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N Cape latest to receive license to cultivate cannabis

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A company in Upington in the Northern Cape is the latest to receive a licence to cultivate medical cannabis.

Leaf Botanicals which received a licence from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) is expected to export the medical marijuana to Canada.

It is the third company in the country to receive a licence to grow, harvest and export medical cannabis.

Leaf Botanicals CEO Gog van der Colff says security and the quality of the product are their priorities.

Colff says, “The product will be used to manufacture medicine. So, from one batch to another, there can’t be variation. It is a totally new business and an industry that we are moving into. If we follow the basics we should be fine. If this is a successful business, the money it returns will come back to the area.”

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) says the awarding of licences for the cultivation of medical cannabis is not an easy process.

Compliance Manager at SAHPRA, Griffith Molewa, says they need to ensure that the farm adheres to  strict security measures, and will grow the cannabis plant in a conducive growing area.

Molewa says, “Documentation is always important in the whole scheme. When you plant, you will say I have planted this many seeds. When you harvest, you say this is how much I have harvested.  (IF) there is no correlation between the two and we pick up discrepancies, depending how serious it is, this might lead to the revocation or suspension of your licence.”

 

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