Dagga can take us to First World

Sir,

Please publish my humble opinion on how Swaziland can achieve first world status.

THE LAW
COMETH FROM GOD

‘Choosing the Holy Bible over money’ is my basic understanding of King Somhlolo’s vision - choosing God through Jesus Christ.
This is also the Gospel of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel of Matthew 6:24 & 33, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mam’-mon.”

 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Swazis should, therefore, admit that if King Somhlolo’s vision is true, then they were given the Holy Bible as the Supreme Law and guide for living.
This covers all aspects of life; religion, politics, morality, ethics, governance, health, science, economics, social behaviour, etc.
If a Constitution is the Supreme Law of a country, then emaSwati were given that Law by God. It is the Holy Bible.

If we say the Holy Bible is lacking is some aspect necessary for living this life, then we would be in conflict with the same Bible that categorically states that we should not add or  delete from it. We may not amend it as is done with men’s imperfect constitutions.
God is perfect therefore His Law is perfect. Man is imperfect, therefore his law is imperfect.
Trust in god - mvelinchanti.

THE PROMISED LAND

When God freed the children of Israel from bondage he promised them land. Everything comes from the land; food, clothing, wealth. Every thing necessary for our physical being comes from the land.
In Swaziland, 80 per cent of the land is owned by foreigners or are farms and only 20 per cent is Swazi Nation Land. Without land, emaSwati cannot be empowered to get to first World status.

To address this anomaly Swaziland should return the ‘stolen’ land to Swazis. This may be achieved through the systematic buying of the land or legislation if necessary.
The repossessed land should be distributed equitably through the ‘khonta’ system.

SWAZI GOLD IS GREEN

Marijuana, hemp, ganja, dagga, indofindofi, hash, insangu, umtfunti wetinkhunkhu, grass, weed or whatever name that cannabis goes by, is God’s creation.
To pass laws that seek to annihilate God’s creation is tantamount to condemning God. I believe that we may, however, regulate how it is used.
There are numerous varieties of apples, grass, beans, etc. This is the case with cannabis. The Kingdom of eSwatini is blessed with a very potent variety suitable for medicinal, industrial and recreational purposes.

It is in high demand…very, very high demand.
Currently, chemicals used to destroy cannabis pollute springs, streams, rivers and the environment.
Some people smoke ARVs, glue, petrol, benzene and get high; some go crazy.

Should these drugs be illegal? Some people shoot, hang from ropes or drink legal poisons to kill themselves.
The argument that marijuana drives some people crazy and therefore should be illegal does not hold water. The number of crazy people attributed to marijuana is just not true.

Of course, there is a movement trying to perpetuate the lies about cannabis. Swazis,wake up! This is your gold.
There are numerous beneficial uses of the cannabis plant. These include paper, textiles, oil, rope, canvas, building materials, food, medicine, paint, detergent, varnish, ink, and fuel.
Marijuana can provide superb relief for those who suffer from cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, arthritis, rheumatism, asthma, insomnia, and depression. 

Cannabis is the standard fibre of the world. It has great tensile strength and durability.
It is used to produce more than 5 000 textile products, ranging from rope to fine laces, and the woody ‘hurds’ remaining after the fibre has been removed contain more than 77 per cent cellulose, which can be used to produce more than 25 000 products, ranging from dynamite to Cellophane.

Cannabis is an easy crop to grow and will yield from three to six tonnes per acre on any land. It has a short growing season, so that it can be planted after other crops are in.
The long roots penetrate and break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for next year’s crop. The dense shock of leaves, eight to 12 feet above the ground, chokes out weeds. Two successive crops are enough to reclaim land that had been abandoned because of foreign invasive plants.

There are many countries where the use of marijuana is legal. These include the following: Cambodia, Canada, Equador, Italy, Mexico, Jamaica (though not fully), Portugal, Romania, Spain and 14 of the 50 states of America, among others.
For the record I wish to state categorically that I am not advocating for the recreational use of cannabis. Instead, I am calling for the exploitation of its beneficial use in industry.

Ironically by declaring the whole plant illegal actually promotes it as a drug for recreational purposes and to a limited extent for medicinal purposes. While the cannabis plant is illegal you cannot set up factories to exploit it for industrial purposes but you can easily smoke a joint. In the minds of most people, that is all it is good for.

It is my strong belief that if cannabis were to be legalised, the number of recreational users in Swaziland would actually drop.
These include people who smoke out of despair because they are not able to meet their financial obligations, people who drown the sorrows of unemployment etc.

The leading cash crops in Swaziland are devastating the environment and are not sustainable. These include sugar cane, forestry and cotton. Huge tracts of land have been wiped clean of their natural flora and fauna because of sugar cane and in spite of this only a handful of Swazis have benefitted meaningfully.

Cotton requires large quantities of pesticides and herbicides – 50 per cent of the world’s pesticides/herbicides are used on cotton.
However, hemp requires no pesticides, no herbicides, and only moderate amounts of fertiliser.
There are numerous advantages of cannabis over trees, cotton and sugar cane as a cash crop and for industrial purposes; just too many to be stated here.

There is a huge legal market available for Swazi gold. Cannabis can be cultivated by everybody; including the elderly and people living with disabilities.
1  Plant     =  ±E300
Do the maths. Every Swazi could be financially independent within two years.
    =  0% Unemployment
    =  0% Poverty
    =  First World

There is a strong movement, worldwide, for the legalisation of cannabis. Join the Movement for the Legalisation of Marijuana (MoLeMa). Let us take a leading role to be ahead of the pack.
Also, for the record, I neither smoke nor drink.
You have the power – use it.

Thula T Dlamini 
MBEKELWENI

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