Zimbabwe plants first legal cannabis

The Zimbabwe Industrial Hemp Trust (ZIHT) and British firm Eco Equity have planted the first legal cannabis crop. The companies can grow cannabis after paying a license of about US$46, 000 each.

The first steps in the decriminalization of cannabis were taken by the country in 2018. The move was made to capitalize on the opportunities that exist in the multibillion-dollar industry.

Six varieties of industrial cannabis have been planted on a 10-hectare site belonging to the Harare Central Prison on the eastern outskirts of the capital. The country’s Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Minister, Perrance Shiri, attended the event.

“This project is the first of its kind in the history of our country,” he stated.

“This pilot project will provide essential knowledge or information for the successful production of this crop. The benefits that will be derived from the production of industrial hemp are enormous and varied.”