Swaziland lawmakers are to
investigate legalising
the use of cannabis as a way of
boosting the kingdom’s ailing economy.
They believe the small
landlocked kingdom with a population of about 1.3 million people could make
E23.4 billion (US$1.63 billion) in a year. This would be 26 times more
than the value of sugar, Swaziland’s major crop. They believe the gross
domestic product of the kingdom could triple.
A campaign has been running
in Swaziland for some time to legalise cannabis (also known as marijuana and
dagga). The economy of the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan
Africa’s last absolute monarch, is always in the doldrums. The King lives a
lavish lifestyle with at least 13 palaces, fleets of top-of-the-range BMW and
Mercedes cars and a private jet. He is soon to take delivery of another jet.
Meanwhile, seven in ten of his subjects live in abject poverty with incomes
less than US$2 per day.
The Swazi House of Assembly was told on Friday (31
March 2017) that various products could be made from the cannabis plant,
including carpets and army uniforms and it could
treat diseases like tuberculosis, cancer and HIV.
The House appointed a five-member committee to explore
the possibility further.
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