Cannabis use is rising faster in Africa than any other region in the world – as is the consumption of a dangerous new generation of opioid-based drug cocktails that has come at a terrible social cost. International criminal organizations have embedded themselves in Africa turning the continent into a transnational distribution hub for heroin and cocaine which in turn has led to the development of ‘secondary’ drug markets from Nairobi to Durban.

The 2024 World Drug Report states “Africa has been increasingly used as a transit area for drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine which are trafficked from South-West Asia to Southern Africa and East Africa for local consumption and for re-export to other countries, mainly in East and South East Asia. Drugs transiting through Africa have now penetrated the local markets, thus adding to the existing health challenges.”

On the other side of the continent, West Africa is facing a ‘Killer Kush’ crisis

While cannabis remains illegal, it remains a steady source of income to cartels and criminalizes millions of consumers in the process. It also blinds policy-makers to the potential benefit of medicinal cannabis as part of national health programmes.

According to the World Drug Report 2024, cannabis is the most widely-used substance in Africa but other drugs are catching up, notably tramadol (90% of tramadol seizures by authorities have been in Africa).

The World Drug Report says South Africa has a multifaceted and complex illegal drug market with sophisticated trafficking networks trafficking a range of substances including cannabis, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and new psychoactive substances (NPS). Each drug category has its specific dynamics regarding production, trafficking and consumption.

It says “South Africa remains an attractive location for drug traffickers to warehouse their stocks before shipping them on to other countries. The country's geographical location makes it a critical note in the global drug trade both as a destination and a transit point.”

Given the severity of the substance abuse issue African authorities are grappling with, and the fact that cannabis is seen as part of the problem, a comprehensive approach to unlocking the benefits of the plant is a long way down the road.

Part of the problem is structural and indicative of the power politics of the continent in which the elites perpetuate colonial thinking under the guise of liberation.

Africa’s drug policies are a product of a colonial ‘war against drugs’ mindset which are essentially prohibitionist and do not view cannabis as a natural resource that could be used to improve health care for the masses. Instead the 13 countries that have part-legalized cannabis have done so mostly for medical and industrial exports – in short as a quick-fix foreign exchange earner and job creator  (which it hasn’t been) – instead of seeking the multitude of domestic benefits that could be achieved by having regulated domestic market that included regulated adult-use.

The underlying colonial message is that cannabis is being offered as yet another natural resource to be exploited by the first world at the expense of Africans (medical cannabis is OK for Europeans, but don’t let us Africans benefit from that as well).

Despite the many false starts and slow progress of the Cannabis Master Plan, South Africa is at least grappling with an African solution to benefitting from cannabis in all its forms. The Phakisa is a visionary document that should be the standard for other countries to develop their own versions of the ‘whole plant approach’.

Instead we have African cannabis reform taking place in slow motion with no noticeable progress, while the benefits of legalization are enjoyed by those countries that have taken the initiative to mainstream cannabis on behalf of their citizens.

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