Malawi's parliament is considering legislation to permit the cultivation of marijuana or cannabis. The aim is to boost the country's foreign exchange earnings, but anti-drug advocates are against it. Malawi lawmaker Peter Dimba told parliament Thursday that locally grown cannabis — which he referred to by its local name of "chamba" — is in high demand abroad and could yield millions of dollars for the country.
"In studies that were done, it is envisaged that when we start growing our own chamba we will be able to generate as much as $200 million per year at the infant stage of the industry," said Dimba. "But as the industry grows to maturity, we will be able to earn as much as $700 million. In fact, it is more than double what we are actually currently getting from the sale of tobacco."
Malawi has long relied on tobacco, which accounts for about 13% of its gross domestic product and 60% of its foreign exchange earnings. But over the years, tobacco prices have fallen, largely because of anti-smoking campaigns championed by the World Health Organization and the proven link between tobacco use and cancer.
In 2020, Malawi enacted a law permitting the cultivation of hemp — the non-psychoactive part of the cannabis plant — as an alternative to tobacco farming. But farmers say industrial hemp hasn't yielded the expected results.
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