next year’s Expo. Here he reflects on Expo 2025 with Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber
SAHRC: Lack of Cannabis Arrest Guidelines Only Encourages SAPS to Victimize Rastas
The South African Human Rights Commission is to step up its campaign to support the Rastafarian community in the face of ongoing police persecution. It says the systematic victimization of Rastas around the country is a continuing constitutional violation of their human rights.
History in the Making: South Africa and Lesotho To Set Up Cross-Border Cannabis Trade Agreement
South Africa and Lesotho have taken the first concrete steps to establishing a cannabis ‘SADEC’ with trade representatives agreeing to establish a common regulatory framework. The two countries intend to standardize their cannabis guidelines and seek ways to leverage this trade agreement to take advantage of international markets.
The Capone Connection: Joining the Dots Between Dr Green and Professor Herb
Ricardo Capone appears to have successfully eluded his pressing creditor issues and is alive and well and in an unknown location. The Dr Green executive abandoned his digital cannabis marketing campaign ahead of the Cannabis Expo and fled South Africa, where he had also been setting up a dodgy medical cannabis scheme under the Professor Herb brand.
Charl Botha: Cannabis Expo A Showcase for Opportunists With Little Regard to Public Safety
Cannabis legal strategist Charl Botha says the Cannabis Expo has become an extension of the ‘Grey Zone’ where unregulated cannabis products are on sale without regard for consumer safety. He says the current policy vacuum has led to the Expo being a showground for opportunism.
Namibia: Friday the 13th is Deadline for Public Input on Cannabis Laws
The Namibian government has indicated a willingness to revisit the country’s prohibitionist cannabis laws following months of stakeholder pressure. The four manor Namibian advocacy groups have submitted their proposals and other interested parties, who haven’t yet done so, have until close of business, 13 June 2025, to have their say,