The Leader of Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga has tasked Government to furnish Parliament with a list of all marijuana growers in Uganda, following the rampant reports of marijuana abuse within the country.
Mpuuga asked, “Will the Prime Minister clarify to this country whether government has a track of where growers apply including quantities because we could be blaming consumers that aren’t growers, the growers are known. Does Government have records of quantities grown by the licensed growers and therefore, their channels of supply so that we can track where to stop the fight?”
The Leader of Opposition’s remarks were in response to a concern raised by Aloysius Mukasa (Rubaga South) who informed Parliament that although it hasn’t been medically proven that marijuana has capacity to treat Covid-19, many people in Kampala have resorted to brewing it tea as a potential herb in suppressing covid-19 as a hope to boost their immunity and as a remedy to fight Covid-19.
Mukasa added that although Covid-29 may no longer be a big threat to Ugandans, the practice of consuming marijuana especially as an immune booster has persisted, and the consumption is further increased by the belief that this concoction is an actual remedy for the treatment of cough.
Now, the legislator wants the Ministry of Health to pronounce itself on the safe usage of marijuana to avert any negative impact on people’s health.
“As a result, cases of mental disorder, domestic violence, criminality are on the rise in the communities and both youths and even juveniles have adopted the use of marijuana. I want Parliament to urge the Minister of Health to kick off a mass sensitization on the danger associated with the use of marijuana with an intention of discouraging people who are giving it knowingly or unknowingly as an actual remedy,” said Mukasa.
Premier Robinah Nabbanja in her response promised to intensify sensitization on the use of marijuana remarking, “The use of marijuana is illegal in Uganda and therefore, all those who are using marijuana are committing and offence. We shall continue to sensitise our people.”
However, Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County) reminded the Premier that large scale marijuana growing is already taking place in Uganda at a commercial level and cautioned against ban on marijuana growth so as to boost Uganda’s pharmaceutical industry.
He said, “Countries that we have all gone to now mira and marijuana growing is in the open. The normal trend isn’t to abolish, the normal trend is to regulate, sensitise and let people grow because it is medicinal and needed for commercial purposes. Pharmaceuticals all over the world are milking billions of dollars in growing marijuana, so African countries are lagging behind in pharmaceuticals.”
Markson Oboth (West Budama Central) however tasked Muwanga to admit to his conflict of interest for being a grower of both mira and marijuana in his home district, allegations Muwanga denied saying he has no personal interest in marijuana or mira growing but many farmers in Butambala are growing mira largely on a commercial level.
“I made a very passionate case for continued growth of mira in this country. I am here to also make a case to government to go the whole way and regularize on how individuals who want to grow marijuana commercially can do so, it can change lives and give us money,” said Muwanga.
Speaker Among tasked Government to popularize laws around marijuana growing saying, “I think what Government should do is popularise the law and make sure that the people who are doing that are brought to book and they can also give us a list of people who have been given permits to grow and remember the law says it should only be grown for medicinal purpose.”
