The South African cannabis sector has stumbled into what may be its biggest crisis yet as government appears to have fallen by the wayside in all attempts to establish a regulatory framework. Cannabiz Africa’s webinar on Monday will bring together key stakeholders to chart a course of action going forward.
The webinar was sparked by the unilateral decision by SAHPRA to halt all Section 21 applications and reapplications for cannabis-based medicines without informing medical cannabis stakeholders or patients. Worse still, the regulator has not communicated or made available any alternative pathway for medical cannabis access. Cannabiz Africa understands that the only Section 21 application that has been approved since July 2026 has been a single reapplication for the treatment of a child suffering from severe epilepsy – and that was only after legal intervention.
AKOS Bio is one of the companies profoundly affected by SAHPRA’s decision to halt all Section 21 approvals. CEO Andrew Ofield-Kerr, says his company supplies neurologically focused cannabinoid medicines to patients suffering from various forms of epilepsy. The two tintures, C100 NOIA and B25 NOIA, are ready for submission to SAHPRA but registration can take up to 18 months.
“Until those medicines are registered we have to rely on Section 21 as the access pathway for the patients we are supplying. Now that SAHPRA has halted Section 21 and provided no alternatives, we are in a bind, and it’s the patients who suffer from not getting their prescribed medication.
SAHPRA, which is believed to have been overwhelmed recently with Section 21 applications for access to alternative medicines to those registered and available, has not responded to numerous Cannabiz Africa emails over the past month. SAHPRA has also not been responding to Media 24 queries around the unfolding crisis in medical cannabis and the pharmaceutical supply chain in general.
In the face of the growing lack of response from government to calls for regulatory clarity on all fronts, Cannabiz Africa has launched a new stakeholder engagement platform: CannaWebb Africa, which will host a regular series of online conversations around critical issues facing the cannabis sector.
The first CannaWeb event is on 2 November 2026 and will focus on the regulatory blockages allowing access to cannabis from a holistic perspective. Cannabiz Africa has invited SAHPRA to participate in Monday’s webinar, offering the regulator the opportunity to communicate with concerned stakeholders what the regulator’s approach is around Section 21 and medical cannabis access. No response has yet been forthcoming.
Monday’s webinar has been organized by the recently formed Cannabis Crisis Committee, and will address three critical cannabis access pathways that are facing regulatory blockage. Ofield-Kerr, the prime motivator behind the formation of the CCC, puts it simply: “With no regulatory guidance, we are facing a crisis that we as stakeholders, have to do something about. Monday’s webinar is a starting point to mobilizing the sector in the face of recent developments.
“First we have to identify what the problem actually is, the impact that problem is having on the sector, what the best solution would be, and what would be involved in reaching that solution.”
The CCC has broken down the challenges facing access to cannabis into blockages across three main pathways: manufacturing and processing, responsible adult-use and medical cannabis.
The webinar is scheduled for 12h00 – 13h30 on Monday, 2 November 2026.
Click here to book your space
It will introduced by Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber, followed by presentations on the three main access pathways, challenges and possible solutions:
Manufacturing: Jacqui Ramage, South African Network of Cannabis Professionals (SANCAP)
Responsible Adult Use: Myrtle Clarke, Fields of Green for ALL (FGFA)
Medical Access: Anton Ofield-Kerr, AKOS-Bio
After the presentations, the floor will be open for engagement.
For any queries: contact CCC co-ordinator Ed Justice on ed@equalinternational.org
Upcoming CannaWeb events will be on ‘Market Zccess for Mpondoland Cannabis ‘and ‘Edibles, and Consumer Safety. Watch this space for more details.
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