The Cannabis Africana: Drugs and Development in Africa research project, based at the Universities of Bristol and Cape Town, examined the impact of changing policies on the rights and livelihoods of people in the cannabis trade. It empirically explored the relationship between cannabis, cannabis policy and livelihoods in Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, as well as in the wider regional context. In Zimbabwe the project has primarily done work in Chiredzi (South), Binga (North-west) and Harare, conducting interviews, ethnographic and archival research on the history of cannabis in Zimbabwe. These sites offer diverse insights into cannabis cultivation, rural practices, and urban dynamics, providing a comprehensive understanding of cannabis in the country.
The Cannabis Africana team value co-production of policy knowledge, and promotion of inclusive debates and experiences. On 24 October 2023 we co-hosted a Cannabis Policy Workshop at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe, with our local partner, Kutsaga Research. The workshop provided a platform for inclusive dialogue involving policymakers, cannabis regulators, researchers, government officials, drug policy advocates, cannabis famers and industry insiders, community leaders and members. The focus was legal cannabis markets that emerged since 2018 following the legalisation of cannabis production for medicinal and industrial purposes.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Professor Obert Jiri, gave the keynote speech while Dr Frank Magama, the CEO for Kutsaga Research, a government institute mandated to conduct cannabis research and development, gave the opening remarks.
The discussions zoomed into the key challenges facing the industry and offered suggestions on how those can be addressed. The main challenges identified and deliberated on for the legal markets are:
- The license fees are very high and unaffordable for many aspiring farmers, especially for medicinal cannabis (US$50,000 to US$60,000). While hemp licenses are relatives lower, ranging between US$200-US$700, they are still high for many farmers in the prevailing challenging economic conditions.
- Regulatory challenges
- Banks not willing or hesitant to provide loans to cannabis farmers due to the crop still being regulated through the dangerous drugs framework. It was noted that the moment banks see the terms dangerous drugs on the the license certificate they lose interest for fear of jeopardising their businesses, especially in international markets.
- The production setup and conditions for medicinal cannabis is very costly. For example, the requirements around use of greenhouses etc. Our research has shown that many cannabis farmers have struggled to set up production despite acquiring licenses. It was noted at the workshop that, for instance, of the 57 license holders at that point, only about 7 would qualify for license renewal at the end of their license terms. However, the farmers were critical of such an assessment from the regulators, pinning most of the problems and challenges affecting them on the policy framework and its implementation, as well as the market conditions.
- There is limited availability of international markets. Legally, cannabis is grown for exports as there is no local demand/market currently.
Among the suggestions on the way forward was the need for policy discussions to include other key Ministries such as Finance. The farmers argued that was necessary for them to understand the challenges cannabis farmers face, especially with banks, to ensure solutions are put in place. Others argued for the need to reduce license fees to ensure broader participation into legal markets. They pointed out that license fees should not be used as screening mechanism, but that the success of the industry depends on broader participation and availability of markets.
In summary, the workshop was very successful and participants indicated the need for more engagements and working together among stakeholders.
A co-produced policy brief, with Kutsaga Research, is being finalised, based on discussions from the workshop and our research in Zimbabwe.
You can see some of the photos from the workshop below.
