Why Legalization of Marijuana is the Future of Africa Economy

Researchers reveal that 250 acreage of marijuana plantation is worth billions of dollars, the amount that cannot be produced with any other cash crop. Multiple reports indicate that the drug is one of the ingredients in numerous medical drugs found across the globe.

Marijuana researchers confirm that the drug that is banned in many countries around the world is also used to make paper currencies and textile products. 

According to Foreign Policy blog, Africa requires cannabis to spur economic growth. Legalizing marijuana would create many jobs and increase tax revenue across the African continent. Marijuana growth will shift the overreliance of revenue generated from exportation of cash crops such coffee, cocoa, tea, maize and cotton among others.

The Rastafari Society of Kenya filed a case in the High Court on Monday seeking to uplift the ban on marijuana. The Rastafari religious sect claims that marijuana is their spiritual sacrament, adding that it can also be used for medicinal purposes and leisure.

The Rastafari society bashed those condemning their sacred plant. The sect led is seeking court’s intervention to have the ‘herb’ legalized for scriptural redemption and deliverance. Former Kibra MP the late Ken Okoth introduced a Bill to Kenyan Parliament seeking the legalization of marijuana. 

The petition seeking to legalize marijuana was filed at Milimani Law Courts by Rastafari Society of Kenya and Mwendwa Wambu. 

In the petition, they argue that the followers and believers of the Rastafari belief use marijuana in the form of smoking, eating, drinking, bathing and burning of incense for culinary, medicinal, spiritual and ceremonial purposes.

The group further revealed that they have been marginalized for a long time, making them politically weak. 

Africa Countries that have Legalized Marijuana

Most African countries have prohibited the use of marijuana in any form. However, there are a few countries which have legalized the cultivation and even consumption of Marijuana. 

African countries which have legalized bhang production are Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, eSwatini, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana.

Lesotho was the first Africa country to provide legal licenses to grow cannabis followed by Zimbabwe. Rwanda became the latest country in the list of decriminalizing marijuana.

Kenya is among the many countries in Africa which have prohibited the use of marijuana in any way. Media reports indicate that more than 3.5 million Kenyans use marijuana. 

Policies regarding the use of marijuana are guided by three United Nations treaties, which include the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. 

Many States in US have legalized the possession and cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana. Earlier this year, the US government, for the first time in 50 years, approved growers of marijuana, widening the scope to research on the drug’s medical value. 

No Holy Book Condemns Marijuana

It is argued that there is no single holy book that condemns the use of marijuana. The Rastafari Society of Kenya argued that the ban was not linked to any form of abuse, an argument that justified its ‘religious connection’. 

Scientific researcher Gwanda Ogot notes that: “Marijuana has been used for spiritual purposes from the very beginning. There is no single holy book whether it’s the bible or Koran that condemns marijuana.”