Traveling for Cannabis

At a young age, I knew I didn’t want to stay in my hometown — it was obvious. Facebook still shows me memories of my teenage self posting things like “I can’t wait to leave this shithole.” I was young and didn’t like my environment, sure, but I also loved travelling. Camping trips, interstate missions with mates, road trips to skate, I always chased the next adventure. And wherever I went, cannabis came with me. Either I packed some or found a local dude to help a brother out. But one thing I never expected in life was the chance to travel for cannabis.

Since working in the space, I took an opportunity to travel to South Africa after meeting two incredible founders who had just entered the industry and were looking to build connections. We met through mutual friends and instantly hit it off, talking about the future of cannabis, where the market was headed, and how we could collaborate. A few months later, I was on a plane. I remember sitting in the airport thinking, how the hell did I end up here? But I was buzzing. A 14-hour flight, a 17-hour layover, and another 9-hour flight later, I finally landed in Cape Town.

It was morning, and I was heading straight to a staff Christmas lunch with the crew. But first, they took me to a little shop around the corner, a grey-market dispensary. Cannabis in South Africa is decriminalised, so it sits in this weird legal limbo. You won’t get in trouble for it, but it’s not fully legal either. These shops are everywhere, and stepping into one felt familiar. It was the first time I’d walked into a dispensary since living in Canada. Behind the counter was a real-deal rasta, stoked to show off his latest homegrown. CBD water, lip balm, flower, live rosin, the works. It was refreshing to be in a space where the consumer actually had a choice.

Over the next two weeks, I travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg and wrapped up the trip in Lesotho. I visited farms that were supplying products to Australia, met owners who had built facilities from the ground up, and spoke with head growers who had been working with the plant for over a decade. Everyone I met was lit up by cannabis. It brought out the best in them, you could see it. These weren’t just businesses; they were passion projects turned professional, and it reminded me why I got into this work in the first place.

One of the biggest highlights was trying live hash rosin for the first time through a Puffco Peak Pro, which is basically a high-tech bong. I’d spent years researching hash and solventless extracts, and this trip was partly about learning more about rosin firsthand. Only three hours off the flight, I was standing in the street with the owners and their mates, handed the Peak Pro, and took a huge dab. The flavour was unlike anything I’d tasted before. Smooth, clear-headed, euphoric, it hit me in a way that flower never had. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to figure out how to bring this experience to more people. I ended up learning more about hash in those two weeks than I had in years of online research.

Since that trip, flower never hit quite the same.

Other moments stood out, too, like surfing the world-renowned Dunes. The South Atlantic is raw, powerful, and alive. I got absolutely flogged at first, but eventually, I made it out the back and caught a few solid waves. I surfed a few more breaks over the trip, and every time I sat in the lineup looking back at land, I felt nothing but gratitude. I remembered being 22, smoking doobies with my best mate Baggins, saying, “One day I’ll work in cannabis.” It’s a bit surreal, but every decision I’ve made has led me here.

South Africa left a mark on me, not just because of the people or the landscape but also because of the culture surrounding cannabis, the hospitality, the food, the stories, and the pride. I learned more than I could’ve imagined, and I can’t wait to go back.

Puffco Peak in the mountains of Maseru in Lesotho.

Coming home, I felt a real sense of purpose.

The connections I made over there felt bigger than me; they felt like the start of something important. Bringing certain products into Australia will benefit patients and doctors. It will also open up opportunities to educate doctors, share new knowledge, and help them appreciate what we’re talking about when it comes to things like live hash rosin.

It’s been surreal. I take none of it for granted.

Here’s to the future of cannabis in Australia — and to those of us here for the plant, the people, and the education.

Love Harry.

The Trip That Changed Everything: Cannabis, South Africa, and Finding My Purpose

Healing, Hustle, and Herb