Zimbabwe has officially legalized the cultivation of cannabis with the government making public a licensing regime to allow interested producers to secure a permit.
The country’s Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa in a Government Gazette on Friday said the licensing regime is to allow for the “Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use Regulations.”
The licensing regime regulation reads that “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.”
“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),” the regulation reads.
The regulation also revealed that “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).”
State-owned newspaper The Herald reported that 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, including the risk of cannabis being diverted to an illicit market use.
The producer licence will be valid for five years and may be renewed thereafter before its expiry.
Zimbabwe had previously outlawed the production and use of marijuana and possession of the drug had attracted sentences of up to 12 years in jail.
Lesotho in 2017 granted its first licences for marijuana production, it was the first African country to do so.
Source: Africafeeds.com
