Government has suspended the licensing and growing of
marijuana — popularly known as mbanje.
Last month, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration
gazetted licence fees for those interested in growing cannabis (mbanje) for
research and medicinal purposes.
This was seen as part of strategies to shore up revenue
flows to the depressed fiscus.
The development, which had divided opinion in the hugely
polarised southern African nation, had made Zimbabwe the second country in
Africa to legalise cultivation of the plant after the tiny kingdom of Lesotho
announced the continent’s first licence to grow cannabis legally last year.
Until now, it had been illegal to grow, possess or use
cannabis in Zimbabwe, with offenders facing up to 12 years in jail.
But in an interview with the Daily News on Sunday last
Thursday, deputy Finance minister Terrence Mukupe said the licensing of the
dangerous high-street value drug had been put on ice to enable government to
plug loopholes that might arise in future.
Mukupe revealed there has been an overwhelming response to
the licences, with over 350 applications being made to the Medicines Control
Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), which is responsible for protecting public and
animal health by ensuring that accessible medicines and allied substances and
medical devices are safe, effective and of good quality through enforcement or
adherence to standards by manufacturers and distributors.
“All the applications had been submitted to MCAZ, but what
has since happened is that MCAZ has put everything on hold,” he said, adding “
. . . the response was quite overwhelming”.
“MCAZ has put on hold licensing until they are pretty clear
in terms of all the modalities like; how do we actually implement?” Mukupe
said.
He said government needed to conduct a “proper feasibility
study” first.
“When I was talking to the deputy minister of Agriculture,
he told me that they had over 350 applications. The expectations of most of the
applicants was that they will be allowed to grow mbanje on their farms, and
then there is so much difference in terms of what people are asking for . . .
we had a Dutch investor whose proposal was saying that all he needed was 60
hectares and out of 60 hectares he was talking of making as much as $100
million to $200 million annually, and then we have another investor who was
saying that he needs 10 000 hectares and out of 10 000 hectares he was talking
of making about $100 million to $200 million as well. There is too much of a
difference.”
“What has to be done on our side as government is probably
to have a proper feasibility study and have experts telling us what’s actually
the truth . . . when you go over the 350 applications the difference in numbers
and what they are talking about; it’s crazy,” Mukupe said.
However, the deputy Finance minister said “there is
definitely money to be made from mbanje farming”.
“If anything, it could end up being a billion-dollar crop
for us within probably a four, five-year period, easily. But the president is
clear that if we are going to carry this out, it has to be in a
highly-controlled environment,” he said, further stating, “and probably we have
to carry out the farming of marijuana on State-owned farms for easier
regulation and also away from people. Places like Gwebi College where there is
no neighbourhood and they have got the land...areas like Kushinga Pikhelela
where there is land and it’s in the middle of nowhere . . . your prison farms
like Mazowe Prison Farm . . . those sort of areas that’s where it will be ideal
to grow something like that”.
The five-year renewable licences will allow growers to
possess, transport and sell fresh and dried cannabis as well as cannabis oil.
Applications should include plans of the growing site,
quantity to be produced and sold and the production period.
A licence can be refused when information has been received
from a “peace officer, a competent authority or the United Nations that an
applicant was involved in the diversion of a controlled substance or precursor
to an illicit market or use”, the regulations said.
“The minister may not oblige if the issuance, renewal or
amendment of the licence is likely to create a risk to public health, safety or
security.”
According to the Government Gazette issued by Health and
Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa, mbanje growers would be required to pay
an annual return fee of $15 000, while an application to renew a producer’s
licence will cost $20 000 and a licence to conduct research on cannabis had
been pegged at $5 000.
An application for renewal of a licence to conduct research
on cannabis will cost $2 500, application for variation or amendment of a
licence $2 500, application for import/export licence $5 000 and inspection
licence $2 500.
“An application for the issue of a licence in terms of
section 27 of the Act shall be made to the minister, in duplicate and shall be
accompanied by the appropriate fee and three copies of a plan of the site
proposed to be licensed which shall comply with the requirement specified in
these regulations,” the gazette said.
“In case of an individual, proof of citizenship or proof of
being ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe or proof of an exemption by the minister
(will be required).
“In the case of a company, proof of citizenship or proof of
being ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe of the majority of directors or proof of
an exemption by the minister and proof of incorporation in Zimbabwe of the
company; and a declaration, signed and dated by the proposed authorised person
in charge, stating that the authorised person in charge, the proposed
responsible person in charge and, if applicable, the proposed alternate
responsible person in charge, are familiar with the provisions of the Act (will
be required),” it said.
Zimbabwe has been debating legalisation of medicinal
cannabis production as the government seeks new revenue streams for its
agricultural economy.
Last year, Obert Mpofu, the then Investment Promotion
minister, said a Canadian firm had applied to the government for a permit to
produce the drug in planned special economic zones designed to lure foreign
investors.
Zimbabwe is already one of southern Africa’s biggest
tobacco producers, exporting much of its crop to China.
Africa is second only to the Americas in terms of
production and consumption of marijuana, according to the United Nations’ 2017
World Drug Report.
Marijuana’s (scientific name is Cannabis sativa) leaves,
seeds, stems and/or roots are consumed by marijuana users for the purpose of
feeling intoxicated.
THC, or tetrahydrocannibinol, is one of the hundreds of
compounds within marijuana that has major intoxicating effects.
Marijuana that is consumed for medical purposes, like for
patients with nausea or poor appetite associated with Aids or cancer treatment,
is legal in a few states of the United States.
Possession of marijuana, regardless of its purpose, is
illegal in most jurisdictions.
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal substance
worldwide.
While the number of people who use marijuana at any one
time does not seem to have recently increased, the number of people who have a
marijuana-related disorder has risen significantly. This is more or less true
depending on age and ethnic group.
Medical marijuana, also called marinol (Dronabinol), is a
synthetic form of marijuana.
There are many ways of referring to marijuana itself, as
well as for how it is smoked.
The history of marijuana goes back for thousands of years.
It was only made illegal in many countries during the 20th century. Daily News
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