Drugs and Development in Africa
The Cannabis Africana research team joined a network of African researchers from inter alia the West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) in Accra, Ghana in 2023 to discuss recent legal and policy reforms around cannabis.
Cannabis Africana researchers established important and enduring links with other researchers, activists, and stakeholders at the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) conferences in Nigeria.
Dr Simon Howell hosted a Panel Discussion in which Drs Neil Carrier, Gernot Klantschnig, and Clemence Rusenga joined online. The panel discussion outlined the project’s contributions in terms of results, research outputs, and methodological innovations. The unique challenges of conducting research on cannabis in African communities as well as the urgent need for similar projects … Read more
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 … Read more
In a recent opinion piece published in ‘The Conversation’ Neil Carrier analyses the recent policy developments in Kenya where ‘muguka’, a variety of khat, was banned in Mombasa County in May 2024 by its governor Abdulswamad Nassir using his executive powers. The article highlights the ramifications of such a ban on Kenyan politics and the … Read more
Introduction The year 2023 has been an eventful one for the Cannabis Africana: Drugs and Development in Africa project. The project is jointly run by the Universities of Bristol (in the UK) and Cape Town (in South Africa). It is an interdisciplinary study of cannabis in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on its impact on livelihoods as … Read more
Introduction The Cannabis Africana project hosted a Methods Workshop at the University of Cape Town in South Africa from 21-22 November 2022. The first day was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Day 1 Sessions The morning session focused on the project itself, its journey thus far, and some of the emerging findings from the … Read more
INTRODUCTION The subject of drugs and drug markets in Africa is highly debated and contested as a field of research. The organisers of the 24hr Conference on Organised Crime hosted a panel titled ‘Africa and drugs: Rewriting the tale? Presenting the forthcoming JIED Special issue on drugs markets and policies in Africa.’ The conference dates … Read more
Introduction On 30 June 2022 the Cannabis Africana project teamed with the Hidden Narratives project to do a poster presentation at the Bristol Poverty Institute. Our presentation focused on illicit livelihoods in Africa. Specifically, we explored how drug policies reproduces poverty in the African context. For more details on the content check our abstract below. … Read more
The Cannabis Africana: Drugs and Development in Africa project was officially launched on 7 June 2022, at 3PM UK Time. A lot of people had expressed interest to attend the launch, and many did manage to join the online event. As project members, we are grateful for the support we received from colleagues. You can … Read more