CannaTech is proud to announce that South African cannabis market leader, Southern Sky Group, will be a Platinum Sponsor at our upcoming Cape Town Cannabis Summit this November 24-26.

Southern Sky Group (formerly Southern Sun Pharma) is an Africa-focused cannabis business led by a seasoned team of executives with a significant track record of building shareholder value, both in North America and Africa. With cannabis production licenses and operations across the continent, the recent launch of the high-end CBD retail store – Goodleaf – combined with the acquisition of Africanpure, a leading, local online CBD retailer, Southern Sky is uniquely positioned to supply the African and European market with premier cannabis products.

South Africa became the third country in Africa to legalise medical cannabis in February 2017. Last September, the country initiated a process of legalising cannabis for personal recreational use, joining Uruguay and Canada at the forefront of the Green Rush. Final recreational cannabis regulation is still a grey area, however significant boosts in the sale and import of growing and manufacturing equipment, and the expansion of local cannabis-ready businesses indicates that stakeholders anticipate a cannabis boom in the very near future. This potential boom was further augmented this May by the dramatic decision to remove cannabidiol (CBD) entirely from South Africa’s drug scheduling system. For at least the next year, all products containing a daily dose of 20 mg of CBD or less will be fully legal and this exemption may be extended beyond the trial period. All of these conditions contribute to making South Africa a fertile market for CBD products, and the perfect location for CannaTech’s Cannabis Summit.

The exemption of CBD is a dramatic regulatory change and one that is opening the floodgates for cannabis-derived products to enter the market. Capitalising on the transformational shift in the global cannabis industry, Southern Sky has leveraged international innovation with local execution and expertise to build out fully integrated cannabis cultivation and processing facilities.

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Following South Africa’s full legalization of CBD, Southern Sky’s retail arm Goodleaf, opened the country’s first high-end brick and mortar CBD store on May 31 in Cape Town’s beautiful city centre. The flagship store offers a range of premium hemp-derived CBD products including vaporizers, tinctures and topicals from leading international brands. Goodleaf is committed to offering safe, natural, traceable, and legal products of the highest standard: all products are lab tested to ensure maximum safety and to certify that they are 100% THC free. In addition to locally produced brands, Goodleaf also acts as the South African distributor for well known global products such as Cura Select and others. In a press statement last month, Jonni Katz, Head of Brand and Retail for Southern Sky and CEO of Goodleaf stated:

“We’re excited about what Goodleaf brings to the market. The flagship Goodleaf store offers consumers a well-curated and unique experience in an exclusive downtown space. This store will be the first of a number of premium cannabis stores that we intend to open in high-end retail locations across South Africa.”

The storefronts will also serve as venues for educational and social functions, pop-up events, and other gatherings. Goodleaf is more than just a retail store, it is an integral part of Africa’s growing cannabis industry, promoting product excellence, disseminating information, and curating an immersive experience for consumers.

Southern Sky is further expanding the local South African cannabis ecosystem with its recent acquisition of Africanpure, a Cape Town-based company offering high-quality CBD oil products. The online retailer is known for its affiliation with South African Olympic Gold medal swimmer Roland Schoeman, nicknamed “The Rocket” for holding the world record in 50 metres freestyle.

As Platinum Sponsors of CannaTech Cape Town 2019, Southern Sky is excited to contribute to the positive growth of sub-Saharan Africa’s emerging cannabis ecosystem, while positioning South Africa at the centre of the global cannabis conversation.

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SOURCE CannaTech