We hinted at this last week, here’s the story
John Jeffery Quits: DTIC’s Senior Cannabis Advisor Resigns Unexpectedly
The DTIC’s main cannabis advisor, John Jeffery, has resigned. The former deputy justice minister is yet to give a reason for his decision to quit as project manager for the Cannabis and Hemp Master Plan, and his departure will be a setback for cannabis commercialization plans.
2026/08/28 \
Brett Hilton-Barber, Cannabiz Africa
John Jeffery (pictured here), fondly known as ‘JJ’ by those in the cannabis community with whom he had dealings, messaged Cannabiz Africa on 26 August 2026 to say that he’d resigned but gave no further reason.
The news came as a shock to stakeholders gathered at Kempton Park for the National Cannabis Dialogue the following day as Jeffery had made significant headway in convincing the private sector to work with the government in cannabis reform and not against it.
He took part in both the Cheeba Summit at the Cannabis Expo and attended the ICS 2026 conference in Cape Town a month later, often being the sole voice representing government in a room of critical stakeholders, even though he was technically an advisor. Jeffery actively engaged with stakeholders at all levels, and his although his private views often aligned with theirs, he would plead for patience in the reform process, pointing out the complexities of getting eight government departments to work together.
He is also believed to have been instrumental in persuading Gareth Prince and other applicants to step back from their urgent Western Cape High Court application to halt cannabis arrests and negotiate directly with SAPS. Jeffery also felt strongly about ensuring legacy farmers were included in the new cannabis legislation.
Jeffery’s departure leaves a large gap in the DTIC’s recently-established cannabis unit, which is tasked with putting together a cannabis commercialization policy. It also robs stakeholders of their ‘go-to guy’ in discussions around cannabis policy.
This is a developing story, and will be updated as more details emerge.
Also this from the DTIC. They obviously have zero interest in understanding or participating in cannabis trade
The Department of Trade Industry and Competition didn’t pitch at the National Cannabis Dialogue and made no submission on its commercialization plans. Instead of any initiative from government’s side, the national cannabis conversation is stuck on repeat, arrests continue, and the regulatory vacuum sucks all the fresh air out of the room.
