High hopes were dashed when Dischem took to social media to address claims that it was preparing to sell medicinal marijuana at its stores.
Watch: Claims made that Dischem will sell medicinal marijuana
The pharmaceutical giant was roped into rumblings of a new strain of medicinal weed that was reportedly set to hit the shelves in January 2021.
So Dischem is apparently going to be selling bud from Jan pic.twitter.com/jkTK4PFvLn
— U z a i r (عزير) (@UzairEssack) December 7, 2020
By all accounts, this looks like a legitimate claim. The packaging of the mock-up product is labelled with important information found in prescription medicine.
It contains dosage instructions, a note on the CBD spectrum contained in the strain and more importantly, an S6 notice. This is an indication that this product contains Schedule 6 drugs that are often prescribed for chronic illnesses.
However, Dischem has come out to clear the air around the reports. The pharmaceutical responded to the trending tweet, stating that it has “NO knowledge of this listing in our stores.”
Hi there, thanks for the mention, but please take note, we have NO knowledge of this listing in our stores.
— Dis-Chem (@Dischem) December 8, 2020
Can you get medicinal marijuana in South Africa?
While this was not an outright denial, Dischem’s response further disproves what the law already says about medicinal marijuana in South Africa.
According to a recent research report, Medical cannabis: What practitioners need to know, by R van Rensburg, there is still a long way to go before prescription dagga is greenlit in South Africa.
“No commercial plant-derived cannabis products are currently registered by the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for medical use. Such products are therefore unregulated, but are freely available in SA, and may be of inadequate quality and unverified composition, and not guaranteed to be safe or effective,” van Rensburg wrote.
The widespread decriminalisation of dagga is a good sign for the near future but if you’re in South Africa, you’re better off cultivating your own strain if you want to avoid a nasty visit from Bheki Cele’s blue henchmen.