The Zambian government has finally approved a proposal to legalize the production of Marijuana.
The production of Marijuana in Zambia will, however, be restricted to exports and for medical purposes only.
Companies wishing to trade in Marijuana in Zambia will be charged US$250,000 annual license fees.
Only successful bidders will be issued with commercial licenses to grow and trade in Marijuana for exports.
The licenses will be issued by the Ministry of Health while the growth of the crop will be strictly supervised by the Zambia National Service.
The move was unanimously approved during last Wednesday’s cabinet meeting at State House.
This was confirmed by highly placed officials at Cabinet Office who could not be identified as they are not authorized to speak to the media.
“Cabinet approved the Cab Memo submitted by Health Minister Dr Chilufya for Marijuana legalization but for medicinal purposes. What is interested is that during that cabinet meeting, there were attempts by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture working with Ministry of Commerce to take over the whole process of issuing licenses from the Ministry of Health who have been pushing this agenda for some time,” the source said.
“It appears this whole process was backed by some rich organizations and companies who have been promised licenses that is why there was jostling about where the responsibility to administer this would sit, finally a vote was taken and the Ministry of Health won.”
Africa’s legal cannabis industry could be worth more than $7.1 billion annually by 2023 if legislation is introduced in some of the continent’s major markets, according to research from The African Cannabis Report, the first detailed report on the legal cannabis industry in Africa.
While African cannabis industries have great potential, cannabis remains illegal throughout Africa except for in Lesotho.
I was hoping if push came to shove, GRZ would exclusively use ZNS to grow and manage this cannabis project. Using private investors at $250000 already brings in foreigners and it will be like copper with no control by Zambians
They should have nationalised production under ZAFFICO and ZNS.
Anyway, it’s PF thugs to benefit anyway, just like Mukula.
I totally agree. It must be ZNS to grow and export. Why do we want crumbs all of the time instead of real bread. What is $250,000 per her when $1bn can be realized for Government coffers. The amount we are crying for from IMF can be realized from one ZNS farm. Leafs wake up and do the right thing.
This a good move that should be left to the Zambian private sector and nor state run institutions like ZNS, for crying out loud ZNS cant even manage maize fields or chicken runs and which state owned company is profitable? ZNBC?
Sinkamba has been beaten to his ideas by PF!
I thought so as well.GRZ must play a pivotal role in the cultivation and export of marijuana.If done through licensing, the marijuana trade will soon be dominated and controlled by foreigners who have financial power and all the proceeds will be externalised as usual.This is an excellent move to get much needed foreign currency from a non traditional export to spur the Kwacha strength.
@Mr Kudos, Sinkamba has not been beaten. He just put forward a good idea which the PF has adopted
Point ..we just don’t know why our government can’t just manage projects on it’s on…investors come to gather money en leave ,leaving the poor Zambians with nothing..wake up zambia…they have stolen enough from us..
This is what desperation can do. A bankrupt government implementing things without thoroughly thinking through. Anyway, let me pop some popcorn and wait for the scandals to start.
The ministry of agricultural is the one that issues export certificates of any crop grown in Zambia. Wat is the interest of the ministry of health in this matter? I it because they smell money and want to pretend to be specialists in crop production and soil science?
These producers or exporters should be supplied by the poor people whom you have been throwing into dangeons.Can there also be an amnesty to release all those poor people languishing in jails ….decongest the prisons…
The credit goes to President Sinkamba.
But from this report about cabinet jostling, looks like another lucrative Mukula trading project and “more money in your pockets”. I wonder why they didn’t award the licensing authority to the ministry of lands, they seem to be good at Mukula tree.
Sinkamba should have a cut of $250 pin. He advocated for this
Drug dealers like lungu have seen an opportunity. Cocaine ain’t selling any more
The legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is a welcome move my only worry is the leadership under which it has been legalized, it would have been better to wait for 2021 so that such an issue can be done under a more responsible leadership not this one under PF, mark my words you shall here more scandals in PF as a result of this legalization because PF is totally irresponsible. AS WE SPEAK I BELIEVE FILES ARE ALREADY MOVING UNDER THE TABLE AND BANK ACCOUNTS ARE ALREADY FATTENING. FINDLICALLY.
Congratulations to Government on this move and kudos to brother Peter Sinkamba for pushing this agenda vigorously. Reading widely about this plant, it has numerous benefit that can contribute positively to the economy.
Mr President kindly appoint Mr Sinkamba as chair to advisory body of this great initiative. Zambia is ours and shall be great again.
Well thought through. Sinkamba should be the man to lead this project.
Yes credit to Shinkama, not forgetting the legandry Peter McIntosh (aka Peter Tosh)!
Sinkamba has been vindicated by this development.
It is so sad that it has taken 6 years from the time President Sinkamba embarked on vigorous unwavering campaign for Zambia to come to the realization that cannabis legalization is a lucrative economy turn around. He even went up to as far as the Court of Appeal to push his licence. Government should Grant him his licence or otherwise pay him royalties for intellectual property rights
I couldn’t agree more.
Simkamba …., congratulations for advocacy, however, the $250,000 is not fine please also involve Zambians by reducing it to a minimal subscription. This will help small scale farmers to pull through in their business.
May Peter Sinkamba be blessed with many more years to come so that he continues with his progressive checks and balances.This is purely his brain child and he had to take Chitalu Chilufya in his capacity as Minister of Health to court where he explained the economic benefits of Marijuana and lamented how much Zambia was losing out.He did not wait for the Green party to be in power. May the good Lord bless him abundantly.
Zambia will only benefit a fraction of this
Income as mostly foreigners and cadres
Will get the bigger share.Its another mukula deal.
Long time coming, now can we please discard DEC as soon as possible, they are a drain to our resources. Free all the marijuana prisoners and give more space to the pioneers of this cause…the Rastafarians and brother Peter Sinkamba for the fight. One love!!
Hemp plastic is nothing new. Hemp was indispensable to the very first plastics due to its high cellulose content. The famous car manufacturer Henry Ford swore by the plant: “Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?”
In 1941 Ford produced a prototype that showed the great potential of hemp used in combination with innovative technology. The car’s body was made from a plastic composite which consisted of 70% hemp fibre mixed with straw and sisal. Ford demonstrated the strength of the hemp composite by beating the car with a club and leaving no dents in the bodywork.
From 1942, a year after Ford’s prototype was drawn up,…
Nonsense . Why only allow foreigners to Come and grow Dobo.Whst do ZNS produce and why all the secrecy. I bet the Religious minister will keep her temper and bless the venture
This would have been a very good business venture for the govt and not involve any foreign companies. This is were we always go wrong as a govt by thinking others should invest and we get some little incentives for licenses. Do we really have to look outside for everything to happen in the country? We have many examples to learn from, the mining industry we are being ripped off because we have given them away and it is high time certain business are govt controlled and owned. This is quite alarming that already they are fighting amongst each other who should do what and what regarding this issues, because they are simply interested in the proceeds. I do not think the ministry of health alone is capable of taking of this issues. How does the health issues the licenses and ZNS enforce it?…
But ifwe amano yanono sana…surely people have been growing this crop for years on end….and you talking of investors to come and exploit this resource again without giving value to our people…. Kanshi what’s wrong with us aai????everything unless white skin to do, will forever be enslaved to a white skin….ala bane we can do these things ourselves!
Why should it be only investor’s
When there people out their who
Can control the growth of marijuana,
I’m talking about Zambians the problem with
Our country we look outside the box
Instead of just looking within what we have,
Cause marijuana can improve the economy state 10 times than it is currently
Only if we gave a chance to the locals ,cause licences can be issued to any individual for a period of time and obviously a license expires and has to be renewed….ZRA comes in,the money remains in the country
I’m sure Peter Sinkamba is happy by now. My question now is; What does this mean for DEC??
Its purely weed for the Chinese
It’s clear that this business isn’t for the locals, I don’t know how many can raise that money for the license. My appeal to the Ministry of Commerce is to workout possibilities of out grower schemes. That’s what can benefit locals. The only problem is that everything in the PF is porous. This decision has been made at lightening speed! It’s clear that it wasn’t on the plans but that somebody well-connected has influenced it. It won’t be good to hear what Kambwili said about friends of friends and the Gulf Stream. We’ll wait and see. We are a Christian nation whose leaders are questionable characters
Now that the West has legalized Marijuana you are pretending to be independently doing so yourselves. Kwena bu cifita li tipu sana ati!? We have been asking you to legalize the spliff and make monies for your cash strapped selves for ages! Ba kabwa!
Moderating my comment? Why? Just plant a tree in your residence as one guy sang. Mwe ba kapususu mwe!
BE CAREFUL ZAMBIANS!!
K@!zar will bully Z.N.S to hand over their BEST QUANTITY LUBANJE’ & once high on the stuff, he will yasha anyone crossing his path Tukopo twa Ngozi.
DANGER PA MSEWO!!
You’ve been warned.
Presidential ChallengerJet getting ready to courier illegal supply of Zambian Quality Mbanje to the world’s Black market!
Meantime V.al.d.e.n, is licking his lips, & rubbing his Narco palms in anticipation!
Ni twalya again, more Campaign funds, “since ba I.M.F balesabaila Sana”.
Great move!Let us make money
Kudos to the legends Bob Marley, Peter Tosh (MTSRIP) and the Rastafarian movement for relentlessly championing the cause
It is not clear about the illegal implication of being in possession of the stuff. Countless villagers have been prosecuted for being in possession of the stuff. Will it continue to be illegal to being in possession or even cultivating the stuff?
Is the $250,000 License fee for foreign companies or Zambians also? In Zambian Kwacha terms, this is K3,750,000 at K15 to a USD! With the prevailing high interest rates, no bank can loan such money to an ordinary Zambian company for the venture. This means Zambians will continue being spectators in their economy! Secondly, where will Zambia sell its Marijuana? We can forget about our AGOA facility because of the diplomatic war we have carelessly started. China is quite self-sufficient with Marijuana needs. And from the look of things, it’s only the Mukula Family who will be able afford the license fees! If the US decides to impose Sanctions on the Mukula family, we’ll still be losers as a country!
Well, if this news is true,i find it quite amusing at how we have suddenly forgotten we are a “christian nation” ..our funny Christianity is strangely selective, i wonder who the buyers of the marijuana will be,Americans? ..and a license fee of 250,000 usd? general license of a normal country is 15,000 usd..but for the 11 th poorest country in the universe to charge that amount? is that not already a sign that there is a predetermined list of growers in the pipeline already?
I have some questions. What are they going to export? Raw marijuana or processed ? How do you ensure that it is for medical purposes only? How are you going to monitor THC and CBD levels to ensure that it is not super strength marijuana? These are serious issues!
I need a prescription…. For medical purposes only.
I cannot read anywhere they are saying that marijuana has been approved for medical use in Zambia. They have approved export of the weed to countries where it is legal for medical use. There are not so many countries where it is legal for medical use. How do we ensure that it does not end up in countries where they will smoke it like skunks?
If this news is true, I don’t for once think this was well thought out, like most ‘projects’ under PF. What is more frightenening is under whose watch this will be. A PF govt. Levels of theft and corruption have already been raised – what with the jostling for the issuance of licences (nchekeleko) I also think the whole lot must have smoked the weed before they made the decision.
Muna not everything is police mbanje is real business now. So relax just
Even smoking should be legalized. Government can put up shops like in the Netherlands where those that smoke can purchase from. This way Government can and local people can earn some income. If people are allowed to smoke tobacco that causes cancer, Marijuana should be sold locally, so that those that smoke can smoke freely, period
Social media at work kachepa kikikikikiki
If it is true that this has been legalised by a Christian nation, then churches should start encouraging their members to wake up, grow this mbanje, export and make money.
Homosexuality – not in a Christian Nation.
Marijuana – okay for export and medicinal use. What has changed you hypocrites?
Bars and Tarvens and drunkenness – okay
Sex worker parades along Addis Ababa drive – okay.
Ubuchende – okay
Corruption and Ulya Mwibala – okay
Mukula theft – okay.
Hate Speech against HH and Tongas – okay.
Very confusing Christian Nation indeed!
Ba Minister of Guidance, what is your guidance? Zambia is quite nauseating!
People thought Sinkamba was suffering from reveries but he his idea has work. But can the government fail to run this project? Why calling for expatriate bidders? Let’s learn to do certain things ourselves
What makes you Zambians think our Zambian mududu or lubanje will be the most sought after? Bots exports beef, the same beef we can’t even move from district to district due to diseases, now we think on one we will meet phytosanitary conditions desired.
This is a positive move by the Zambian government, well done.
Mwalitemwisha sana ifyamba imwe!
How does this benefit the Zambian people directly…..what about the small scale farmers.$250000 applies to the already rich or you also want to inpower everyone?
PF: FAILED PROJECTS
1. Goats export to Saudi Arabia (failed project)
2. Marijuana export to Unknown Destination??? (another to fail project)
3. Importing of Crude Oil from Saudi Arabia (failed project)
4. Importing of Electricity Power from South Africa (failed project)
PF: Successful Projects
1. Purchase of Presidential Private Jet ($65 million USA Dollars)
2. Purchase of Transport planes for local use by President Lungu (Millions of Dollars)
3. Exportation of Mukulu trees by Lungu and his Cartel (Millions of Dollars)
4. Sale of Black Lechwe to Private Ranches (Millions of Dollars)
5. Purchase of Salaula firefighting trucks from USA(Millions of Dollars)
6. Exporting of maize to neighboring Countries when Zambia has a shortage of mealie
meal
7. Evacuation of useless…
Cont…..
7. Evacuation of useless Politicians for special treatment in South Africa (Millions of Dollars)
8. Construction of 47/49 mansions in Lusaka, owners identity hidden (Millions of Dollars)
9. Over 100 hundred trips per year by Edgar Lungu (Millions of Dollars)
The list goes on and on. What a tragedy