Recently, there have been cases of people found in possession of the local cannabis sativa (marijuana) which has reignated the debate on whether to legalise it or not.

It should be noted that after Parliament passed the Cannabis Bill, which legalises the growing of industrial hemp, legislators have also asked the government to decriminalise the local cannabis sativa.

Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe heeded the legislator’ saying despite the House passing the industrial hemp Bill, nothing has been implemented as the industrial hemp requires a lot. He acknowledged that government is slowly realising that the local chamba has what it takes for medical care and that it can be legalised.

However, some members of Parliament opposed the idea, arguing that legalising the local hemp would fuel drug and substance abuse among youths whose effects are obvious.

Much as we appreciate this line of thought, it is good to appreciate that when we talk about legalising the crop, it does not mean that there will be no regulations. Laws and regulations will be there. As such, it is the duty of the law enforcers to ensure that regulations and laws that guide the industry are followed. It is, therefore, naïve to call for criminalising of chamba because of a handful of ‘would-be’ lawbreakers.

Currently, the business is operating illegally. Those benefitting at the moment are only those in the business while legalising it would benefit the economy as a whole. The government will be able to get levies from the industry unlike at the moment.

According to a World Bank study on “Ill-gotten Money and the Economy”, Malawi is renowned for growing the best and finest cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) in the world which is commonly cultivated in remote parts of Central and Northern Malawi and internationally it is called “Malawi Gold”.

According to the study, most growers sell their produce from their fields or homes to professional cannabis traffickers who hide the cargo in cars or large trucks or transport it in bags through public transportation to destinations mostly outside Malawi. The study discloses that police roadblocks and border controls are at all cost circumvented and if not, traffickers bribe police or customs officials.

The study calculates that Malawi cannabis has a value of K1.4 billion in its illegal operations. However, the positive effect of the production of cannabis on the overall Malawi economy is negligible because of its illegal operations.

The study further says that cannabis has long been a common crop in Africa and the geographic conditions of Malawi are well-suited for the cultivation of cannabis. In addition, Indian hemp does not require additional farming inputs like fertiliser unlike other cash crops do. This makes it cheap to produce and the prices for cannabis are considerably higher than other tobacco products.

The findings in this study are not a surprise as there are many cases of police intercepting and confiscating bags of Indian hemp. Most of the suspects, in this case, end up paying a fine and the hemp is usually destroyed. 

Selling and cultivating local hemp is prohibited and is punishable in the Penal Code of Malawi because it is in the category of dangerous drugs. However, according to Cannabis Regulatory Authority, it has been proven beyond doubt that there is a huge demand for the local herb for its medicinal purposes for a number of ailments.

Therefore, it is important for government to speed up processes of legalising the cultivation of the local hemp. However, government should tread carefully when giving regulations its cultivation. Let the government put regulations that those cultivating should be at least ordinary Malawians.

When the industrial hemp was legalised in Malawi, the government imposed a very high licence fee that smallholder farmers cannot afford to pay, hence being denied to cultivate. As such, when making regulations for the farming of marijuana, government needs to prioritise the local farmers. 

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