Legally getting hold of medical cannabis in South Africa is fairly difficult under current legislation. The only avenue available is to lodge an application with the Medicines Control Council (MCC). The application requests permission to acquire an unregistered medicine and is mandated by section 21 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act No 101 of 1965.

The application must be submitted by a registered doctor after consultation with the patient. The application fee is R250 payable to the MCC, after which it will be considered by a panel. The process may take up to 8 weeks to reach completion.

The process is notorious for being excessively bureaucratic and makes no exception for medical cannabis. Patients following this route can expect a fair amount of resistance and a low probability of success.

According to the MCC applications are automatically denied for medical cannabis if they feel there is an equivalent available. That being said, each application is decided on its own circumstances and that of the patient.

Patients who are interested in pursuing this channel can find the forms and contact details on Patient Nexus.