Uganda to export $160 million worth of marijuana to Canada and Germany

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Uganda has made a deal worth $160 million to export marijuana to 20,000 pharmacies in Canada and Germany. The country’s marijuana industry is worth Shs11.1 trillion, [$3 billion] and the government has listed a range of benefits it offers including revenue tax, employment opportunities, technology transfer, foreign investment and a trade surplus.

A private Ugandan company, Industrial Hemp Uganda Ltd is so far the only entity licensed to manufacture and trade cannabis products, according to a Ugandan cabinet information paper tabled by the Ministry of Health, “The ministry has received applications from 14 companies interested in the cultivation, extraction and export of cannabis oil for medical purposes in line with the provisions of Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 2015.”

Speaking with reporters, a director from Industrial Hemp Uganda Ltd, Benjamin Cadet–who was a former member of the Ugandan parliament said “We signed annual supply contracts with pharmacies in Canada to the tune of $100 million and €58 million for Germany,” he said. “The current contracts run for 10 years, but along the way we shall expand to satisfy future demand.” The company is partnering with an Israeli company Together Pharma Ltd.

“People are using morphine, the main component of opium as an analgesic for cancer pain. Opium is an Opioid and more addictive and with side effects, yet Cannabinol (CBD) from medical marijuana is the best option for such patients,” – Cadet.

The marijuana exports from a farm in Kasese District include Cannabinol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with mixture of 2.7mg THC and 2.5mg CBD for Sativex drugs approved in USA, Europe and Canada. Oil Risin contains Dronabinol for making Marinol and syndros capsules and CBD enriched creams for various skin disorders.

Despite the merits, the country still fears that increased legal cultivation will lead to a spike in marijuana abuse, and Uganda’s First Lady Janet Museveni previously described marijuana as ‘satanic’.

Countries such as Uruguay, Canada, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, some states in the United States, Germany and many other countries in the European Union have legalised cannabis for medical use. Lesotho became the first African country to license the cultivation of medical cannabis for export in 2017. 

Nasir Ahmed Achile

Philosophy nut. I recommend Albert Camus, Eckhart Tolle and bell hooks to everyone I know.

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