Poison City, a Durban-based brewery, saw a gap in the market back in 2018 and released a cannabis-infused lager shortly after the Constitution Court decriminalised the private personal use of marijuana.

Sales of their Cannabis India Pale Ale reached new heights after the brewery received funding from several local investors. South Africans were spoilt for choice, with the ale being sold in Tops stores in most major cities.

Unfortunately, law enforcement has now ordered two liquor stores in Hermanus, Western Cape, to stop the sale of the cannabis-infused beer pending an investigation.

Durban Poison contains no THC and is made with hemp seeds, which adds to its unique flavour. While hemp is part of the cannabis family, it’s is not psychoactive.

So, basically, a person cannot get high from drinking beer made from hemp seeds which contains no THC. Brewery owner, Graeme Bird, told the Saturday Star that he tried explaining the legality to the police, to no avail.

While the SAPS spokesperson did not confirm that the stores in Hermanus were asked to remove the product from their shelves, The Weekend Argus received an email with the following statement:

“Yesterday [Monday] we received a telephone call from Provincial Liquor Control that all these products must be removed from the shelves of retailers selling this product.”

Bird said the investigation is “an interesting example of the lack of clear understanding” regarding the legality, and added:

“There really is a need for some internal education with SAPS, given the constitutional court ruling.”

The investigation caused an uproar among customers. Rhyan Rudman said on Facebook that it’s “not cool,” and added that the SAPS is a criminal gang, while Robbie Irlan summed it up perfectly with a “my f** Marelize!“