As the Cannabis Expo returns to the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, the public have responded to an eye-opening anonymous survey about the cannabis consumption habits of South Africans.
The online survey canvassed cannabis users across South Africa, all respondents having used or consumed cannabis in some form this past year.
The most fascinating result is that 36.7% consume cannabis in the workplace or while working.
These findings pose serious questions and possible concerns to companies and how organisations deal with cannabis in the workplace.
“It’s always fascinating to see how people’s attitude towards cannabis is evolving year on year as legislation opens up,” says The Cannabis Expo director Silas Howarth.
“Important discussions around cannabis use in the workplace are being held at the expo in Sandton this week, and it will be interesting to see the options that organisations have to mitigate risks. We find that most cannabis users find positive health and other benefits from cannabis, and in many cases even say that it improves their productivity.”
However corporates feel about cannabis use in their workforce while on the job, in this rapidly-changing permissive environment and with so many different ways to consume cannabis, companies and employers may struggle to accurately test and prohibit workplace cannabis use.
81% of the survey respondents say they have consumed cannabis edibles.
Other notable survey results show 76.7% of respondents claim to experience positive health benefits from using cannabis, 63.3% say their cannabis consumption has increased since legalisation changed in 2018, and 93.3% believe legalisation is of significant benefit to the South African economy.
What is evident from the survey is that South Africa is leading the way when it comes to changing both mindsets and legislation, two major facets that will be on full display at The Cannabis Expo.
The expo will have the widest range of topicals and CBD medication from the industry’s leading retailers to accommodate this rapidly growing market.
Furthemore, with a notable increase in the micro-dosing of medicinal mushrooms, there’ll be the Shroom Expo, where the public can learn everything there is to know about “the healing properties of psilocybins” with a panel of experts leading a variety of workshops, as well a broad range of the latest available products in the field.
BUSINESS REPORT