The warning comes as the Vaal chalks up another first in the rapidly-expanding legal medical Cannabis industry in South Africa – but a passionate Cannabis Activist, Monia Muller, is acutely aware of the temptations of cheap and even lethal street dagga.

Emfuleni has one of the biggest legal medical Cannabis growing facilities in Gauteng – already officially recognised and designated by both Provincial and Local Government as a hub of economic and job growth in the impoverished region.

The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) also fully supports Emfuleni medical cannabis growers and has urged Government to give all possible support to create economic growth and jobs in the Vaal.

From Vaal Park, Monia says patients and those using legal medical cannabis as an alternative to potentially-addictive and harmful pharmacological medicine must understand the difference between medical Cannabis and street dagga.

“All the problems and dangers of the illegal narcotics and alcohol trade are to be found in the dagga black market which now wants to exploit the opening up of legal medical cannabis – thus make sure both your prescription and cannabis supply are legal.

“Danger and death could lurk for those using illegally-obtained dagga as a substitute for quality-controlled and purpose-cultivated medical cannabis – you will never know the origin of black market dagga or what it has been soaked in – and that is especially bad news for medical cannabis users with existing medical conditions,”says Monia.

Legal medical Cannabis was thus literally a life-saver for those desperately in need of the natural qualities of this much-misunderstood plant, said Monia.

Monia contrasted stringent regulation of the medical cannabis grower industry – which can only grow cannabis with a Government license and are the only legal providers of prescribed cannabis to medical doctors- with an illegal drug trade concerned only with profit.

Medical cannabis prescriptions are tightly controlled by Government through the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the agency must approve each and every prescription given by doctors in the country.

Another well-known medical Cannabis activist, Kwanda Mtetwa, who works closely with Monia on destigmatising legal cannabis in both the community and workplace, was also one of the first in South Africa to receive a doctor’s prescription for medicinal Cannabis.

“It’s also a brand trust issue – when you go shopping you would always make sure of what any product contains – so don’t make the mistake of thinking illegal dagga is the same as medical cannabis – this can kill you or your loved ones,” said Kwanda.

For more information on legal cannabis medical prescriptions call 060 7 000 000.