Illicit small-scale growing still dwarfs the legal sector
Fieldwork in 2022–2024 found Zimbabwe's illicit cannabis sector still far larger than the new legal one in estimated output and significance to people's livelihoods.[@1] Mutoko in the north-east and Binga in the north-west were known for small-scale illicit cultivation, with local supply complemented by imports from Malawi, South Africa and Mozambique.[@1] Binga and Chiredzi were chosen for…
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Fieldwork in 2022–2024 found Zimbabwe’s illicit cannabis sector still far larger than the new legal one in estimated output and significance to people’s livelihoods.[1] Mutoko in the north-east and Binga in the north-west were known for small-scale illicit cultivation, with local supply complemented by imports from Malawi, South Africa and Mozambique.[1] Binga and Chiredzi were chosen for study precisely for their long historical links to cannabis trade and production.[1] Most interviewed cultivators, traders and consumers backed legalisation for its income, work and healing contributions, though many wrongly thought recreational cannabis was included; a Binga grower said growing should “be open to everyone as is the case with other crops”.[1][1]
Sources
- Clemence Rusenga, Gernot Klantschnig, Neil C. M. Carrier, Simon Howell. Business as usual? Cannabis legalisation and agrarian change in Zimbabwe. In Journal of Peasant Studies. Journal of Peasant Studies, 2024. vol. 51(4), pp. 982–1001; 2022–2024 fieldwork, illicit sector scale, Mutoko/Binga cultivation and import sources, legalisation views including the Binga grower quotation.