SWAZILAND: Illegal cannabis may become legal 'Swazi Gold'

[Frazz]

HHOHHO, 30 October (IRIN) - A fundamental shift in Swaziland's attitude towards the cannabis plant, or hemp, the country's most lucrative cash crop, could be on the horizon. The government is set to allow small-scale production of hemp to see if it has the potential to become an economically viable crop.

 

"In hemp we have an alternative to cotton, which has let us down badly over the last few years. It has been because of marijuana that we have found it difficult to talk about hemp, but that is changing, and we are beginning to shape public opinion to its benefits," said Lufto Dlamini, the Swazi Minister for Enterprise and Employment.

 

"The government is considering a proposal to grow hemp, and a decision will be reached by the end of this month. But I expect it will be given the go-ahead to grow for research purposes, and if that proves successful then we will see," he told IRIN.

 

Falling global prices for sugar and cotton, Swaziland's traditional crops, have led to cannabis, or 'dagga' as it is known locally, becoming 'Swazi Gold' for many of the country's impoverished population, most of whom live on less than US$1 a day.

 

According to the government's Annual Vulnerability Monitoring Report 2005, cotton prices have fallen steadily over the past few years as a result of international competition and last year's price for cotton was about 33 percent lower than the previous year.

 

According to the government's Annual Vulnerability Monitoring Report 2005, cotton prices have fallen steadily over the past few years as a result of international competition and last year's price for cotton was about 33 percent lower than the previous year.

A similar fate has befallen the sugar industry.

 

The ongoing decline of these major contributors to the agriculture sector, which is faltering as a whole, have led to widespread job losses and left many Swazis with no means of putting food on the table other than subsistence farming, including cannabis growing.

 

In the past four years an increasing number of entrepreneurs have suggested that the large-scale production of hemp would go a long way to counteracting poverty.

 

Dr Ben Dlamini, 70, a former education administrator in the Swazi Department of Education, was one of the first people to talk about the potential benefits of hemp production.

 

"The major emphasis on cannabis in Swaziland has always been on smoking it and getting a 'high', but if we were to grow hemp commercially it would solve a lot of problems. It can be used to manufacture fuels, textiles, healthy oils and lotions," he pointed out.

 

"People are getting the idea that hemp can be used for purposes other than smoking, but the process of understanding this is very slow."

 

Simon Mavimbela, 21, and Justice Dlamini, 26, have lived all their lives in Hhohho, in the north of the country, the main area for cultivating cannabis, where many people risk growing the illegal plant rather than other cash crops like maize or peanuts.

 

While both young men insisted that they did not grow cannabis themselves, they admitted that friends and members of their families had grown the plant for generations.

 

"People here will get around R80 [about US$11] for a 10kg bag of maize when they sell it at the market, but they will get R3,000 [about $405] for a 10kg bag of cannabis if they can sell it to someone who is going to take it outside of Swaziland," Dlamini explained.

 

"A person can grow 30 10kg bags in a year up in the hills here, and they use the money to buy cows, furniture, send their children to school. We are in a good situation because our fathers grew dagga, so we could afford to go to school, have clothes and other benefits."

 

According to Dlamini, the only difference between growing cannabis and any other crop is that they have to avoid detection by the police by locating the plantations in inaccessible areas.

 

"If they are lucky, people from South Africa come and give them the money to start up, and then come back and buy the cannabis after it has been harvested. They then take the stuff through holes in the boarder fence into South Africa. You have to be very careful, though, because the police are always around - people do all their crop-work early in the mornings, so that the police will not see what they are up to."

 

In 2005 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that the global illegal trade in cannabis was worth $142bn and listed Swaziland as one of the major producers in southern and eastern Africa.

 

Author: IRIN

Date:30 oct.20006

Source:Reuters Foundation,http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/42a0f5ad13dcdb60edb317bf57ee49e0.htm

Copyright:Reuters Foundation 2006

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At last someone of note sees the reality of commercial cannabis albeit for hemp , never the less it would be great to see a small African state drag its people out of poverty with cannabis as thier saviour .

[nugget]

Thanks Frazz, another excellent read mate

 

 

.....never the less it would be great to see a small African state drag its people out of poverty with cannabis as thier saviour .

 

 

Wouldn't that be wonderful, hopefully if it can be done it may make other states/countries sit up and take notice too

 

 

[Stoney]

hey there frazz

 

great read mate and good to here that these 3rd world countries are lookin at other measures to help them get on there feet

 

i may go over and do some consulting while im over in south africa

 

cheerz :Dj:

[WantDaChronic]

never the less it would be great to see a small African state drag its people out of poverty with cannabis as thier saviour .

 

if they could actually end poverty in the area and make sure everyone eats, goes to school or work, etc. for a full year that would prove beyond a doubt to many other nations that hemp is a viable commercial crop with massive economic benefits it would probably also start a war with the usa, but no need to go into that one

[racingsnake]

Be the best thing to happen on the african continent since '94 I reckon?

Big it up

 

'SWAZI GOLD' and may's well chuck in a couple of DP's while they're at it!

 

Roll with it Africa!

[Budman2012]

Cheerz Fraz ,

Thats sounds like positive news ...

 

"People are getting the idea that hemp can be used for purposes other than smoking, but the process of understanding this is very slow."

Good to hear this statement ... But it doesn't take a genius to know the benefits of Cannabis .. What's the Holdup I wonder ...

Australia should have taken the world lead on this years ago ... It's just moronic for them to still be holding it back ... especially when their all important dollars would be involved ...

 

Well , I beleive they are starting a few more Hemp based farms now .. and also on a positive note that is a little off topic .. It's good to hear they(government) are finally throwing some real cash into renewable energy now , most notably , Solar. Hopefully both these industries can thrive over the coming years .. if not just for the enviroments sake ...

 

Anyway .. My thoughts are disorganized ... I'm conflicted with anger and hope.

And on that note ... I end this reply.

 

Budman

[Dr Rockster]

That was a really heartening read. Go Swaziland.