This archive report was first published on 16 December 2019.
On December 11, 2019, Zambia's cabinet meeting at State House unanimously approved a proposal to legalize marijuana production, but with specific conditions.
The production of marijuana in Zambia will be restricted to exports and for medical purposes only. Companies wishing to trade in marijuana will be charged a significant annual license fee of $250,000.
Only successful bidders will be issued with commercial licenses to grow and trade in marijuana for exports. The licenses will be issued by the Ministry of Health, while the growth of the crop will be strictly supervised by the Zambia National Service.
According to highly placed officials at the Cabinet Office, the move was backed by rich organizations and companies who have been promised licenses. This led to a jostling over who would administer the process, with the Ministry of Health ultimately winning the vote.
With this development, Africa's legal cannabis industry could be worth more than $7.1 billion annually by 2023, according to research from The African Cannabis Report.
