E1 MILLION LICENCE TO GROW DAGGA?

MBABANE – If government is left alone to issue a cannabis provisional licence, then it will not be cheap for the ordinary liSwati on the street.

In a proposed or draft cannabis licence, the Ministry of Health has proposed that the figure to be paid in order to gain the licence be E1 million.
The draft provisional licence and the requirements were presented by the Ministry of Health to Members of Parliament (MPs) portfolio committee during a meeting held at Sibane Hotel last week Thursday.

There are about 13 requirements which were presented by the ministry, most of which focus on the security of the field where the dagga could be grown for both medicinal and manufacturing of products from the plant.
The ministry said when a person applied for the cannabis licence, there must be provision of stringent security measures which include the installation of devices to ensure restricted access and the installation of visual monitoring devices at the site.
Monitoring

Another requirement included in the draft provisional licence is provision of full-time monitoring of perimeter site by personnel, and also the provision of a storage facility which is to be approved of by the agency (regulator) and the police.
Those who wish to grow the dagga would also be expected to install an air filtration system to prevent the escape of odours and pollen and further installation of transport security measures including tracing and tracking systems.      

      
The draft also calls for the licence holder to provide evidence of expertise in cannabis cultivation and production, and the submission of a police clearance from criminal activities involving narcotic drugs for all the directors and employees of the company.
Of the many requirements, the licence to cultivate and process dagga for medicinal or scientific use only, is that the persons are expected to submit proof of land ownership or title to cultivation or production premises.

‘The submission of a certificate of approval of area of cultivation from the Ministry of Agriculture and submission of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) clearance from Eswatini Environmental Authority,’ are also some of the other requirements proposed by government.

One of the members of the portfolio committee, Mhlangatane MP Madala Mhlanga, was of the view that government needed to consult extensively on the issue.
Mhlanga said he believed that government needed to have nationwide exercises and consult the dagga growers who would have input in the whole issue.
He said it was his opinion that the ministry’s draft was rushed into.

Mhlanga also said he was of the view that government could get into partnerships with some of those willing to grow the plant as government had lots of farms and unused land which could be utilised.
Mhlanga said they were informed that the E1million figure was not the final one and it could cost much less once the matter was in motion.      

 
The issue of legalising the growing of dagga in Eswatini for medicinal purposes comes after March 2017, where former Nkilongo MP Hans Steffen moved a motion calling for its legalisation, as such a move would boost the country’s economy.   
A select committee which was chaired by former Hhukwini MP Saladin Magagula was then elected ‘to move that the House of Assembly appoints a select committee to look into the conditions of granting a special licence for special cannabis growers for medicinal and industrial use.’ 

The committee further stated that they were aware that in other countries, dagga was profitably used.
Magagula said dagga could also be used to make products like oils, blocks to build houses and clothes which could further boost the country’s economy. 
Meanwhile, the draft provisional licence also calls for the potential cannabis growers to declare and have proof of source of the cannabis seed.

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