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Dec. 13, 2018

3 min read

Thabane blames misuse on illegal dagga

Thabane blames misuse on illegal dagga

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MASERU– Prime Minister Tom Thabane has altered a long held myth that matekoane, cannabis, dagga or marijuana is a bad plant but blamed its misuse as the cause for its prejudice in the world market.

This Dr Thabane said on December 10 in Maseru when officiating the launch of the first company to be licenced to cultivate medical grade cannabis in Lesotho. The project is expected to run for 20 years with the cash injection of about M550 million.
He said all plants were given to human being by God at garden of Eden for their well-being but “sadly sin found its way into man's heart and today, people misuse the plants which God has given them for their benefit. Marijuana or cannabis as some call it, is one of the plants with significant benefits which have been misused by humanity for a long time.”

Medi Kingdom from Australia is in partnership with Basotho owned company Agri-Go for plantation of medical grade cannabis on a land of about 42 hectares. Medi Kingdom will begin its commercial exports of medical grade cannabis to the worlds burgeoning legal markets such as Australia, Canada and Europe by 2019.Agri-Go International was founded in 2012 and is owned by Basotho.

 

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Medi Kingdom is the first and largest licensed medical cannabis producer in Africa. They began growing their first crop in 2016 and currently operate from three sites in Lesotho, well known for its high quality cannabis growing environment and an ideal climate and unique local strains.

Dr Thabane has encouraged more Basotho to take advantage of the opportunity presented by medical marijuana and establish similar plantations after following due legal process emphasising that the government shall ensure a fair playing field for all Basotho.
“Your government has decided to use the natural resources it has been endowed with by Almighty God for the benefit of the country and indeed for the benefit of all human beings. Today's event writes a new chapter in the history of Basotho nation as the they will produce marijuana for medical purposes,” he said.

He recognised that for a long time, individuals in Lesotho have been illegally producing marijuana that ends up in illegal markets and indeed used for wrong purposes without any significant benefit to the country or its citizens. “It is a well-known fact that Lesotho is one of the countries that produce high quality marijuana due to its topography and quality of soil.”

Congratulating Medi Kingdom for being one of the first companies in Lesotho to be granted licences to produce marijuana for medical purposes, Dr Thabane said in line with the government policy the company has partnered with Basotho and therefore all should view it as their own and support and protect it.
“Due to the benefits of medical marijuana we are confident that our health system will be in a position to mount a meaningful fight against cancer, autism, epilepsy, heart diseases and many others,” he expressed, adding that the launch comes at a critical juncture in Lesotho's history as the health system is overwhelmed by non-communicable diseases.
According to the health minister, Nkaku Kabi the cannabis project is not only going to help cure a number of diseases but is also going to give sustainable cure to diseases while at the same time contributing to the economic growth and job creation.

“It is going to help produce tablets and medication for different diseases for the Qoaling community and Basotho at large,” he said.
On behalf of Medi Kingdom, James Matter, chief executive officer noted that the event made history as Lesotho will be the first country to produce cannabis in the whole of Africa. “We intend and believe that Lesotho stands to be recognised internationally as a world class cultivator of compliant medical grade cannabis product in various forms exporting to international sophisticated markets globally.”

A Member of Parliament for Qoaling and member of the Agri-Go, Chalane Phori, urged the community to avoid vandalising the property but protect the area and warned them that it is going to be fenced electrically.

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