Zambia has joined the list of African nations that have legalised or are considering legalising cannabis to some degree.
The country’s spokesperson Dora Siliya on Monday said a special cabinet meeting on December 4, legalised the production and export of cannabis for economic and medicinal purposes.
While this would make Zambia the latest country to shift its position on the drug to give its finances a boost, Siliya’s statement did not make it clear whether the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes in Zambia had been legalised.
The global market for medical cannabis is currently estimated at $150 billion (135 billion euros) and could reach $272 billion in 2028, according to Barclays Bank.
According to reports, Zambia’s motivation for legalising cannabis exports is rooted in a hefty fiscal deficit and growing debt burden. Growth in external debt to $10.5 billion at the end of 2018 from $8.74 billion a year earlier has raised fears the country is headed for a debt crisis.
Zambian opposition Green Party President, Peter Sinkamba, who has been advocating the export of cannabis since 2013, said the move could earn Zambia up to $36 billion annually.
“Depending on how properly this is done, it could just change the face of Zambia’s economy,” Sinkamba told Reuters. “This could be a blessing or a curse, like diamonds and gold, depending on the policy direction.”
Siliya said the government had directed the ministry of health to coordinate the issuance of the necessary licences while a technical committee made up of ministers from a range of departments would come up with guidelines.
Recall that in 2018, South Africa’s constitutional court paved way for the relaxation of laws on drug use and consumption, when it ruled that private use of marijuana, locally referred to as dagga, is not a criminal offence.
Same year, Zimbabwe’s health ministry issued new regulations, allowing individuals and companies to be licensed to cultivate marijuana, known locally as mbanje.
Lesotho has also in 2017 legalised the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes, making it the first African country to do so.