The law protects private use and nothing else. That makes the question simple in theory and confusing in practice, because a hotel room, a balcony and a beach all feel private on holiday. Here is how each one works.
Private is fine, public is not
Since the 2018 Constitutional Court ruling and the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act of 2024, adults may use cannabis in a private place. Anywhere the public can see or reach you counts as public, and using cannabis there is an offence.
Private also means private to the people who own or run the space. A hotel or an Airbnb host can ban smoking of any kind, and their rules apply on top of the law. Our visitor guide to the law covers the detail.
Place by place
The honest answer for the places visitors ask about most.
Your Airbnb or apartment
Private, so the law is on your side. Check the house rules first: many hosts allow it on a balcony or in the garden but not indoors.
Hotel rooms
Most Cape Town hotels are smoke-free and treat cannabis like tobacco, often with a cleaning fee. Ask reception, or choose edibles instead.
Balconies and gardens
Private if it is your space and not visible from the street. Be considerate of neighbours in apartment blocks.
Beaches
Clifton, Camps Bay and Muizenberg are public, and police do patrol them in summer.
The Sea Point promenade
Busy, public and patrolled. Enjoy the walk, then light up back home.
Restaurants and bars
Public venues, whatever the atmosphere. Our own café is not a smoking venue either.
When smoking is awkward
If your accommodation does not allow smoking, you still have good choices.
THC gummies
No smell and no smoke. Start with 5mg and wait two hours.
Choose your gummy doseA THC vape
Much less smell than a joint. Still check the house rules, since many count vaping as smoking.
THC vapes explainedA shared pre-roll
If your host allows it outside, a 1g pre-roll shared between two is a light smoke.
Pre-rolled jointsOrder small
Buy what you will use. You cannot take it on a plane or across a border.
Travelling with cannabisWhat visitors order most
Hosts and neighbours
- Ask before you smoke, and step outside if in doubt.
- Keep windows open and doors closed to shared corridors.
- Store cannabis out of sight of children and cleaning staff.
- Never smoke in a hired car.
Before you head out
Do not drive after using cannabis: the rules are the same as for alcohol. If you are new to it, try it on an evening when you are staying in, not before a hike up Lion’s Head.
No. Beaches are public places, and using cannabis in public is an offence. Police patrol the popular beaches such as Clifton and Camps Bay, especially in summer.
Only if the hotel allows smoking. Most Cape Town hotels are smoke-free and treat cannabis like tobacco, so ask reception first or choose edibles.
It is a private space, so it is legal, but the host’s house rules apply. Many allow it outside on a balcony or in the garden but not indoors.
Usually not. Most hotels and hosts treat vaping the same as smoking. Edibles are the only option that avoids the question entirely.
No. Our store is a café, not a smoking venue. You can browse and buy there, then enjoy your order back where you are staying.
Order for delivery in Cape Town
Uber delivery within 90 minutes, usually under 45, across the inner city and Atlantic Seaboard. Breaze same day across Greater Cape Town, and The Courier Guy nationwide in two to three days.
Dixie Jane De Waterkant
- Address
- 40 Chiappini Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town 8001
- Hours
- Mon to Sat 08:00 to 22:00
Sun 08:00 to 16:00 - Happy hour
- Every day, 15:00 to 18:00
- Call
- 021 013 7801
- +27 71 106 8267