Cannabis (mbanje) is illegal in Zimbabwe, except for licensed medical and scientific use, with penalties of up to 12 years in prison for possession. The country legalized the production of medical cannabis in 2018, solely for export, and in 2023 raised the THC limit for industrial hemp to 1 %. Find all the latest news and laws on cannabis in Zimbabwe here.
Recreational use of cannabis is illegal in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe legalized cannabis for medical and research purposes in May 2018. Individuals and businesses can apply for licenses to grow, possess, transport, and sell medical cannabis. The sale of cannabidiol (CBD)-based medications is also permitted.
Zimbabwe has authorized the sale of cannabidiol (CBD)-based medications as a supplement to treatments administered to patients, indicating that CBD is legal only for medical use.
Cannabis use remains illegal in Zimbabwe, and recreational use is prohibited.
Cannabis cultivation is permitted in Zimbabwe only for medical and industrial purposes and requires a license. Recreational use and consumption of cannabis remain illegal.
Last checked: October 8, 2026
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Cannabis, also known as mbanje (or suruma (near the Mozambican border) has been present in Zimbabwe for centuries. The earliest archaeological evidence dates back to around 1200 CE, and there is ample evidence of its use during the era of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe and, later, the Kingdom of Mutapa. In the Binga region, in the northwest of the country, cannabis use has cultural significance as a social practice, and the plant also has traditional medicinal uses.
However, the plant remains prohibited under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Dangerous Drugs Act, Chapter 15:02), and possession is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. The turning point came on April 27, 2018: Zimbabwe became the second African country to legalize cannabis for medical and scientific purposes, through a regulation issued by the Minister of Health (Statutory Instrument No. 62 of 2018). In 2019, the ban on cultivation was lifted to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp for export, and the country harvested its first legal crops in early 2020.
The possession and use of cannabis remain illegal in Zimbabwe, except for licensed medical use. Possession is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. Seeds are also covered by the ban, as the law applies to «any part» of the plant.
The 2018 regulation legalizes the production of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. It is administered by the’Zimbabwe Medicines Control Authority (MCAZ), on behalf of the Ministry of Health. It provides for two types of licenses: one for cultivation and research (research and development), and the other for cultivation and production (production for export, as well as research and development). The licenses are valid five years, renewable, and allow for the possession, sale, and transportation of cannabis in dried form or as oil. The Minister of Health may deny a license if it poses a risk to public health or safety.
The cannabis produced is currently intended for export: in Zimbabwe, local use is permitted only for research and development purposes. The MCAZ maintains a public database of active and expired licenses, operates a dedicated laboratory that measures the total THC content of samples intended for domestic use or export, and publishes production guidelines. In 2021, authorities announced that 54 to 57 licenses had been granted to investors, with incentives including a progressive tax of 20 % on raw cannabis, 15 % on semi-processed cannabis, and 10 % on fully processed cannabis.
Industrial hemp differs from medical cannabis in its THC content. According to the Criminal Code of 2023 (Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act, section 155), it is defined as the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part thereof, including seeds, derivatives, extracts, and cannabinoids, with a delta-9-THC concentration not exceeding 1 % (dry weight). Zimbabwe has thus raised the previous limit from 0.3 % to 1 %, with the aim of removing industrial hemp from the list of dangerous drugs and offering growers a wider choice of varieties, both for fiber and for cannabinoid extraction.
Zimbabwe has made the cannabis industry a key focus for economic development and attracting investors, but the model has drawn criticism. The reform is seen as being more focused on investment and the development of the legal industry than on creating livelihoods for illicit growers. High licensing fees (a figure of $50,000 has been cited for commercial production), production costs, and regulatory and market barriers are excluding many small-scale farmers, particularly in the Binga district, where the plant has long been cultivated. Observers also fear a «risk of corporate capture» at the expense of local agriculture. Follow our Cannabis News in Zimbabwe See below for updates to the law.
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