The chan­ging face of can­nabis

‘Embra­cing can­nabis wasn’t rebel­lion; it was recog­ni­tion of poten­tial’

MarijuanaNarcotic DrugsSocietyMarijuana Legalization

The herb once con­demned and crim­in­al­ised, is now the model for all-round good health from pro­mot­ing the growth and repair of nerve cells and sup­port­ing a healthy nervous sys­tem to enhan­cing memory, focus and men­tal clar­ity.

The herb once con­demned and crim­in­al­ised, is now the model for all-round good health from pro­mot­ing the growth and repair of nerve cells and sup­port­ing a healthy nervous sys­tem to enhan­cing memory, focus and men­tal clar­ity.

This has been the jour­ney of can­nabis from being vil­i­fied to being cel­eb­rated across indus­tries, from skin­care and art to high-end lounges and fash­ion.

Tshepo Mokoena, founder of North­cliff Potaround, Johan­nes­burg’s soph­ist­ic­ated can­nabis boutique and social space, says the plant’s meta­morph­osis rep­res­ents more than a life­style trend. It is, he says, a story of redemp­tion and recog­ni­tion.

“I remem­ber the stigma,” Mokoena recalls. “People asso­ci­ated can­nabis with crime or lazi­ness, not well­ness or entre­pren­eur­ship. In South Africa, that judge­ment ran deep; it wasn’t just social, it was moral and legal. Yet even then, there were people who quietly under­stood its poten­tial.”

Mokoena believes can­nabis became a moral battle­ground because it sym­bol­ised free­dom in a world res­ist­ant to change. “Can­nabis rep­res­en­ted free­dom of thought, life­style, and even heal­ing, and that made con­ser­vat­ive soci­et­ies uncom­fort­able. It was easier to crim­in­al­ise something than to try to under­stand it,” he says.

His decision to embrace a sub­stance that soci­ety once labelled “dirty” was rooted in curi­os­ity rather than defi­ance. “Pro­gress often begins with uncom­fort­able con­ver­sa­tions,” he reflects. “Embra­cing can­nabis wasn’t rebel­lion; it was recog­ni­tion of poten­tial.”

His decision to embrace a sub­stance that soci­ety once labelled “dirty” was rooted in curi­os­ity rather than defi­ance. “Pro­gress often begins with uncom­fort­able con­ver­sa­tions,” he reflects. “Embra­cing can­nabis wasn’t rebel­lion; it was recog­ni­tion of poten­tial.”

The trans­form­a­tion of can­nabis from for­bid­den to favoured has been gradual but inev­it­able. “It happened through inform­a­tion, expos­ure, and time,” says Mokoena. “As sci­ence caught up with cul­ture and people began shar­ing per­sonal exper­i­ences, the nar­rat­ive star­ted to shift, and then cap­ital fol­lowed.”

And as it always does, that cash injec­tion has smoothed over the per­ceived edges.

Now some of the most pop­u­lar products have a hint of the “holy herb” from Cos­mic Cuben­sis gum­mies, Brain Blasters, Cos­mic Crawl­ers and the Awaken dis­pos­able vapes, Lions Mane, I Am Asleep, I Am Pain Free and the Heal­ing Balm to the Psil­loshots.

He explains that Lions Mane gum­mies pro­mote the growth and repair of nerve cells while also enhan­cing memory, focus, and men­tal clar­ity.

The I Am Asleep Gum­mies assist with deeper, more res­tor­at­ive sleep. The Heal­ing Balm, he adds, tar­gets blem­ishes, sun­spots, eczema, scars, warts, acne, and even sup­ports those with arth­ritis or muscle pain by help­ing repair dam­aged skin. In the recre­ational cat­egory, the top choice, the Cos­mic Cuben­sis gum­mies, are known for offer­ing a cre­at­ive boost, mind­ful pres­ence and emo­tional clar­ity.

In recent years, media and celebrity cul­ture have played a defin­ing role in reshap­ing can­nabis’ image.

“Celebrit­ies nor­m­al­ised it, they made it aspir­a­tional. That vis­ib­il­ity softened res­ist­ance and reframed it as part of a mod­ern, well­ness-driven life­style.”

The plant’s influ­ence now stretches far bey­ond tra­di­tional use, appear­ing in art, fash­ion, skin­care, and even fra­grance. “It shows how soci­ety has learnt to turn cul­ture into com­merce,” Mokoena notes. “Can­nabis has become a sym­bol of open­ness, exper­i­ment­a­tion, and brand­ing.

“The new face is the entre­pren­eur, the innov­ator, and the respons­ible con­sumer, people who see can­nabis not as escape, but as oppor­tun­ity,” he says.

For Mokoena, see­ing can­nabis treated with respect feels like poetic justice. “Something once demon­ised is now dei­fied; it reminds me that per­cep­tion is power,” he says.

“But full respect will only come when those who were pun­ished or mar­gin­al­ised under the old sys­tem are included in the new eco­nomy. Leg­al­isa­tion shouldn’t only bene­fit those who can afford to invest.”

Mokoena envi­sions a future where South Africa becomes a leader in can­nabis innov­a­tion. “We have the cli­mate, the cul­ture, and the cre­ativ­ity.”