The Speaker of Malawi’s Parliament announced on 24 August 2024 that under Section 74 of the Constitution, the President had withheld assent for the second time to Private Members Bill No.1 of 2024:  Cannabis Regulation (Amendment).

Although the Bill had been passed by Parliament on 28 March, 2024, the President has halted further progress pending consultation with “some key stakeholders”.

Voice of America reported that these stakeholders were in fact religious leaders concerned about the potential harms that any form of legalization would bring.

Agriculture Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa, who tabled the bill, said he was confident the objections from faith leaders could be dealt with through public education and awareness. He said the Bill had been passed because MP’s saw the overwhelming economic benefit of exporting indigenous strains of cannabis into the international market. .

In early 2020, Malawi relaxed laws against growing and selling cannabis, making it legal for use in the production of medicines and hemp fibres used in the industry. It passed a Bill that made it legal to cultivate and process cannabis for those two uses, but stopped short of decriminalising recreational use.

In March this year Parliament passed the Private Bill, which was presented to the House by the Member for Lilongwe South, Peter Dimba. The Bill allowed for proper regulation of the locally produced Cannabis Sativa.   It also irons out other operational challenges in the production of cannabis which the industry is currently facing.

Dimba noted that the Cannabis Regulation (Amendment) Bill, would promote local participation in the cannabis industry and harness the advantages that Malawi has, with the local variety of cannabis (Malawi Gold), which he said is on high demand on the international market.

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