President Edgar Lungu has clarified that smoking Cannabis still remains a crime in Zambia.
President Lungu said that Government has not legalized marijuana for smoking but only for commercial and medicinal purposes.
The Head of State said that Zambians must not jubilate that the legalization of marijuana has been made for smoking because the law will catch up with those found smoking.
President Lungu, however, said that he will engage the Ministry of Health and various stakeholders to sensitize the people on the why government has decided to legalize the cultivation and production of cannabis for medicinal and export purposes.
The President was speaking upon arrival at the ZAF Lusaka Airport base this afternoon.
He further stated that the law against abuse of cannabis still remains in effect.
Meanwhile, President Edgar Lungu has called on the judiciary to embrace alternative sanctions to incarceration to reduce the number of prisoners in correctional facilities.
President Lungu said, when he officially opened the 2019 Judicial Conference in Livingstone today, that sanctions such as community service, restitution and suspended sentences in deserving cases can go a long way in decongesting the facilities.
He says such sanctions will also spare the government’s already overstretched resources.
The Head of State said the country’s criminal justice has to move towards restorative justice than retributive justice.
He noted that while the government is endeavoring to build more correctional facilities and to make use of the parole system to remedy the situation, the use of alternative sentences as opposed to custodial ones would help the situation.
President Lungu said the conference comes at a time when the demand for justice is on the increase while the institutional capabilities continue to be overstretched.
He said the conference should interrogate the best ways of enhancing institutional capacities to improve access to justice and facilitate speedy delivery of justice.
President Lungu said his government remains firmly committed to attaining the goals set in the 7th National Development plan, whose priority areas include to improve the rule of law, human rights, and constitutionalism.
Speaking at the same function, Chief Justice Ireen Mambilima said the conference underscores the judiciary’s commitment to continued professional education for adjudicators.
Ms. Mambilima said it is through platforms such as the conference that the bench can share experiences for better execution of justice.
Kikiki!!! so Sinkamba and his green party were right. Thats real money bosses especially now that we need to cast the net wider for scooping more cash and money into the treasury.
So what happens to it’s transportation aka traffiking? When you grow it, you gotta take it to the ready market.
Still more, abena h² bakalabaila.
Grow it but don’t puff on lye.
The greens propaganda.
Let’s see where this one takes us.
Indeed trafficking will be with licenses.
Sinkamba is smiling.
Mr. Lungu, let the law first catch up with those that have stolen from widows, grabbed land from Horizon, beat up bus drivers, stolen from the treasury, stolen our wild life etc. etc.
Just enjoy your alcohol Mr. Lungu, and let those that wish to smoke ulubange should they wish to do so.
First you stopped people trading in Mukula, now this? You think Zambia belongs to your mother in Malawi??
Your greed will be your downfall Mr. Lungu.
so what happens to those who have been imprisoned for growing chamba? they will be released ka?
Welcoming the President…hefty allowance gone which is tax payers money
That is why we should not cultivate it Mr. President.
Ba President Are you really a lawyer? Medicinal purposes? Who says Medicinal purposes don’t allow or include smoking? You can still smoke something for medicinal purposes. Smoking remains a crime you say so if I do what they mostly do in Jamaica i.e. drink it then I havent imbibed it?
Zambians must not jubilate? He expects us to jubilate over mbanje? Why then does he ban it when it would make Zambians happy? Alitwishiba ati tuli ba chamba
Too bad Under 5 (HH) thought it was a free window for him to hallucinate about 2021 State House.
You mean widow thief???
It is only koswe that hallucinates when he is drunk.
He is always HALLUCINATING with his Group 4s.
Much like bakazi bena bamaenda chintako oh! almost chintako. You are not allowed to touch (assault) them. It is illegal. It has to be consensual.
So y’all rastermen, you can grow it but don’t puff on that lye.
This law of growing it but not using it is contemptuously tempting.
Okay balaishiba shani ati likali?
Offside Mr. president, as a citizenry we are not interested in smoking, our interest is on the business side and what revenue it can bring. You should have listened to and partnered with Peter Sinkamba earlier. The only con is you have raised the licence fee too high making it impossible for locals to engage. Only you and a few of your friends, just like Mukula, will benefit.
Ilyo libange iwe.
Utuma comments twa weed, nangu dobo oro ichamba.
Think soberly.
Don’t insinuate.
has this government done it’s due diligence about this? they think it’s simply planting, growing it and bagging it for export
you’ve to remove the thc compound from the plant, to get the cbd which is the ingredient needed for various treatments.
I think they are looking at from a very simplistic vantage point. they think because markets are opening up you all they need to do is grow it and export it. there’s a sh it load of regulations. it’s legal here, I can walk into a store right now to go and buy if I want to, but even in the store, there’s lots of labels on it, the type, thc content, how it was cultivated, it’s effect, potential side effects for this particular one…
but this so called Christian nation just wakes up and thinks it needs to cash in on the marijuana…
Ala kwena ubupuba elo bacimfya mu calo. Why don’t you create processing plants INSIDE the effing country so that that production will result in value-addition BEFORE you effing export it??? As usual we are looking at smuggling and empowering a clique; that is what raw exports have done – just look at Mukula. Ubupuba! Ubututu! Ubufontini! Icimpwena!
4.1, tell me which farmer is able to afford $350000 licence fee p.a?
Lungu, Kapata, Chitotela, Kampyongo can all afford this, using tax payers money as usual.
Me!
It is not funny anymore. You decriminalise growing cannabis but you arrest smokers. It cannot work. How much do you need to smoke? A few grams of cannabis mixed with tobacco ? This country is full of crazy leaders. Are they going to arrest small scale cannabis growers?
They are really crazy leaders
The 13th Desciple
Not only that,by exporting for commercial use they are saying they can export it to countries where they allow smoking it.We are being ruled by wrong people who should have no business in government
Awe nomba twakula dobola uluchelo ne chungulo!!! Peter Tosh was right and must be honored for championing the cause!!! Free all those men and women lying in prisons for growing, selling trafficking and smoking ganja!!!
Chagwa is a fool, he is greeting someone and instead of looking at that person the *****ic imbecile is starring down! It’s so typical of characters who have something to hide, they have no soul so if they look at you in the eyes they know you will so the hollow cavity where their sould once resided. This presidence is surely going to end up very badly, he could end up been the first president in SADC decapitated in office. The level of looting and dictatorial tendecies has reached absolutely unacceptable levels, there must be consequences for all this wicked stupidity.
You do not have to look very hard to see that Lungu is a monkey afraid of fire.Fire burns so we make it illegal.And continue the cycle of importation and deception.Peter Carlos Hinds.
Shoot lungu.And tell the judge you thought it was a monkey.Peter Carlos Hinds.
7.1, if the ones you mentioned are the farmers to benefit, its as good as not legalizing. Anyway, I get your sarcasm.
Lungu should drive a donkey cart.You do not weld a donkey cart.Peter Carlos Hinds.
It would be better to allow small scale farmers to grow ibange mufibili fyamalasha so that those who are going to obtain licenses can buy from small scale farmers in order to enable them have more money.
We ordinary citizens have to benefit from this. Just like copper, libange lyesu.
Ba Peter Carlos Hinds.Mwakolewa kale.
Zambia will be a very ‘high’ country. No one will be able to protect all those weed plantations from people helping themselves. Weed is widespread in Zambia, admittedly, but with the lack of control and haphazard behavioural characteristics of this government and nation, inhaling of the same will reach explosive proportions. Zambians will be moving like excitable zombies, covered in endless blue smoke and imaginig a new grandiose era. But of course, will sooner than come down with a thud.
Will these daily wonders ever cease? Another ill thought scheme to raise forex for the broke nation. Corruption and incompetence seem to win out once again.
Who enacts the Law in Zambia? Is it Cabinet or parliament? How can they approve something not even debated in parliament?
Marijuana has actually never been banned in Zed. Check the laws
I just listened to BBC Africa and the reporter who gives a round up of Africa news was quiet excited with Zambia’s legalisation of marijuana.He gave a thumbs up to the Green party and that Zambia is likely to make $36 billion per year. He ended with an interjection saying:”Booyakasha!!”….lol
but kwena Zambia yasebana ya panta na chemba ya fulamina na konse konse.what!!! grow it export then you say smoking is illegal where on earth is that found.sure the lungu chapwa you should consult b4 you act,the levels of incompetence is extremely high sure.pliz Zambia is a Christian nation for God’s sake
This chamba issue will be like mukula tree. This business will be given to Chinese, Indians, Lebanese. The mukula cartel will be in it as well. I was watching znbc news yesterday where the president was opening some lawyer seminar in Livingstone and there was Findlay. I asked myself what does this man do to be found in the presidential delegation, flying in our jet.
You 2, don’t Jubilate over kachasu,chibuku n sukuluza mosi.I smoke herb to soothe my chronic back pain ok mr president.
So corruption when people are hungry is just OK, but don’t dare smoke any weed? Same old story
Same old “justice” for rich and powerful and another justice for the common man