Zim cannabis growers go underground amid police blitz

While Zimbabwe is looking to capitalise on the lucrative cannabis industry, the average Zimbabwean is forced to cultivate the plant illegally because permits allowing them to do so cost $46,000 (R830,000).

Zimbabwe was among the first countries in Africa to legalise growing cannabis for medical and scientific purposes in 2018, but cannabis laws remain restrictive.

With a licence fee of $46,000, which is only valid for five years, the average Zimbabwean cannot get in on the action. It is illegal to cultivate, possess or produce cannabis without a licence, and penalties include fines or sentences of up to 10 years in prison.

In hostels in Mbare, a suburb of Zimbabwe, which have an estimated population of 70,000 people, cultivating and selling cannabis is a thriving underground business.

Tariro, a small underground cannabis producer there, told TimesLIVE Premium that growing cannabis illegally is a risk he is willing to take.

“I cultivate cannabis as a means of survival. I am struggling to make ends meet and l can’t find a job. l started growing cannabis and I don’t have the money or the resources for a licence.

“The government should allow everyone to grow cannabis and stop arresting us. What l do is illegal; people who come and buy are aware of this. It’s a huge risk because I could be arrested and have my crop destroyed, but it’s a risk l am willing to take because l need the money.”

More than 2,000 Zimbabweans have been arrested since the start of the year on drug-related charges. In January, police arrested a man for allegedly planting 700 marijuana plants at a church in Harare. Earlier this month, a 41-year-old man was arrested for growing 104 marijuana plants in his garden.

I can’t afford to buy products like CBD oil or hemp seed oil. I buy cannabis from people in my community.

—  Linda Boteti

In a recent tweet, government spokesperson Nick Mangwana showed a picture of a woman in handcuffs who was arrested for cultivating cannabis illegally.

“We have to cut the drug supply chain to win this war. Zero tolerance should mean just that. Forty-four-year-old Telmore Kugotsi of Muwaniwa village was handed a one-year prison sentence for cultivating the mbanje (cannabis) crop.  Why not plant maize, cotton or sunflowers like everyone else?” he said.

The arrests have been met with criticism, with analysts saying the government should support the small cannabis growers and reduce licensing costs.

Zimbabwe Industrial Hemp Trust founder Dr Zorodzai Maroveke told TimesLIVE Premium the government is “considering creating opportunities for ordinary Zimbabweans through industrial hemp value chains”.

“To date Zimbabwe has issued more than 60 medical cannabis licences and more than 40 hemp permits. However, execution by the medical cannabis players has been poor due to a number of factors,” she said. 

“Medical Cannabis is an agro-pharmaceutical business that is capital-intensive. This cannot be considered as deliberate socioeconomic exclusion by the policymakers, as the markets dictate standards that influence the costs and standards of production.

“The government of Zimbabwe has and is still considering how to create opportunities for ordinary Zimbabweans through industrial hemp value chains which offer a myriad of opportunities to people with different financial capacity,” she said.

Last year, Zimbabwe allowed all licensed cannabis and hemp producers to sell their products as complementary medicines.

But despite selling these herself, Linda Boteti uses cannabis for pain management and still prefers to buy it illegally.

“I can’t afford to buy products like CBD oil or hemp seed oil. I buy cannabis from people in my community,” she says.

“Everyone knows where it is sold, but it’s kept under wraps because it’s illegal and people fear arrest. I use cannabis for a medical condition and for pain management. I wish the government would allow citizens to legally grow cannabis at home.”