Marijuana growth could finally see the light of the day in Uganda as cabinet has set a subcommittee to inquire into the proposal of permitting the plant.
According to State Minister for Health, Sarah Opendi, the subcommittee is headed by Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda whose task is to table a comprehensive report on issues of enforcement and regulation
“Cabinet has discussed the matter extensively and a cabinet subcommittee chaired Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda is in place to critically look at issues of enforcement and regulations. We are hopeful that early next year we should be able to receive a report from this cabinet subcommittee and thereafter we should be able to make a decision,” Opendi said Wednesday.
A few companies that have been secretly growing the plant in Kasese, the Minister said these firms have the plant indoors to avoid people from abusing it.
Government institutions which will be responsible for issuing license are; Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Justice, Internal Affairs, National Drug Authority (NDA) and Uganda Investment Authority (UIA).
14 companies have applied to acquire license to grow medical cannabis for export, according to the Ministry of Health. The National Drug Policy and Authority Act, 1993 provides that “No person shall, without the written consent of the Health Minister… cultivate any plant from, which a narcotic drug can be extracted.”
According to a recent report by the New Frontier Data, a UK-based authority in data analytics and business intelligence on the global cannabis industry, 2.6 Million Ugandans use marijuana and Uganda is 8th position among the top 10 countries in Africa.
