Saturday, April 19, 2008

(LUSAKA TIMES) Cultivation of Cannabis in Rural Areas on the Increase

Cultivation of Cannabis in Rural Areas on the Increase
Posted on April 16th, 2008

There is an increased cultivation of canabis in rural areas on a commercial basis. A Senior government official in Mazabuka has attributed the increase in the number of villagers cultivating Cannabis on commercial basis to lack of Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officer in the district..

Acting Mazabuka District Commissioner, Wilson Siadunka said in Mazabuka today some villagers are now cultivating cannabis especially in Chikakankata area of Chieftainess Mwenda on commercial basis due to the absence of DEC officers.

Mr. Siadunka told ZANIS in an interview that Chiefs have now resorted to arresting suspected drug traffickers that are surrendered to Police. He said inspite of his office securing accommodation space for DEC, two years ago, the Commission has failed to send officers .

”DEC asked for office accommodation two years ago and we secured but our surprise they have gone for good. This is despite the alarming cases of cultivation and trafficking of cannabis in my district,” complained Siadunka

Mr Siadunka said the reluctance by DEC to open an office in the district is frustrating traditional rulers who have pledged to join hands in the fight against drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, Mr Siadunka has commended Chieftainess Mwenda for declaring war against drug trafficking in her Chiefdom. He said the arrest of dangerous drug traffickers in her Chiefdom deserves commendation because it is in line with government policy of drug free country.

And Chieftainess Mwenda in a separate interview told ZANIS, warned that she will suspend all village headmen linked to the cultivation of cannabis on commercial basis. She complained the cultivation of cannibis in her chiefdom has reached alarming proportions as some villagers had stopped growing maize in preference for Dagga.

” I think people are reaping heavily in Dagga business, but am not going allow this to happen because some youths who smoke Dagga end up running Mad,” said the Chieftainess.

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1 Comments:

At 5:24 PM , Blogger MrK said...

Hemp has so many uses that would help Zambia out:

1) Hemp reclaims degraded soil, by stabilizing it and adding humus to poor, sandy soils.

2) When sown closely together, hemp becomes all stalk, with flowers and some leaves only at the top of the plant; this creates 2-3 meter long stalks and equally long natural fibers, which are extremely versatile in their use: rope, clothes, even cars have been made from hemp. This would seriously stimulate industry in Zambia.

3) A natural product, which is biodegradable. Imagine all packaging that is now made from plastic, made from hemp. There is a huge floating island of undegradable plastic in the Pacific. This floating garbage pile is of an unimaginable size, and consists of all the plastic thrown away and washed into the sea from Japan, the USA, etc., creating a major environmental hazard. This is the consequence of using plastic for disposable containers and bags. If egg containers, garbage bags etc. were made from hemp, they would simply decompose.

4) Hemp is a weed and needs barely any pesticides or fertilizer to grow. Cotton presently uses 1/4 of all pesticides and chemicals used in agriculture. Using hemp would stop the poisoning of the earth that is happening in modern agriculture.

 

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