A four – point landscape analysis on getting government back on track regarding the Cannabis debate.

By Gloria Ndoro-Mkombachoto

It is always a breath of fresh air when government acknowledges publicly that they made public a policy that they had poorly conceived. It was a relief and reassuring hearing from government that the policy direction they had issued hardly three weeks ago, decriminalising cannabis cultivation, which had been generally well received by the public, was ill-conceived and therefore incomplete.

Government announced that they needed to go back to the drawing board because they had not conducted enough consultations, nor done adequate research, the basis of which they would draw their own parameters for the issuance of licences. As Alexander Pope said “to err is human, to forgive divine”.

We hope the consultation and research process is well underway and as the issuance of licences to grow this wonderful and multi-healing medicinal plant has been put on ice, its decriminalisation stays in place. Herb.co in a March 9 2018 report written by Michelle Janikian sufficiently defines the differences. “What is decriminalisation? Unlike legalising weed for recreational or medicinal use, decriminalisation makes it so that the possession for “personal use” the cannabis is no longer a punishable offence.” But having done so, those with the licences to grow and consume recreationally must do so at home within their private spaces.

Throughout the world, governments have tried to criminalise the growth, use and sale of cannabis also known marijuana, but when it is deeply ingrained in people’s traditions, cultures, spirituality and for recreational use and economic benefit, it becomes difficult to monitor, limit and control.

Cannabis has been illegal in Zimbabwe for centuries yet it is grown illegally across the country for recreational use and remains an important source of income for many families.

What is known throughout the world is, when you legalise cannabis and allow for its growing for recreational use within the precincts of one’s home, its black market price plummets and so does the market for its illegal trading.

So as the authorities get their act together, it might be advisable that they proceed to issue licences specifying the square metres for home cultivation and private use only. The licences must be a mere formality and be handed out quickly and swiftly so that there is a critical mass in the country growing cannabis for recreational use.

Below are some landscape thinking points to get government back on track without delay so that the decriminalisation of cannabis and the issuance of licences are resumed without delay.

• Tolerance levels for cannabis for all uses vary, but it deepens on varieties consumed

There is no doubt that cannabis causes psychosis in some, not all people. In fact, those who cannot handle cannabis oil for medicinal reasons are advised to take it just before bed. On the whole, that is no reason not to legitimise it everywhere for medical and recreational use. But government needs to be well-versed on the different varieties available, the source of the seeds and the difference between those for commercial and recreational use. For that reason, the government does not need to waste time and money doing a feasibility study. It can piggy-back on the experience and track record of other countries. For example, sources of vital information could include India, Afghanistan, Lesotho, South Africa, the United States of America, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and the Netherlands to just name a few, as indicated in the Table 1 below:

Table 1

#

Countries with the largest hectares under cultivation
Cannabis Use
Status
Legal/
Illegal

#
Countries that consume the largest cannabis