Cannabis in Senegal

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Cannabis in Senegal is illegal; the drug is locally referred to as yamba.

Contents

History

As early as the 1960s, cannabis (referred to by locals as yamba) [1] was produced in the Casamance region of southern Senegal by separatist rebels. The rebels initially protected growers from the government, but by the 1990s had moved to taxing cannabis cultivators to finance the resistance. [2] By 1995, collected cannabis taxes had reached several million dollars annually. [3] A 1995 report noted that cannabis was the only drug produced in Senegal, and mostly for local consumption, but that the government had taken few steps to counter the cannabis trade. [4]

In 1999, Senegalese authorities launched "Operation Cannabis V", which resulted in the destruction of some 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of treated cannabis and another 7 tonnes (6.9 long tons; 7.7 short tons) of cannabis being confiscated. [5]

Economy

Cannabis is cultivated in many parts of Senegal, particularly in the southern Casamance region. [6] A small amount of cannabis is imported from neighbouring countries including Ghana, Mali, and Gambia, [7] while cannabis resin has been found to enter Europe from Senegal, though that may have originated in further countries. [8] Cannabis in Senegal is mainly distributed in the more developed regions, especially Dakar. [9] A 1998 report stated that farmers preferred cannabis as a crop since it was worth 20 times more money per kilogram than the national principle crop, groundnuts; [10] in 2020, a kilogram of cannabis in Senegal was reportedly worth $25–50 or 15,000 to 30,000 West African CFA francs. [11]

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A drug policy is the policy regarding the control and regulation of psychoactive substances, particularly those that are addictive or cause physical and mental dependence. While drug policies are generally implemented by governments, entities at all levels may have specific policies related to drugs.

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Cannabis in Dominica is a Class B drug to cultivate, sell or possess. This means that possession is punishable by 12 months and $12,000 (summary) or 2 years and $20,000. Supplying, production, or importation are punishable by 3 years and $100,000 (summary) or 14 years and $200,000.

Cannabis in Syria is illegal. Under the policies of the Syrian Arab Republic cannabis is illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in prison in large drug trafficking offenses, if someone is considered an addict by the Syrian government then they face no criminal penalties for drug use and possession. Since the start of the Syrian civil war cannabis laws have become widely unenforced by the Syrian government as well as Kurdish and rebel controlled territories, while civilians growing cannabis in Jabhat al-Nusra controlled territory face arrest. On multiple occasions Bashar al-Assad granted general amnesties to multiple crimes which included drug trafficking offenses.

Cannabis in Benin is illegal. The country is not a major drug producer or consumer, but increasingly serves as a transshipment point for drugs produced elsewhere. Cannabis is the only drug produced locally in Benin, though mostly on a small scale.

Cannabis in Sierra Leone is illegal, but is widely cultivated and consumed in the country, and exported to neighboring countries and to Europe. Cannabis is known locally as diamba.

Cannabis in Suriname is illegal. Cannabis is the most popular illegal drug in Suriname.

Cannabis in Lesotho is illegal for any use, but largely tolerated. Cannabis is widely produced in the country, being the nation's most significant cash-crop. In the 2000s it was estimated that 70% of the cannabis in South Africa originated in Lesotho. In 2017 Lesotho became the first African nation to grant a license for the cultivation of medical cannabis.

Cannabis in Grenada is illegal. Cannabis possession is the most common drug offense on the island, and the annual prevalence of cannabis use amongst adults was reported as 10.8% in 2005.

Cannabis in Montserrat, the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Leeward Islands, is illegal under British law.

Cannabis in Kenya is illegal.

Cannabis in Mauritania is illegal, but the country serves as a major transit point for Moroccan cannabis en route to Europe.

Cannabis in Mozambique is illegal; the drug is locally referred to as suruma.

Cannabis in Jordan is illegal. In 2018, Anwar Tarawneh, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) reported that "marijuana is the most consumed drug in Jordan", with the AND seizing 1.5 tonnes of cannabis that year. As Jordan is a signatory to the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

Cannabis in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was prior known to be illegal but is now decriminalized up to 2 ounces. Persons caught with 56 grammes or less of the drug will not be subject to incarceration. Instead, they will be fined a maximum of $500 and be subject to other measures including begin given educational material about cannabis; counselling and rehabilitative care. These provisions were among several amendments that were made to the Drugs Amendment Act (2018), which was passed in Parliament on July 25. In addition to only being a ticketable offense, the amendment provides for Vincentians to smoke the herb in the privacy of their homes and in places of worship of the Rastafarian faith without punishment. The amendment also said that the Minister may designate a list of public areas where the smoking of cannabis may be allowed. The country has correlating legal medical marijuana laws. Parliament on December 11, 2018, passed two Acts, one which establishes a Medical Cannabis Industry in St Vincent and the Grenadines and the other which offers amnesty for traditional marijuana growers. The Vincentian Parliament passed legislation to protect the intellectual property of breeders of new plant varieties in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), the Plant Breeders’ Protection Bill, 2019. It sets up the jurisprudential framework within which these persons will be able to accrue the rights, how these rights will be protected, how they will be published so that persons in the entire society, in the court and globally, can be aware of the hard work which was done, the agriculture minister said. Under the law, a person must obtain the authorization of a grantee with respect to propagating material of the protected variety, to produce or reproduce, condition the material for the purpose of propagation, offer the material for sale, to sell the material, import or export the material, or stock the material for any of the previous purposes. Regarding infringement of plant breeders’ rights, the following acts are exempt: an act done privately for non-commercial purposes, an act done for experimental purposes, or an act done for the purpose of breeding other plant varieties. The law allows for compulsory licenses where a person may apply to the court for the grant of a compulsory license to exploit a protected variety in SVG. Subject to terms that the court thinks fit, the court may make an order for the grant of compulsory licenses if it is satisfied that the grant of the compulsory licenses is in the public interest. Offense under the law include falsification of register and falsely representing a plant variety as a protected variety. The law also orders the registrar to publish applications for plant breeders’ rights, proposed and approved denominations, withdrawals of application for plant breeders’ rights, the rejection of applications for plant breeders’ rights, any grant of a breeders’ right, any change in the breeder or the agent in respect of a plant variety, lapses of plant breeders’ rights, any invalidation or revocation of a plant breeder's rights, the licenses in relation to plant breeders’ rights, where applicable. Cannabis is widely grown illicitly on the island and is the nation's most valuable agricultural product. Saint Vincent is the most prolific producer of cannabis in the Caribbean, other than Jamaica.

Cannabis in Ivory Coast is illegal. The country produces some amount of low-grade cannabis for local and regional consumption.

Cannabis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is legal for industrial, medicinal and scientific use. It continues to be illegal for recreational use.

Cannabis in Uganda was legalized as of the 5th of May, 2023 by the Constitutional Court after the law prohibiting its use was nullified. It was ruled that, "[...] since the provisions that banned dealing in miraa were not handled by parliament independent of the rest of the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2015, it is only prudent that the entire law is nullified"

Cannabis in Togo is illegal.

References

  1. ↑ West Africa. West Africa Publishing Company Limited. 1980. p. 227.
  2. ↑ Guy Arnold (13 May 2013). The International Drugs Trade. Routledge. pp. 183–. ISBN   978-1-135-45515-6.
  3. ↑ Dina Siegel; H. Bunt; D. Zaitch (6 December 2012). Global Organized Crime: Trends and Developments. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 28–. ISBN   978-94-007-0985-0.
  4. ↑ DIANE Publishing Company (August 1995). International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 1995. DIANE Publishing. pp. 439–. ISBN   978-0-7881-2057-2.
  5. ↑ International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. Bureau of International Narcotics Matters, Department of State. 2000. pp. 525–.
  6. ↑ International Narcotics Control Board (2001). Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2000. United Nations Publications. pp. 34–. ISBN   978-92-1-148131-0.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Cannabis use rises, but no-one can afford hard drugs". The New Humanitarian. 24 March 2005.
  8. ↑ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2006). 2006 World Drug Report: Analysis. United Nations Publications. pp. 2091–. ISBN   978-92-1-148214-0.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Cannabis in Africa" (PDF). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Africa Recovery. UN. 1998. p. 7.
  11. ↑ "Senegal's remote cannabis growers evade crackdown". The Citizen. 10 January 2020.
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