One of the latest victims of brand-theft is the Synergy Group’s healthcare division, Synergy Wellness, one of South Africa’s leading medical-cannabis services providers, which has been targeted by counterfeiters in the past.
Bags of recreational cannabis (pictured here), clumsily labelled with counterfeit Synergy branding, were recently found at retail stores in the Eastern Cape. The fake packaging mimicked the company’s legitimate medical line, including unauthorised use of its logo and product names — an act that could mislead the public into believing the products are medically approved.
Synergy Wellness CEO Jon Hodes says the group operates within the strict confines of the Medicines and Related Substances Act (Act 101 of 1965).
“It’s extremely concerning to see counterfeit cannabis products in the market falsely carrying our name and logo,” he told Cannabiz Africa on 16 October 2025.
“Synergy operates strictly under Section 21 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act. Our medical products are made available only through authorised healthcare practitioners to registered patients. The items discovered have no connection to us whatsoever — they appear to be recreational-market products repackaged to imitate legitimate medical brands.”
Hodes says these matters have been reported to law-enforcement and regulatory authorities and Synergy continues to cooperate fully with investigations.
“Our genuine medical products are dispensed only to approved patients, through licensed channels, and our packaging complies with all SAHPRA requirements. If a product claiming to be ours is sold openly or without a doctor’s authorisation, it’s not a genuine Synergy product.”
The appearance of fake Synergy bags underscores a broader pattern of illicit trade in unregulated cannabis products — often marketed through social media and informal outlets. Industry insiders estimate there are over 6 000 unregulated retail points across South Africa, many blurring the line between hemp, CBD, and high-THC cannabis.
Although South Africa has a clear regulatory framework for the medical and complementary-cannabis sectors, enforcement remains uneven — particularly against illegal retailers and counterfeit supply chains.
Arrie Coetzee, Responsible Pharmacist within the Synergy Group, emphasised the importance of compliance and traceability in safeguarding patients and consumers.
“All Synergy products are manufactured and distributed under SAHPRA permits and in accordance with Good Manufacturing and Good Distribution Practices,” Coetzee explained.
“Counterfeiting of medical-cannabis brands poses serious health and legal risks because those products haven’t undergone the necessary quality, safety, or traceability checks. We’ve encountered isolated cases where our branding or batch numbers were misused, and that’s deeply troubling.”
He says that strengthening collaboration between SAHPRA, SAPS, and provincial inspectorates will help close the space that allows these illegal operators to flourish.
“Internally, we’ve implemented strict batch control and verification systems so that any genuine Synergy packaging can be validated against our central database” he says.
The discovery of these counterfeit products follows similar incidents involving global cannabis brands, such as the misuse of “Mike Tyson 2.0” labels on unauthorised local stock earlier this year — evidence that brand hijacking is not confined to one company or region.
Consumer advocates warn that fake medical-cannabis packaging not only undermines legitimate operators but also exposes consumers to untested and potentially harmful products.
CONSUMER MESSAGE FROM SYNERGY WELLNESS
Synergy Wellness reiterates that it does not sell or endorse recreational cannabis, and that all medical cannabis supplied under its name requires prior Section 21 authorisation. Members of the public who encounter suspicious products are urged to report them to the SAHPRA Inspectorate and Law Enforcement Directorate at inspectorate@sahpra.org.za.
