LUSAKA – An opposition political party in Zambia says if elected into office it would legalise the cultivation of marijuana to boost the drug’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Currently, cultivation and selling of marijuana was prohibited under Zambian laws.
And the country’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), said allowing the cultivation of marijuana would encourage drug abuse in the country.
Peter Sinkamba, the Green Party presidential candidate said during the launch of his party in southern Zambia’s Livingstone city, that his government would repeal the law that prohibited the cultivation and selling of drugs like marijuana and encouraged its growth in restricted high security zones.
“We are going to ensure that the marijuana is exported to countries where the use is regulated and legalised.”
“We have done a research as the Green Party and we have established that in certain countries in Europe, especially in the Netherlands and Belgium, there is licensed consumption of marijuana,” he added.
Sinkamba said it was an open secret that some commercial farmers in the country were allegedly cultivating the herb and making a lot of profit from exporting it.
He said it was not correct for authorities to continue arresting people cultivating the drug, rather government should put in place measures to ensure that its growth and export was properly organised.
In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalise the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana.
Other countries such as Canada, the Netherlands and Israel have legal programme for growing medical marijuana but do not allow cultivation of marijuana for recreational use. (Xinhua/NAN)
