PR Powerhouse

Client: Labat Africa Group

Editorial Feature

3 March 2023

Examining the benefits of medicinal cannabis

Isn’t it time for South Africa to re-look its approach to the use of cannabis derivatives in medicine?

The use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives for the treatment of medical conditions isn’t new, but
contemporary practice remains at the centre of many heated debates about health and drug policy,
both in South Africa and around the world. This is partly due to the persistence of ill-informed beliefs
about the safety and applicability of this valuable input.

While cannabis was legalised for medicinal and personal use in September 2018, both public
attitudes and policy debates around its use in medicine continue to be polarised. Policymakers in
Europe and North America are nevertheless actively addressing the complexities of the issue and, if
South Africans are also to benefit from the many medicinal properties of cannabis, it is important for
local policymakers to do the same.

A review published in Medical News Today in February 2022, which weighed the evidence for and
against the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, indicates there is widespread evidence that
cannabinoids have been successfully used in the treatment of chronic pain, depression, post-
traumatic stress disorder, the side effects of chemotherapy, epilepsy, and even drug and opioid
dependence. A large-scale review of over 10 000 clinical studies cited in the article indicates that the
most promising area for the use of cannabinoids in medicine is for the treatment of chronic pain.

“These results indicate how important it is to adopt an evidence-based approach to the use of
cannabinoids in the treatment of medical conditions,” says Brian van Rooyen, CEO of Labat Africa
Group, a fully integrated cannabis business with a focus on healthcare, wellness and the industrial
uses of the related crop, hemp. “And it is equally important to provide the public with well-
researched information about the growing of cannabis and its use in medicine.

So what’s the story with cannabis?

Cannabis has been used for its medicinal qualities by many cultures throughout history and, if we are
to objectively evaluate its potential value in contemporary medicine, we need to start with the
basics.

The plant has two active ingredients, the first being the cannabinoid called trans-delta -9-
tetrahydrocannabinol or, more simply, THC. This is the compound that has psychoactive effects and
which gives users who smoke unprocessed cannabis a ‘high’. The second – also a cannabinoid – is
called cannabidiol or CBD, which does not have any psychoactive effects and is already being used in
many over-the-counter preparations and treatments.

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“In medicine, the therapeutic value of cannabis depends on the concentration of THC in any given
formulation as well as on the ratio of THC to CBD,” says van Rooyen.” There is both a science and an
art to developing safe and appropriate formulations for medical applications.”

How the cannabinoids are extracted, processed and formulated is what makes them safe and
beneficial in medicine. That’s why laboratories like those at Labat Healthcare, a subsidiary of Labat
Africa Group, have such a vital role to play.

“Just about every study indicates that the use of unprocessed cannabis, especially if smoked, can be
detrimental to health,” says van Rooyen, “and that should always be borne in mind. But, as with
other components derived from plants, such as aspirin, careful refining and the formulation of
treatments that are subject to rigorous clinical trials is where the benefits lie. And all of these
processes need to be governed by regulator and peer-reviewed protocols.”

New protocols and processes

Labat Healthcare has, for instance, recently submitted an amended research protocol for its South
African Pharma Ethics Observational Study for Pain Management to the South African Health
Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). The study, which is being conduced in conjunction with
another Labat company, Biodata, commenced in June 2022. It is South Africa’s first ethically
approved cannabis clinical trial and is testing whether cannabinoids can be used to replace opioids in
the management of chronic pain. So rigorous were the regulatory requirements for the trial that it
took 18 months to get clearance for it to begin.

The trial involves 1 000 participants who had been taking opioids for pain management for at least
three months prior to its commencement and were prepared to switch to cannabinoids as an
alternative. It has been called South Africa’s first real-world study of medicinal cannabis and
researchers expect it will provide much-needed insight into the link between cannabis genetics and
patient outcomes. The chemovars or baseline plant species currently being used in the study were
sourced from Labat’s Sweetwater Aquaponics in the Eastern Cape, which is licensed by SAHPA.

A further Labat subsidiary, Labat Botanicals, has already started setting up an R&D facility in Lesotho,
where it aims to maximise the potential of cannabis as a medicinal input both on the African
continent and around the world.

“Through the use of world-class scientific processes, strategic partnerships with market leaders, the
best available medical skills, advanced technologies and new formulations, cannabis can have many
applications in medicine and healthcare,” says van Rooyen.

Labat’s long-term vision is to become the leading Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and medical
cannabis oils company in Africa through its commitment to investing in the right people, leading
technologies and a future-focused shareholder wealth-creation strategy. Labat Botanicals will, at his
point, focus on producing medicinal-grade cannabis flower, THC and CBD oils, a range of
concentrates, and a comprehensive range of APIs.

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A virtuous cycle of development
In addition to this, Labat is lobbying for the equitable participation of small-scale cannabis farmers in
the growing of medical-grade cannabis as well as hemp for use in industrial applications. This is in
line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the National Framework for
Sustainable Development.

“The growing and processing of medical-grade cannabis will benefit the people of South Africa and
neighbouring countries in so many ways,” says van Rooyen. “From empowering small-scale farmers
and creating jobs in the formal sector to providing natural, less risky and invasive treatments for a
range of medical conditions, we see a properly regulated sector as creating a virtuous cycle of
health, wellness and socio-economic development.”

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