This is part of a choose-your-own-adventure style game about the cannabis scene in South Africa. Click here to go to the start (#page1).
You sit down with a lawyer from Schindlers Attorneys, a Johannesburg-based law firm known for its pioneering work in cannabis law, to get a clear picture of the legal landscape.
Schindlers has been at the forefront of cannabis reform, notably representing clients in cases that challenge the grey areas of the law, such as their 2023 defense of a private cannabis club in Pretoria that was raided despite operating under the “private use” framework.
The lawyer breaks it down for you: private use is fine, thanks to the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act (CfPPA), signed into law on May 28, 2024, which allows adults to possess up to 100 grams of dried cannabis in public or 600 grams in private, and to grow up to four flowering plants per person in a private space.
However, the lawyer warns that clubs and sales are dicey—commercial trade remains illegal, and even “grow clubs” operate in a legal grey area, as seen in ongoing court battles over whether they violate the CfPPA’s prohibition on dealing.
The lawyer also shares insights from Webber Wentzel, another prominent South African law firm that has advised cannabis businesses on navigating the regulatory framework.
Webber Wentzel recently published a 2024 report analysing the CfPPA, highlighting how the lack of a legal commercial market has pushed many into informal networks, often leading to arrests.
They’ve been advocating for amendments to the Medicines and Related Substances Act to allow regulated sales, arguing that this would reduce black market activity and boost the economy, potentially creating 25,000 jobs by 2026, as projected by the South African Cannabis Research Collective.
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