Cheeba Cannabis Academy Now Offering CPD Courses for Medical Professionals in South Africa

The Cheeba Cannabis Academy, brought to you by Cheeba Africa, is Africa’s first fully dedicated cannabis education platform. They now have a new addition in the ‘first in SA’ list as they confirm the accreditation of their course for Medical Professionals by the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA), which means that their course now awards Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points. 

Medical professionals, whether it be your regular General Practitioner, a sports physiotherapist or a psychologist, who complete the Cheeba Cannabis Academy 7 module Medical Cannabis CPD online course will now be eligible for 8 HPCSA approved CPD points. The HPCSA and its professional boards are responsible for guiding and regulating the education, training and registration of South Africa’s medical professionals. These professionals need to constantly be aware of changes and progression in the medical sphere, and are required to earn 60 CPD points in any given year by attending and completing various approved medical education programmes. 

This accredited course offers South African healthcare practitioners the most current, complete and comprehensive education on medical cannabis. The Cheeba Cannabis Academy has partnered with Medical Marijuana 41, a US-based cannabis education platform, to bring their medical cannabis educational resources to local shores. Medical Marijuana 411 is a leader in cannabis education with over 800 current, peer-reviewed citations.

The HPCSA accredited course has been localised and tailored for South Africans, while still upholding global cannabis education standards. “Our course is designed to empower SA  physicians involved in the care of patients who are considering medical cannabis as part of their treatment plan,” says Cheeba Africa’s  Co-founder and Business Development Director, Linda Siboto.  “My late father Dr Gordon Siboto was a pioneer in orthopaedic surgery and often remarked that his work was so much about pain management and reducing inflammation. Cannabis is known to be effective with pain management, so I am very passionate about us being able to contribute to the education of medical professionals through our cannabis training. So much human suffering can be relieved if our medical professionals understand, appreciate and support their patients’ use of cannabis as medicine. With the allocation of these CPD points, the HPCSA has now recognised the relevance of cannabis education for our country’s health professionals which is an incredible step forward.”

This course offering from Cheeba Africa covers the latest legal context for the use of medicinal cannabis, the history of the plant and it’s use as a medicine, and how these therapeutic uses are undergoing a resurgence. Healthcare professionals will learn about the human endocannabinoid system and how cannabinoids interact with receptors of this system. They will take a dive into the pros and cons of cannabinoids and their effect on condition symptoms such as anxiety, chronic pain, epilepsy, gastrointestinal disorders, neurodegenerative illnesses, post-traumatic stress and migraines. They will further evaluate existing bodies of research on medicinal cannabis, including opioids versus cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic pain. This online education platform enables doctors and other medical professionals to study and gain their CPD points, from anywhere and at any time. 

Specialist in integrative medicine and health coach, Dr Carmen James, serves on the advisory board at Cheeba Cannabis Academy believes that “This is a fantastic step forward for medical cannabis education and the use of cannabis as medicine in South Africa.  With the focus narrowly on pharmaceuticals at the expense of natural medicines, our doctors and other health practitioners don’t get taught anything in med school about important medicines such as cannabis.  Here’s the opportunity for us to learn how to safely draw on other, often better, options for the benefit of our patients, which is already a norm in many other countries.”

For more information, visit https://cheebaafrica.com/pages/cheeba-academy