Africa-Press – Botswana. Parliament has rejected a motion requesting the government to consider amending existing laws in order to legalise cultivation and processing of industrial hemp.
Although the motion tabled by Nkange MP Mr Motlhaleemang Moalosi received a lot of support from the opposition side, most MPs of the ruling party and those aligned to it opposed the motion, arguing that government was already ahead in the process of legalising the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp in the country.
Objecting the motion, the acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said Parliament had already adopted a policy on the licit use of cannabis in the country, adding that the Cabinet had also approved a Draft Bill on the legalisation of the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp.
The Draft Bill he said, was expected to be published in the Government Gazette soon.
The minister said President Advocate Duma Boko also recently made a pronouncement that government would introduce the cultivation and export of medicinal and industrial hemp.
This, he said, showed government’s commitment to legalising the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp for both medicinal and industrial use.
Once legalised, Dr Dikoloti said government would be in a position to effectively regulate the industry to diversify the economy and create jobs.
Ealier on when tabling the motion, Mr Moalosi explained that industrial hemp was a variant of the Cannabis plant that contained different chemical composition to other cannabis family plants, like Marijuana.
He said industrial hemp was a versatile and eco-friendly plant that had the potential to diversify and grow the country’s economy, as it had a wide range of benefits.
Unlike other cannabis plants like Marijuana, he said industrial hemp contained less tetrahydocannabinol (THC), whilst the Marijuana plant had more THC.
Other benefits of industrial hemp, the MP said, was that its value chain encompassed a wide variety of products that could be processed to boost the country’s economy, across various industries, such as clothing and textile, agricultural production, cosmetics, transportation and distribution, among others.
“Industrial hemp farming also does not require much pesticides or fertilizers and there are over 100 products that can be produced from industrial hemp,” he added.
The legislator expressed concern that the diamonds were the country’s main export product, adding that “we can still diversify our economy through legalisation of the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp and export raw materials of hemp, as well as process it to produce a variety of products for local consumption and for export potential.” Mr Moalosi said currently, the country’s economy was in a dire straits, stressing that time was now to explore other avenues through legalisation of cultivation and processing of industrial hemp.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
