Health Minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng is reported to be opposed to the proposal by several government agencies that included cabinet to have a nod to planting, processing and export of Marijuana products.
However, as she drags her feet, it has emerged that on December 7, 2017, Uganda exported unrefined cannabis buds/ flowers to South Africa’s National Analytical Forensic Services in Pretoria. The order to Industrial Hemp (U) Ltd, a private company, was valued at $10,000 (Shs37.1m).
Eagle Online has established that a top army general bypassed Dr. Aceng and planted his Marijuana in one of the districts in North West and it is from this garden that Uganda has been carrying out tests before full scale production kicks off.
Uganda is set to export medical marijuana products to Europe and other countries in the west.
According to WebMD, a global website that provides health information, states that the greatest amount of evidence for the therapeutic effects of cannabis relate to its ability to reduce chronic pain, nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy and spasticity (tight or stiff muscles)
Also read about the laws on Marijuana:the-narcotic-drugs-and-psychotropic-substances-control-Act(4)
The news about the exportation of medical marijuana products came as a five-member cabinet committee met this morning to discuss the dangers and benefits of medical marijuana.
The committee chaired by the Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, includes Health minister Jane Ruth Aceng, Trade (Amelia Kyambadde), Finance (Matia Kasaija), Agriculture (Vincent Ssempijja), and Internal Affairs (Gen Jeje Odongo).
About 20 companies have so far sent letters to Dr Aceng requesting to grow marijuana for medical purposes.
The Cabinet sub-committee was tasked to look at the health and financial benefits from medical marijuana, one of the money-spinning, but highly sensitive ventures. The committee is expected to table its findings to Cabinet on May 15.
However, sources say that apart from Dr. Aceng, the rest of the members have approved Marijuana business. It is said that Dr. Aceng is reportedly under pressure from major drug dealers who supply drugs to Uganda that with the Marijuana business, their products won’t be marketable. Other sources allege that Dr Aceng is judgmental to the Marijuana because of her being ‘born again’. It is said that in one of her submissions, she asked what kind of explanation was she going to give to the religious leaders if their heard that she participated in a meeting that legalized Marijuana business.
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President Museveni constituted the five member team and also instructed Dr. Rugunda to work with Dr Aceng and look into the medical components of cannabis.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 2015 was duly passed by Cabinet before it went to Parliament and therefore, allows the growth and legal transaction of Marijuana for medical use. However, under same teams and conditions, the same Heath Minister is required to give written consent to verified drug growers and that is why Dr. Aceng believes she can pull a rag on the projects.
Uganda stands to ripe big from the tax as a result of exportation of Marijuana business and employment opportunities for the local population.
Some of the companies eyeing Marijuana business in Uganda
1.Industrial Hemp (U) Ltd
2.Together Pharma Ltd
3.Natgro Phama (U) Ltd
4.Medraw (U) SMC Ltd
5.Urban Properties (U) Ltd
6.Prime Ranchers
7.Silver Seeds (U) Ltd
8.Dave and Dave Group
9.Seven Blades
10.Cannops Africa
11.Quest Worths International Group
12.Premier Hemp (U) Ltd
13.Sativa Agro-tech Ltd
14. Zeus Agro Ltd
15. Owesia U Ltd
Other health benefits are:
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the non-psychiatric cannabinoids in industrial hemp and is increasingly used as a food supplement and ingredient in beauty Studies have shown that high doses of CBD are safe without significant side effects and are used to treat a number of diseases and symptoms including;
Anxiety disorders, obesity, epilepsy, dystonia, diabetes, cancer, neurodermatitis and Alzheimer’s CBD is not separately listed in US federal regulations and controlled in Schedule I but is not restricted in the EU under any legislation CBD products on the market today include: edibles, oils, tinctures.
While the full business potential of legal cannabis in the health care sector is only now coming into focus, early indicators suggest that the potential is considerable.
The cannabis healthcare sector ranges from over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications to sophisticated biotech treatments for such chronic conditions as epilepsy, diabetes, schizophrenia, Glioblastoma, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), and Huntington’s disease .
The new cannabis healthcare sector still faces regulatory headwinds though several factors are optimistic for the industry: − Consumer demand for existing medical cannabis products (mainly as a pain reliever) is strong in the states where medical cannabis is now legal − Growing evidence that cannabis can significantly reduce addiction and deaths from opioid painkillers − Federal policy is already shifting:
in August 2016, the US Drug Enforcement Administration relaxed restrictions on where scientists could obtain cannabis for medical cannabis research trials.
The potential of cannabis’s medical properties has drawn interest from mainstream pharmaceutical players − Insys, GW Pharma, Tilray and Zynerba have already begun clinical trials using cannabis − If this early pharmaceutical research is successful and OTC cannabis remedies and treatments begin gaining acceptance among mainstream consumers, medical cannabis will start to attract attention both from big pharmaceuticals as well as national retailers.
