The Medicines Control Council (MCC) on Monday promulgated 32 pages
of guidelines for prospective growers of medical cannabis in South Africa.
The long and short is anyone can apply, but only commercial farms
will be equipped to meet stringent growing and production requirements to grow
cannabis, while the plant remains a prohibited narcotic substance in South
Africa, so that growing it without a license remains a criminal offence.
Registrar of medicines Dr Joey Gouws said people who need not apply
are anyone with a conviction for an illicit drug-related offence, which covers
anyone ever arrested for being in possession of dagga in South Africa.
Farmers interested in growing cannabis will need to show “adequate
measures to ensure security, transport, destruction, reporting and employment of
suitable persons” to be considered for a licence, which will be granted if the
farmer can also show the ability to adhere to the Good Manufacturing Practice
(GMP) for medicines in South Africa.
The cost to apply for a manufacturer’s licence is R21 800 to the
Registrar.
Public comment due
The general public has until the end the March 2017 to comment on these
proposed regulations to grow cannabis for medicinal use.
Jeremy Acton and Ras Gareth Prince of the Dagga Party commented on
Twitter: “We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again... dagga being illegal is
a major source of corruption within the South African Police Service and in the
criminal justice system in general.”
Green Fields for All’s Julian Stobbs earlier told the Daily
Maverick the only thing a cannabis grower should need is a tax number.
“[Cannabis] should be like the tobacco market in Zimbabwe, where everybody
brings their crop to a central warehouse to get auctioned. Quality control and
taxation happens at the warehouse. It’s the African way,” Stobbs said.
Meanwhile, two high court challenges on the constitutionality of
laws against cannabis in South Africa continue, lead by Dagga Party in Cape Town
and Stobbs and his wife Myrtle in Pretoria.
Download the MCC’s cannabis cultivation proposals from
www.mccza.com and comment to gouwsj@health.gov.za.
Patients who can afford the wait
The Dagga Party of South Africa commented on facebook patients that
need to use the herb itself can still apply to the MCC for permission, if they have about R1120.
But the
patient, Gouws stated, will need to have three permits:
• From the Director-General of Health to be in possession of
cannabis at a cost of R820 per permit;
• Authorisation from the MCC to use this herb (which is regarded an
unregistered medicine) as a medicine at a cost of R300 per application;
and
• A prescription from a medical practitioner (doctor) for cannabis
with a motivation to the MCC why the patient needs the unregistered medicine,
detailing the dosage regimen and the symptoms to be treated, free at a state hospital after a long queue, or at a cost of some R300 consultation fee from a private doctor.
