Zimbabwe has legalised marijuana for medical and scientific use, thereby becoming the second African country to legalize marijuana after Lesotho.
The country’s Minister of Health health in a government notice said that individuals and businesses would be able to apply for licences to cultivate cannabis for medicinal or scientific use on Friday.
The five-year licences will clear growers to possess, transport and sell fresh cannabis, cannabis oil, and dried product, reports Harare Herald.
Applicants for the licenses must submit detailed plans of their proposed production site and yield, according to the government notice published in the Harare Herald.
Individuals applying for licenses must be Zimbabwe citizens or residents or have a waiver issued by the minister.
Those previously convicted of drug offences will not be allowed to apply.
Even with the legalisation of cannabis usage, recreational use is still illegal in the country.
The tiny state of Lesotho issued Africa’s first license for medical marijuana production last year.