The Siavonga magistrates’ court has convicted and sentenced a 24 year old man to six months imprisonment with hard labour after finding him guilty of being in possession of marijuana, a psychotropic substances.
Siavonga magistrate, Bathromeo Kaonga slapped the six months sentence on Lucky Shamahoko who was facing one count of trafficking in psychotropic substance contrary to section six Cap 96 of the laws of Zambia.
The court however suspended the six months sentence slapped on Shamahoko on condition that he does not indulge himself in any psychotropic substance related offences.
Particulars of the offence are that Shamahoko of Machavika village in Chief Chipepo’s area in Siavonga district, on 25th December 2011 in Machavika did traffic in psychotropic substance namely marijuana without authority.
The court further recorded that when the food and drugs laboratory at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka analysed the substance, it confirmed that it was marijuana which weighed 2.5
grammes.
Shamahoko admitted the charge and said he was using the marijuana as medicine to treat his young brother who had an ear problem.
He told the court that his grandmother advised him to use marijuana as medicine saying it was the best drug for ear problems.
In mitigation, Shamahoko pleaded for court’s lenience saying he was a double orphan and looks after his siblings.
However, the magistrate said the offence committed was a serious one which carries maximum sentence of up to 25 years.
Magistrate Kaonga said the nature of the offence committed was on the increase in the area.
He observed that considering the age of the convict and the quantity of the substance found in his possession, he decided to give him a second chance.
ZANIS
What a waste of tax payers money. Some of these cases should just carry a simple fine. Save your resources and go after the real drug dealers like the Lebanese
well said
How about community service as punishment?
Get these small time users to work off any penalties within their own communities fixing and cleaning infrastructures like schools and police stations or hospital grounds.
Stop punishing the little guy and go after the big growers on farms.
One’s who bury real cash!
LEGALISE IT YOU *****S…WE NEED THAT MUTI FOR THE EARS…….
Community Service as punishment. Unakulila kuti Iwe #2? There is no community in Siavonga, just villages. ROFLMAO
Legalise it. Personally I do not see any harm marijuana has on society as compared to tujilijili. Just let the people smoke and if the government feels it is too holy, they should also treat tujilijili in the same way. Weed is a God given herb given to humans for use for treating illnesses and getting high.
:((mayo ibange muti?? Please old people cant lie especialy grandma. Bring ganja to the pharmacy.
i know the fresh leaves are ground and pressed to squeeze the green juice which is then poured into the affected ear if some one is suffering from IMFUKO mwebantu. some of these simple herbs must be declassified just as the south americans and the dutch are doing.
There is something seriously wrong with our legal system. Or be it is with this St.upid magistrate. Six months is a long time for being found is possession of a substance which our fore fathers were always using but the white man came and made it illegal to use. When are we going to decolonise ourselves Kanshi?
#3 there are clinics in Siavonga, schools, grz offices, post office. He can be made to be cleaning these place. Let alone Lodges were grz can collect some payment for his labor.
I support what most bloggers are saying. Remember that Bolivia’s president is openly a Coca farmer because, according to him, coca has been abused out of its usefulness. The same thing applies to marijuana. There is an area in East Africa where the way of life of a people would die if you banned marijuana!!!! Wake up O Sleepy Africa!!!
Well in the history of Medicine its important to note the medical uses of Matokwane/lubanje.It is Sad that we as native Zambian cant do more research on this plants it always takes a white man to make a fortune off our herbal formulas Remember the story of the Africa Potato the HIV supplement which is now patented: at fault is all this brain wash education .We need a strong cultural alignment to take full advantage of our indigenous knowledge systems.
Ibange, lubanje, matokwani, mbanje. This stuff can never go away. Just control it`s use to medicinal quantities and only punish those that commercialise on big scale.
it’s a good thing if you use it wisely
More people die from peanuts than from smoking marihuana. No one has died of it yet. More people have died drinking alcohol, using aspirin, eating peanuts (allergy), using tobacco, coming in contact with police… 2.5 grams is nothing. In Europe, where these ridiculous laws came from in the first place, one just gets a fine and goes home. You dont even spend a night in the cells, unless for other reasons. LEGALIZE IT!!!!
It seems magistrates find it very easy to pass judgement on poor people and not the rich. When will this scenario come to end or is it everlasting? Thieving politicians with overwhelming evidence never go to prison after stealing billions and causing death to our malnourished children.
When i was a small girl,i had chronic otitis media (chronic ear infection) which could not be cured by all antibiotics,a certain lady told mum to use cannabis(Chamba) for my ears,she first tried it in one,and later in the other,that was the end of my chronic infection,it never recurred and i have perfect hearing! Maybe we should explore the active ingredients.Am a living testimony of the curative medicinal properties found in cannabis!!
Did you try smoking it as well? I understand that way you even forget any problems you might have, whether physical or political!
even smoking it is a very good thing as compared to drinking tijilijili,the problem is that most people don’t want to openly talk about it when in fact they are using it.it has good medicinal effects
This man could have sought the advice of a Psychiatrist. Too often the problem is evident and the advice is correct but may require the backing of modern medical personnel. At face value this guy could be suffering from Psychotic Disorders (including Schizophrenia). Instead of the legal system being reformative it is being punitive. Zambia is in serious need of some intervention. As for the critics that suggest that it is a waste of time. Imagine if such a harsh decision was metted on you? Be humanist and object people.
Is not a village a community?
If he was well up it was going to be first offender . eeehhh…. michael zulu
The Court should also try one high profile geriatric resident of a prime property in Lusaka who has a propensity to lashing out and making preposterous accusations against fellow innocent Zambians without provocation. I am sure he is growing his first grade dobo in underground tunnels. His grandma must have advised him to use the dobo to reduce redness in his eyes and improve the appearance of his Ambi charred face.
Sensible sentencing, very good
chik@la waba ichickala
Legalise it, its a herbal medicine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!