Police destroying the 15-acre marijuana field in Masulita
Ugandans have expressed displeasure at the Uganda Police and its sister security agencies after they destroyed 15 acres of Marijuana field.
In a statement, Police said on15th day of August 2020, they carried out an operation within areas of Masulita and Magoogo sub-county in Wakiso district and destroyed marijuana gardens seated on 15 acres.
“Police received information that there were big Marijuana gardens in those areas,” Police said, adding: “One person has been arrested to aid in investigations, he has been identified as Samuel Mugambwa. It has also been established that the substance is settling on 15 acres of Land.
The suspect was found in possession of three sucks of Marijuana ready to be transported, he is currently detained at Kakiri Police as investigations go on.”
However, taking to social media platforms mainly Twitter and Facebook, a cross section of Ugandans blamed Police and Government for discrimination considering the fact that some foreign companies are already growing the medicinal plant in the country.
They also blamed Government over failure to put in place an enabling law to allow Ugandans grow Marijuana.
Taking to his Twitter, Erik Aamot said: “@PoliceUg marijuana is only for foreign investors that paid bribes for a license where pot is legal: alcohol use goes down, violence goes down, it deeply roots, a nitrogen fixing plant that restores poor soils. Its fiber makes the finest linens, canvass=cannibis.”
He added: “you can make 4 times as much ethanol from an acre of hemp than an acre of corn not counting a good fiber yield cattle and goats can safely eat the leaves the seeds are good food and the oil from them the healthiest cooking oil of all.”
Nansinguza Jacob joined the discussion saying: “Reports circulated sometime back that Uganda was soon legalising growing of marijuana. That an Israel firm was to be licensed over the same. 2 acres sound like an investor’s enterprise, aiming at exports to the international market. Do we have legal marijuana growers in Uganda?”
Also taking to Twitter, Timothy Adams Musisi said: “@PoliceUg
Thanks Uganda police for being enemies of herbal medicine and enemies of development to the youth, why can’t u give them a licence instead of destroying them…”
TMK said: “@PoliceUgIt was very wrong for the security to cut the hemp down, someone investment destroyed, it’s very useful herb for both humans and animals, especially poultry, they could have made an arrangement for its handling.”
Commenting on Police’s statement posted on its official facebook page, Martin Nzangabo said: “ That’s malicious damage by Uganda police. They must face the law.
Destroying this person’s garden of marijuana was against the law.
They would have arrested him and sensitize him to change from marijuana to any other cash crop.”
Ceasar Abruzzy commented: “Give these people licenses and regulate them…we can’t be having foreign companies growing the same for profit which is taken back to their countries.”
In April 2020, the Ugandan government cleared shipment of 250 kilogrammes of marijuana to Tel Aviv after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government agreed to pay $375,000 (about Shs1.5b) for dry cannabis flowers.
Daily Monitor reported that a Kasese-based medical marijuana dealer- the Industrial Hemp (U) Ltd, used Turkish Airlines to deliver their first significant medical cannabis exports to Israel. However, there are unanswered questions about this deal and marijuana business in Uganda. A number of companies have applied to Ministry of Health to grow marijuana for medical purposes, but government hasn’t responded positively. How did Industrial Hemp (U) Ltd get the license to grow marijuana in Uganda? Who owns this company? Why has government/cabinet delayed to approve the long awaited guidelines to grow marijuana in Uganda?
An investor who has applied to grow marijuana in Uganda said Uganda is ‘sleeping’ on a multibillion business that has potential to create jobs for many Ugandans and contribute ‘greatly’ to the country’s economic development.
“It is amazing that companies are exporting this commodity yet Health Ministry says that there are no companies that have licenses,” the investor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, adding: “They (Health Ministry) keep telling us that they are waiting for Cabinet to approve guidelines.”
