Customers in South Africa show more interest in products with CBD, even as stigmas and myths around the items and their advantages hamper the growth of the market. There has long been an increasing demand for CBD in South Africa, fueled by local legislative changes and increasing international trends.
In 2018, South Africa legalized the personal use of cannabis, and CBD items with no more than 20 milligrams of cannabidiol for daily dosage were legalized a year later. The changes mentioned above have not only opened up the market but also contributed to the growth of the global market, which may be worth $91.5 billion in six years.
Since the legalization, there has been an arrival of cannabidiol suppliers in South Africa in not only niche specialist shops and established retailers but also on social media.
Cannabidiol is a rather new product and category, with an array of perceived health advantages. Therefore, one wonders how people in South Africa perceive and use cannabidiol, and what the future potential of those products is. Beyond perceptions related to residual stigma, which are the main barriers for the cannabidiol industry to overcome?
The KLA group looked into this matter with a survey through the YourView research panel last November. The results of the investigation make for fascinating reading and are as follows.
Understanding Has Allowed High Trial Levels
Almost everyone in South Africa has a high level of understanding of cannabidiol. It is among the factors enabling a state of being willing to try cannabidiol products. There is much interest in using cannabidiol products among customers. Just 12% of customers surveyed said that they are yet to try cannabidiol and have no interest in doing so.
The Trust In Cannabidiol’s Advantages Has Helped To Enable Trial
Up to 60% of the people surveyed feel that cannabidiol items are best for anxiety and stress. Further, 54% feel that the products make sleep better, 48% feel that those relieve muscular inflammation and pain, and 45% think that they treat migraines and headaches. Just 3% of the recently surveyed people think that cannabidiol items lack advantages.
Interestingly, more mature survey participants are keener on trying cannabidiol items. Up to 37% of people aged 40 to 50 years and around 50% of people aged 55 years are keen on trying the products for joint pain, inflammation, and muscle pain.