Harare suspends proposed marijuana licences

The Zimbabwe Government has suspended plans to issue licences to farmers to grow marijuana for medical and research purposes, citing the need to first carry out feasibility studies. Deputy Finance Minister Terence Mukupe says the state Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) had received more than 350 applications from local and foreign growers since the government published new regulations for growing the crop commercially. Under the regulations, an application fee of $50 000 has to be paid. The Daily News reports that Mukupe said potential growers and investors had provided the government with ‘crazy’ figures on how much the crop could actual earn. ‘What has to be done on our side as government is probably to have a proper feasibility study and have experts telling us what’s actually the truth,’ he said.