Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Drug Enforcement Commission has clarified that cannabis cultivation is still illegal in Zambia unless one has lawful authority to cultivate for medicinal purposes as stated by Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo in his ministerial statement to Parliament.
Commission public relations officer Theresa Katongo says the commission has been receiving numerous queries from members of the public on whether the Minister’s statement meant that cultivation of cannabis has been legalized in the country.
Ms Katongo says the Commission will continue with its mandate of arresting persons found cultivating cannabis without lawful authority.
She pointed Section 9 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act Cap 96 of the Laws of Zambia provides that any person who, without lawful authority, cultivates any plant which can be used or consumed as a Narcotic or Psychotropic, or from which a Narcotic Drug or Psychotropic Substance can be extracted, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction to a fine not less than five hundred penalty units or to imprisonment not exceeding ten years or to both: provided that no person shall be guilty of the offence under this section if the plant is cultivated for purposes of medicine or is not on a substantial scale.
Ms Katongo has since urged members of the public to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act Cap 95 of the Laws of Zambia and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act Cap 96 of the Laws of Zambia.