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Lesotho wants to take advantage of the medical marijuana industry's explosion, but Vumani Mkhize of the BBC said the Southern African nation already had an unprecedented illicit trade in this drug. recreational purposes.
A green dust swirls around Mampho Thulo as she uses her hands to pick up dried marijuana leaves from a huge pile on the floor of her house in a large linen bag.
As long as she can remember, she grows the precious crop in her picturesque village of Mapoteng.
70 km northeast of the capital, Maseru, its land lies in a lush valley surrounded by mountains that make the country's reputation.
It's in this breathtaking landscape that people have been illegally cultivating marijuana for recreational use for decades.
High altitudes combined with fertile soils, which are not contaminated with pesticides, enable growers to produce a high quality crop, appreciated all over the world.
Closer to the capital, ranks of workers are operating in laboratory-like greenhouse conditions to produce marijuana for legal purposes, as the country tries to take advantage of rising demand.
Last year, Lesotho became the first African country to legalize the cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes, creating a new sector in a country where the economy is struggling to create new opportunities. employment.
But it is unlikely that these two worlds will meet because the small farmer can not afford the infrastructure and licensing costs necessary for legitimate trade.
& # 39; At the mercy of smugglers & # 39;
Nevertheless, for Ms. Thulo, who has five children, marijuana is a valuable cash crop.
"That's how we earn our living … [as] the few jobs available are for educated people. So we depend on marijuana because we have no education, "she told the BBC.
Despite the lifting of the restriction on growing marijuana for medical purposes, what Ms. Thulo is doing – cultivating it for recreational drug use – remains illegal.
The threat of arrest does not deter the 48-year-old.
"Yes, I know it's illegal to plant marijuana," she concedes.
But with a note of defiance in her voice, she adds, "My kids are going to school because of marijuana, so when I sell it, I can pay tuition."
She is accustomed to an occasional police raid, which usually results in the authorities confiscating part of her harvest.
The inaccessibility of some of Mrs. Thulo's lands, perched on the steep slopes of the mountains, causes that not all land is taken.
When it comes to selling, she is at the mercy of smugglers who, she complains, only offer a fraction of her value.
"They are the ones who set the price because they know we are desperate.
"The buyer will say that I will take $ 36 [for a 50kg sack]. I'm hungry, I do not have food, the house is empty. I will usually take it for that amount. "
The pioneer of marijuana in Africa
The new marijuana industry for medical purposes is expected to significantly reduce the money for small, illicit farmers.
On a global scale, marijuana for medical purposes is a big deal.
The legal marijuana market is expected to reach $ 146 billion a year by 2025, with medical marijuana accounting for more than two – thirds, according to Grand View Research consultants.
As the first player on the continent, Lesotho wants to capitalize on its green wealth by encouraging international investment not only in culture but also in transformation.
"We want to export finished products, so the plan is to cultivate and manufacture pharmaceutical products, nutritional products, cosmetics and the extraction of active pharmaceutical ingredients," said Masello Sello, legal counsel Ministry of Health, responsible for issuing licenses.
The entry of Lesotho into the marijuana market for medical purposes has encouraged other countries to get involved. Zimbabwe has also legalized its culture and a number of other African governments are also considering it.
In South Africa, the Constitutional Court legalized the cultivation and use of marijuana for personal consumption in a landmark judgment earlier this year.
The Lesotho Government has already licensed a number of international companies for the cultivation, distribution and export of marijuana products.
The country has been successful in attracting Canadian investors, who have found that the climate and low labor costs are ideal for developing their business.
This year, the Toronto-based Supreme Cannabis Company has invested $ 10 million in Medigrow Lesotho, giving it a 10% share of the business.
Medigrow's large medicinal marijuana farm, located in Makarabei district of Maseru, brings hope for employment opportunities to the impoverished local community.
"Green medicine"
Greenhouses dot the side of the mountain and the roar of tractors and pneumatic drills is echoing as the plant is almost complete.
"We already employ 400 people and we plan to increase our workforce to about 3,000 people," said Lebo Liphotho, Medigrow's chief operating officer.
"Traditionally, [marijuana] The plant has worked well in Lesotho, so it is obvious that you would like to put in place a commercial structure appropriate to what has already been done naturally. Where we are, it is also about 2000m [6,561 ft] above sea level, which is a very good environment for the plant to produce high quality CBD [cannabidiol] oil, "adds Liphoto.
CBD oil is essentially what all medical marijuana growers are looking for.
This is the compound that is extracted from the plant and then used in drugs to treat a variety of conditions.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is what recreational users of marijuana look for as a psychoactive ingredient.
THC was sourced from all the plants on the Medigrow Farm, says Christo Moller, a farmer of the establishment.
"We are only looking for drugs, green drugs," he adds.
"Licenses are too expensive"
The Lesotho government has allowed Medigrow to begin cultivation in 2016, a year before the state legalized marijuana for medical purposes for all businesses.
In just 15 months, he has made a lot of progress: he has built a road, set up communication towers and is currently refining the finishing work on staff housing and the CBD oil processing plant.
But what about small farmers?
The fruit farmer Mothiba Thamae was excited about the potential of expanding his business through growing marijuana for medical purposes on his farm. But the cultivation permit of $ 10,000 has dissipated it.
"Since the government legalized marijuana in Lesotho, we thought we might be able to plant marijuana in order to diversify our production, but we found that it's difficult to get a license for people like us because this license is expensive. "Thamae told the BBC.
The government has divided marijuana licenses into different categories, ranging from the main license to cultivate, to research and transportation. But these licenses are too expensive for the ordinary farmer.
For the moment, Ms. Thulo will continue to cultivate her illicit culture and she knows nothing about the drug industry.
"It's all I know," she laughs as she finishes packing her giant marijuana bag.
"There is no other way to make a living."
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