The government has urged the nation and investors to take part in the legal production of cannabis and avoid turning the sector into a criminal business.
Addressing the Cannabis Round Table meeting on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro warned against investing in the business with criminal intentions.
“I would like to underscore that whilst the government encourages the legal production of cannabis for medicinal uses well as research purposes, any criminal diversion of this controlled substance will not be tolerated and anyone caught on the wrong side of the law will face the full wrath of the law,” said Mangwiro.
He urged those keen to embark on cannabis production and beneficiation to work closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Medicinal Control Authority of Zimbabwe(MCAZ) to ensure that all provisions of the law are observed.
Zimbabwe became one of the first in Africa to legalize the production of medicinal cannabis in 2018 and has since issued 57 licenses.
The global cannabis industry could be worth US$272 Billion by 2028, according to Barclays analysts.
Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said the country wants to increase export receipts from the agriculture sector and has pinned hopes on cannabis to achieve the goal.
