Cannabis infused chilli sauce at the Cannabis Expo held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 18 November 2021. The expo runs until the end of the week. Picture: Neil McCartney
Billed as their big return, Cannabis Expo 2021 was a four-day event that took place in the Sandton Convention Centre from 18 to 21 November.
The expo hall featured plenty of exhibitors representing the full spectrum of the cannabis industry.
The Cannabis Expo is the biggest cannabis event in Africa, a market that has interested large investors across the world.
Silas Howarth, the director of the Cannabis Expo, said this was the first big public exhibition as things continue to open up under Covid-19 lockdowns.
The expo is an opportunity for businesses to work together and for urban farmers to grow their market. The medicinal benefits have been widely commercialised and cannabidiol (CBD) is just part of the over 100 components in cannabis, says Silas.
He said their partnership with JuicyFields helped in creating a private smoking area where people could consume and smoke cannabis legally.
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The Citizen visited the expo’s food market and we tried cannabis-infused food, drinks and learned more about CBD oils.
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Tristan Dias is the owner of Billy’s Booze and Biltong and he started his CBD business in 2019 with a craft store in Modderfontein, Johannesburg.
Having extensive experience in the alcohol industry, he opened the business with the help of his brother, a food specialist who developed recipes for the biltong.
“We marinate the biltong in alcohol. Marinating process is about two to three days. We have [collaborated] with local, smaller distilleries.”
One of these distilleries belongs to Afrikaans rapper’s Jack Parow. They use his brandy for the biltong.
Another brand they use is Vok Off Lager, for their slice biltong, and tequila in their chilli bites. Once cured, there isn’t a lot of the alcohol flavour left but what you do get is moist biltong, says Dias.
The dry wors, known as their “high wors”, has CBD and Tristan says the process of making his products is expensive because CBD oil is pricey.
“There is a slight undertone of CBD flavour in the dry wors but there is enough CBD.”
CBD-infused gins are also hot property and Billy’s offers Norweed Gin, which is a naturally-infused cannabis spirit.
On the hunt to find the best CBD bites, what grabbed the attention was cannabis-infused burgers, wraps, coffees, slushies and vegan meals.
HuntaHerb is a plant-based restaurant in Johannesburg and the meals are infused with different CBD oils.
The Rosti-farian burger is a bean and beetroot patty served on a light ciabatta-charcoal bread, with wild rocket, pickled red onion, grilled pineapple, avo and sweet pineapple mayo.
When we ordered, Elixir Africa’s CBD oil range was the option. Elixir ranges from repair to relax, which assists with anxiety, focus and energy. A few drops of the oil are topped onto the burger.
We chose the repair oil. It is difficult to tell if there were any effects on one’s mood or body. The burger was juicy and quite satisfying.
Elixir representative Bala says their products also include cannabis edibles such as gummies and chocolate spreads, which have 20mg of CBD per jar. The products only have CBD and other traces of cannabinol oils.
THC was a hot topic in the expo, as it has higher traces of cannabis and is much stronger in creating a high sensation.
A very limited number of products had this option in the expo and THC is still considered illegal to consume in public.
It is recommended when trying these products to be in the comfort of your home.
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