The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has suggested that THC levels in edibles be standardized to between 5 mg and 10 mg. The organization says it’s time to think critically about the public health ramifications of legalization, particularly regarding consumer safety and the protection of children.

The SAMRC says it does not make sense to ban all cannabis-containing products as there are health benefits as well as potential harms to be considered.

In a statement released on 7 April 2025, the SAMRC says the recreational use of cannabis as allowed by the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act raises a number of public health concerns.

“One of these was around edible cannabis products which may be particularly appealing to children and younger adolescents, who may (accidentally or not) consume products containing δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9THC), the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

“While it is often argued that cannabis is safe, there are notable gaps in our understanding. Specifically, although children and adolescents are known to be particularly susceptible to the effects of THC, there is insufficient knowledge about the impact of cannabidiol (CBD), frequently considered the “safe” ingredient, on the developing brain, which continues to mature until approximately 25 years of age.

The SAMRC says it has two major concerns:

• the potential harms cannabis products may have on children: it says  established South African researchers have found evidence of long-lasting neurological changes, cognitive deficits and mental health issues when cannabis is used frequently by young people

• proper regulations and labelling of cannabis products in the interests of consumer safety;

The SAMRC says that although serving sizes of THC (e.g. 10 mg, 20 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg) are supposed to be displayed on packaging, many consumers do not understand these or what an appropriate dosage may be for them.

“These serving sizes also do not take into account the increasing number of strains of cannabis used in edible products, which may have different properties and effects, or the delayed time onset of THC if it is present in these products. This makes measurement of strength challenging despite recent advances in establishing an international standard measure of THC of 5mg, including in edible products”.

The labelling and regulation of products has however not been implemented in South Africa. The SAMRC says that in other countries where recreational cannabis has been legalized, much lower THC limits of products have been set in order to address public health and safety concerns such as the unintentional use of products by children.

"For example, in Canada 10mg of THC per package is the maximum regardless of the number of edible products in the package. In certain states in the USA where cannabis is legalized, the standard unit of 5mg is the maximum amount of THC per serving. Of course, edible products that are made at home cannot be regulated in the same manner."

The SAMRC has three suggestions:

• First, it is imperative to educate people in South Africa on both the benefits and potential harms of using cannabis edibles so that they can make informed decisions to use these products in the safest manner possible. This does not only apply to the purchasing of these products, but also for those adults who choose to make them in their own homes.

  
  

• Second, research using rigorous methods should explore potential benefits of cannabis edible products, including those with CBD-only or hemp as their main ingredient instead of lumping all products into the same category. While this kind of evidence exists predominantly in North America, it is lacking in South Africa, which is currently in a unique position in attempting to curb cannabis edibles but allow for the recreational use of cannabis.

  
  

• Third, additional work on policy around standardizing limits of THC in particular in edible cannabis products to levels between 5 and 10 mg should be seriously considered. Related to this, labelling of these products should be clear and easy to understand, especially for cannabis-naïve individuals and/or children, adolescents and older adults. Only then should we make conclusions about the so-called dangers of edibles, which may be completely different depending on ingredients in South Africa.

  
  

The SAMRC says the blanket ban was not the right approach to cannabis and edibles as there are proven benefits in some cases.

This is an excerpt from the SAMRC:

“It is important to disentangle the different ingredients of cannabis products before making a blanket ban on all of them. For example, products containing hemp seeds which can be used to make flour and oils rich in essential fatty acids and proteins have been found to have an exceptional high nutritional value and even produce economically viable livestock feed. 

Products containing CBD only, or a combination of THC and CBD, have been somewhat associated with positive medical outcomes among adults. At least some evidence, although not conducted in studies with rigorous methods, show alleviation of common mental health symptoms, pain reduction and increased appetite or decreased nausea for people with chronic illnesses.

Edible cannabis products are generally also viewed as less harmful and even advocated for from a harm reduction perspective given that oral ingestion decreases the risk of infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, due to comprised pulmonary defenses when smoked.

While there are no known studies conducted in South Africa, in terms of those individuals who present at treatment with cannabis as their primary substance of use, there is a higher proportion who report smoking cannabis daily and for those that report eating or drinking cannabis products, this varies in frequency.

Research conducted in other countries, such as a recent study conducted in Canada found that people surveyed preferred edible products, with 65% of those sampled indicating a preference for sweets."

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