Zimbabwe grants 37 licenses for medical cannabis

Zimbabwe legalized the use, cultivation, production and export of medical cannabis in April 2018. Besieged by applications, the government had temporarily suspended the granting of licenses. The process has been resumed since recently awarded 37 licenses, from over 200 applications, to local and foreign investors.

A production economy

«In recent months, more than 200 local and foreign companies have shown an interest in medical cannabis production. The cabinet has approved about 37 of them who will receive the necessary licenses. We are currently in the process of registering them,» explains Vangelis Haritatos, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Land, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, at the 6th African Round Table forum in Victoria Falls.

Selected investors will receive a $50,000 license, valid for one year but renewable. Originally, licenses were to last five years and cost between $5,000 and $20,000. It would appear that, given the success of the initiative, the government has revised its plan to maximize profits. In fact, it makes no secret of the fact that this is first and foremost an economic opportunity.

Indeed, the country is an attractive destination for foreign companies wishing to produce at low cost and then distribute their output in more attractive markets. At the same time, no information on the local medical cannabis program is available. No local or foreign newspapers mention, for example, the conditions of access to medical cannabis for patients or any training for healthcare professionals.