Local celebs Nicky & Lee-Anne van der Walt launch range of cannabis oils

Ever since its semi-legalisation, cannabis products have been hitting our shelves like Mike Tyson hits his opponents at a sparring match.

Nowadays everywhere you look there are oils, creams, beers, gummy bears and just about anything you can think of purporting to have all the yummy goodness that the Devil's delicious lettuce has to offer.

Hell, there are even cannabis exhibitions, the biggest of which, The Cannabis Expo, takes place in Joburg from November 28 to December 1.

Part of the plant's appeal is its oft-touted pain-relief credentials. You often hear stories about how people with cancer or chronic pain pop a bit of CBD oil (the soothing oil that doesn't make you high) or smoke a joint to get some relief.

In fact, that's one of the major factors that inspired celebrity couple Nicky and Lee-Anne van der Walt to launch Dr Swiss, a range of premium CBD oil.

"Both of our fathers were ill and after trying a lot of other treatments turned to CBD oil to help with the pain," says Nicky.

That experience, and the changing sentiment around cannabis products, spurred the couple to look into what they could do to bring high-quality, THC-free (THC is the bit that gets you stoned) products to the South African market.

Thanks to its history as an illicit substance, there are a lot of misconceptions and confusion around cannabis and CBD oil. For instance, while reefer is definitely not recommended for children, a bit of CBD oil could do them wonders.

"Both of my daughters use CBD oil and they understand the benefits. In fact we even have a children's range coming out. Our goal with this venture has always been to make something safe for the whole family," says Lee-Anne.

"To be clear, we are not in the business of selling gummy bears. We just wanted to provide people with pure, premium CBD oil," adds Nicky.

There's always one lapsed hippie in a friendship group who will wax lyrical about how wonderful cannabis is and make it sound like a cure-all. That person is either uninformed or a liar. Nothing is perfect. That said, the Van der Walts do believe that CBD oil is a repository for all sorts of healing properties.

"Look, nothing is a miracle drug. But if taken correctly and used properly there are a lot of amazing benefits you can get from it," explains Nicky. "CBD oil also has zero adverse effects if you use the good stuff," he maintains.

The Van der Walts are among the latest to join in what many are calling "the cannabis revolution" which sounds like code for the latest health fad. Just like the avocado example, it's only a matter of time before we start to bump into people who are calling CBD a "super" product that can fix all manner of ills. Soon enough, someone will be crafting artisanal ice creams out of the stuff.

Who can blame us for wanting to believe in a cure-all product? People love new things and the Van der Walts' products seem to be particularly good for you. It's clear that a new wave of weed purveyors is crashing on our shores to replace the bearded, tattooed fellows who have been serving us craft coffee and artisanal elderberry jam.