Lesotho receives Africa's first medical cannabis production license

Lesotho has become the first African country to grant a license to cultivate medical cannabis. The Minister of Health granted the license to Verve Dynamics, a South African company that describes itself as «a great vegan manufacturer of highly purified botanical extracts and specialty ingredients.».

The license grants the right to cultivate, process, and sell cannabis for scientific and medical use.

According to the report « Cannabis in Africa »According to the 2007 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 38.2 million Africans between the ages of 15 and 64 use cannabis, a figure that continues to rise. Nigeria even ranks third in the countries with the highest cannabis consumption, with 14.3%.

«Access to medical cannabis on the African continent has taken another major step forward today, and Verve Dynamics is honored to be the first company in Africa to be granted regulatory approval to begin the commercial cultivation and production of cannabis »high quality," said Richard Davies of Verve Dynamics in a press release. «The government’s decision to move forward with this historic decision means that Lesotho will play a significant role in the development of this industry, both locally and internationally, and will establish itself as a pioneer on the African continent in terms of state-of-the-art mining equipment.»

Lesotho’s decision to view cannabis as a potential source of revenue marks a turning point in a region where it is already produced and consumed on a massive scale. Growers in Lesotho and Swaziland already supply most of the cannabis consumed in South Africa.

L’South Africa has legalized the personal use of cannabis last April. The country has yet to establish a legal framework for production and sales for the recreational market.

Malawi or the Zimbabwe are also considering legalizing at least the medical use of cannabis and its production.