Malawi should legalise Indian Hemp – Researcher
While government says it will not join the likes of Uruguay and Colorado in legalising marijuana or cannabis, a Botswana-based Malawian researcher, Paliani Chinguwo has argued that is wrong to claim that Indian Hemp grown in the country has no medicinal value at all.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, James Munthali told a local daily on Tuesday that Malawi was not ready to legalise the growing and use of cannabis.
According to the Minister, cannabis grown in countries where it is being legalised is not the same as the one grown in the country.
He further urgued that cannabis grown in Colorado has medicinal content and is, among others, used in the treatment of cases such as epilepsy.
But reacting to the Minister’s claims, Chinguwo, who once worked for the Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU), argued that it was not only incorrect but also misleading the nation that marijuana grown in the country has not medicinal value at all compared to that of other countries.
“Marijuana is marijuana. Cannabis, regardless of variety, has medicinal value,” said Chinguwo.
He said Malawi stand to benefit a lot from a variety of cannabis called ‘Hemp’ as it has “enormous industrial uses as opposed to medical uses like marijuana.
“Malawi can therefore grow this variety of cannabis as a cash crop and export it elsewhere to earn the needed forex,” he advised.
Late last year, the Rastafarian community held peaceful demonstration to ask the government to consider legalising the growing and use of the illicit drug, which is being illegally grown across the country.
