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’re done with the confusion—whether it’s fighting a shady bust or pushing for legalization, you take a stand.
Your, tired of the legal grey areas surrounding cannabis, joins forces other non-profit organisations founded to support cannabis businesses and professionals across the continent.
Lobbying for regulated commercial trade since its inception, working closely with government bodies to shape policy.
You also link up with the Hemp Foundation of South Africa, a group focused on promoting hemp and cannabis for economic development, especially for marginalized communities.
Together, you organize a rally in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), a city in the Eastern Cape with a growing cannabis advocacy scene.
The event, dubbed the Green Freedom March, takes place at St George’s Park, a historic public space, on a sunny Saturday in March 2025.
Over 3,000 activists gather, waving signs with messages like “Legalize to Thrive!” and “Cannabis for All!” You lead a chant calling for the government to expand on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act (signed May 28, 2024) to include commercial sales, pointing out how rural growers in areas like Transkei are still arrested for selling their crops despite decriminalization of private use.
The energy is electric, with local DJs spinning Afrobeat tunes and vendors selling hemp-based snacks, creating a festival-like atmosphere..
You highlight the need for a regulated market, citing a 2023 estimate by Prohibition Partners that the African cannabis market could be worth $7 billion by 2025, with South Africa poised to contribute $1.7 billion if fully legalized.
You also reference the struggles of traditional growers, echoing a 2022 BBC report on how Transkei farmers feel excluded from legalization benefits, urging lawmakers to include them in the green economy.
Ending: Your efforts pay off as lawmakers start listening. The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development takes note of the rally, inviting CTAA to a consultation in Bloemfontein to discuss integrating small-scale farmers into a legal market.
By late 2025, small reforms roll out, including a new policy allowing registered co-operatives in the Eastern Cape to apply for hemp cultivation licenses, a step toward broader legalization.
You celebrate with the crew at the Hemp Harvest Festival in Knysna, a coastal town known for its eco-friendly vibe, where you share a cannabis-infused smoothie (non-psychoactive, made with CBD) and enjoy a sunset drum circle on the beach.
You know you helped spark change, feeling the pride of being part of South Africa’s green revolution.
Fun fact: Medical cannabis is expanding in South Africa—Highlands Investments has partnered with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to launch a new medicinal cannabis research facility in Pretoria in 2025, and you’re part of this growing movement!
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