Could Africa be the next «green» continent?

Between 1995 and 2005, 19 of the 53 countries on the African continent reported having produced more than 10,500 tonnes of cannabis per year, representing 25% of the world total, according to the United Nations figures. And an estimated 38 million Africans use cannabis every year, representing 7.7% of the adult population, above the global average of 3.3%.

Last year, Lesotho became the world's first African country to license medical cannabis, to a South African company. It was also the first time that cannabis was seen as a source of income on the continent, rather than a criminal activity.

Lesotho may be an agricultural country, with 75% of its population living from farming, but Lesotho's farmers have already been growing cannabis for years, exporting it to South Africa and Europe in particular. For the time being, the country is sticking to this single license, which could give ideas to its neighbors, notably Swaziland.

South Africa has also legalized the personal use and self-cultivation of cannabis last year, The Constitutional Court ruled that these bans were unconstitutional. The South African Parliament has yet to turn this decision into law, which does not prevent some coffeeshops to open.

Several other African countries are interested in reforming their cannabis laws:

• the Ghana indicated his wish to decriminalize all drugs
• The Zimbabwe plans to legalize cannabis to attract investors
• Malawi is known for its high-quality cannabis, including Malawi Gold. The country already grows hemp.
• Morocco produces $10 billion worth of hash every year, a trade that supports 800,000 people.
• Swaziland looks closely at legalizing cannabis for economic reasons

Industrial hemp could also represent a major financial windfall. Its demand has increased by 233% in the world between 2009 and 2011, and hemp imports increased 20-fold in South Africa in 2010. Hemp is easy to grow, doesn't require a lot of water, and has a high yield. applications are innumerable.

If cannabis were grown and sold legally in Africa, the resulting economy could easily surpass that of the United States. Estimates put the figure at around $80 billion a year. Some of the profits could go to small-scale growers, but many fear that legalization would end up in the hands of large corporations with little interest in local interests.