One of the big trends in Africa now is to very quickly loosen cannabis laws in order to allow for cannabis cultivation and production for international sale. But not necessarily for residents. In fact, much of this changing regulation has simply been to legalize cultivation for commercial use, while not necessarily bothering to change legislation for residents of the countries themselves.
The question that used to be asked was, ‘is it legal to grow and use cannabis in this country?’ Now the question seems to be, ‘is it legal to grow and sell cannabis outside this country?’ Compare this to a nation like Switzerland which is requiring 10-years of trials just to assess the need for changing their legislation, and these recent updates in Africa, and general turn of opinion, seem lightning fast. Malawi is one of the latest to fall-in, legalizing medicinal and industrial cannabis.
Whereas legalizing for industrial purposes has been slow going for most countries in the decriminalizing/legalizing process, it seems to be a part of every African country’s plan. Maybe legal for the country, definitely legal to grow and sell. Recreational use is still illegal in Malawi, and no amount has been stated for licensing costs, which will help determine how much local residents will be able to buy into this new economy.
Similar to other countries, Malawi’s new laws state that while growing, selling, exporting, holding and distributing are legal with a license from the Cannabis Regulatory Authority, those found doing the same things without a license could face 25 years in prison, or a $70k fine.
Read more at cbdtesters.co