To legalise or not to legalise Marijuana: that is this week’s question
Despite being legal in several countries including here in Southern Africa, Marijuana is still a highly controversial matter in Botswana. The major debates center around its usage as a medicine and whether it should be available for recreational use like alcohol.
Advocates view cannabis use as a personal choice and argue that laws infringing upon that choice infringe upon individual liberties. They also say that prohibition prevents those in need from receiving proper medical treatment. Prohibitionists on the other hand question the validity of marijuana’s medical use and believe the risks to public health, safety and civic order outweigh any potential benefits.
Although they have chosen to call it hemp rather than marijuana, some politicians and Business Botswana have for some time advocated for the legalization of marijuana for industrial purposes and an eventual boost for the economy. It is a common misconception that hemp and marijuana are two different species of plant. In fact they are not distinct species, according to HealthLine magazine. They are just two different names for cannabis, a type of flowering plant in the Cannabaceae family. But while science does not differentiate between hemp and marijuana, the law does.
Former Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Dr Edwin Dikoloti once told Parliament that the growing of Industrial Hemp also known as Cannabis is prohibited and is punishable by law in Botswana.
Hemp, he said, is prohibited in Botswana in accordance with First Schedule of the Planet Protection Act of 2007, Cap 35:02, and also according to the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 2018, Part II Section 6 (1).
This has been a matter of debate among Batswana who argued that already, there are several products of hemp sold in Botswana, and wondered why such products are not prohibited. What is your take on this issue of introducing the cultivation of industrial hemp in Botswana?
Would it be a good or bad thing for the country? As usual, share your thoughts at [opinions@guardiansun.co.bw]