Malawi has Issued 55 Cannabis Licenses This Year, Hopes to Double That by December
Malawi is on a drive to issue cannabis and hemp licenses in a bid to boost investment in the sector. Regulatory chief Chris Banda says 55 such licenses were issued in the first quarter of 2026 and the CRA hopes to issue a further 130 licenses before the end of the year.
Four years on, SAHPRA Remains in Breach of Supreme Court Over Herbal Remedies
Four years ago, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that SAHPRA had overstepped its powers in regulating vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies as though they were pharmaceutical drugs. Little has changed. This BizNews investigation, by Marika Sboros, digs into what’s going on behind the scenes.
Court Orders Lesotho Mounted Police to Return Half Ton Consignment of Seized Thai Cannabis to Banel
A dispute between Lesotho cannabis processor Banel (Pty) Ltd and the police over a half-ton consignment of confiscated Thai cannabis has been resolved by the High Court – the cannabis was legally imported by Banel and must be handed back.
Cannabis Act Will Undermine the DTIC and Criminalize The Communities Govt Intended to Help
SA’s first dedicated cannabis law is to set to come into force with final regulations due before year-end. However, the Cannabis Act is a policy setback for government, criminalizing the intended beneficiaries of the Master Plan and complicating the DTIC’s reform strategy by expressly outlawing all commercial cannabis trade.
National Dialogue Reflection: No Wonder There’s No Framework: Nobody’s in Charge & Govt Depts Don’t Speak to Each Other
The National Cannabis Dialogue brought government, communities and industry into the same room. What it exposed was not a shortage of policy, but a system in which commercialisation, enforcement and inclusion still do not meet in one coherent framework.
Morocco’s Policy of Putting Landrace First is Paying Off as Indigenous Plant Product Now on Shelves of Swiss Pharmacies
While South Africa is still trying to make sense of its rich cannabis landrace heritage, Morocco has wasted no time in placing its Beldia landrace at the centre of cannabis policy development. Cannaflex Morocco says its Beldia medical cannabis products are now stocked in Swiss pharmacies.
Govt Offers Support for Cannabis Biotechnology Start-Ups to Make Buffalo City Metro Their Base
Have you got the prototype of a cannabis product that adds value to biomasss and want to take it further? You’re the person East London Industrial Development Zone is hoping to attract as it offers government support for budding biotechnology businesses to establish themselves in Eastern Cape.
SACHIDA Calls for Stakeholder Unity in Face of Major Challenges When Cannabis Act Finally Becomes Law
SACHIDA has slashed its membership fees to broaden its base as it muscles up for a major new challenge facing the cannabis industry. It says real danger lies ahead with Cannabis Act finally about to become law – the Act criminalizes all cannabis commercial activity even though the DTIC is working on a plan to make such ‘dealing’ legal.
Justice Dept: ‘We Thought About It, But Sorry, No Special Cannabis Dispensation for Rastas’
The Justice Department had intended to give Rastafarians special dispensation for cannabis use in the Cannabis Act, but dropped this after legal advice. This was revealed by a senior state lawyer at the National Cannabis Dialogue who said that it would be against the constitution to make a special case for Rastafarians.
Presidential Envoy Sihlobo: Stop Talking & Ease the Environment for Commercial Production
The President’s agricultural and lands envoy, Wandile Sihlobo says the hazy issues around the cannabis industry need to be cleared up urgently. He believes the cannabis industry will not be the game-changer everyone hopes it will be, but with the right regulations, could thrive.