In a bid to increase licence applications and foster national growth, the Government of Zimbabwe has reduced medical cannabis licensing fees by as much as 90%.
In July, the government released Statutory Instrument 108 of 2026 for the Dangerous Drugs (Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use) (Amendment) Regulations, containing new provisions for the cultivation and production of medical cannabis.
The new regulations stipulate that the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) should now govern the licencing process of medical cannabis, reducing application processing fees for new licences from US$10,000 to $1,000.
In addition, the five-year licence renewal fee is now $7,500 from $50,000, and the inspection fee has been reduced to $400 from $2,500. The application fee for an import or export licence is now at $75, which is also the same fee for the import or export of samples, down from an initial figure of $5,000.
Behind the reduction in fees
In 2018, then Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. David Parirenyatwa published the Statutory Instrument 62 of 2018, which resulted in the legal regulation of the cultivation and production of cannabis for medical and scientific use.
Though the move was commended by farmers, researchers and other stakeholders within the cannabis industry, there seemed to be a huge divide between those who were capable of cultivating and producing cannabis on a commercial-scale and those on a small-scale. This was largely attributed to the exorbitant licensing fees which were beyond the reach of many who wanted to venture into the industry. For the first four years of operation, MCAZ only issued 57 cannabis licences, of which only 15 actually began the cultivation process. TalkingDrugs reached out to MCAZ for a comment on how many licences have been issued and are currently active, but received no response.
During a media briefing on 4 August 2026 at the President’s Offices, the Zimbabwean Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube said the Government had to cut the licensing fees to attract more workers to the sector. According to Ncube, the state wanted to bring in more young people to the industry and transition tobacco farmers to medical cannabis cultivation. He also added that cuts in licence fees were hoped to attract greater foreign investment.
Reacting to the recent developments, Marshall Malikebu, a farmer and cannabis advocate said the government had made a commendable move.
“Reducing the fees opens up more opportunities for jobs, income for farmers and foreign currency through exports. With our traditional cash crop tobacco facing declining global demand, medical cannabis presents a clear alternative path for the nation,” Malikebu told TalkingDrugs.
“From a health perspective, it’s also a milestone because we can now leverage our own locally grown cannabis to manufacture pharmaceutical products and improve access to medicine,” added Malikebu.
Kudzai Hwari, an agronomist and farmer, said slashing medical cannabis licensing fees would result in more jobs being created.
“That’s a great development for our country and the pharmaceutical sector because it will open doors for the youth to venture into,” Hwari told TalkingDrugs.
Future of the medical cannabis sector in Zimbabwe
According to research by Clemence Rusenga and others into extractive cannabis industries, the Zimbabwean cannabis sector seems set up for foreign investors and the local business community interested in exporting finished products. They claim that entry barriers and strict production conditions expose the cannabis sector to risks of corporate capture, as has happened elsewhere in Africa.
Hwari believed, like Minister Ncube, that the medical cannabis sector could become a boon for youth unemployment, which sits at nearly 50% for those aged between 15 and 24. However, he acknowledged that the conditions for fostering the industry’s growth still needed to improve to attract more workers.
“To some extent we may expect more [national] players to venture into the industry, but it will take time for other players to understand,” said Hwari.
“Additionally, it’s not a walk in the park, though there is a reduction in licensing fees, it’s still high for most players considering our economy. Those who are financially stable can only venture into the industry if the deal is profitable to them,” said Hwari.
Malikebu added that he hoped that the new fee adjustments may be what the medical cannabis sector needed to attract more people.
“Now with lower fees, we can expect more young people to get into cultivation, value-addition, research and ancillary services. This can help shift cannabis from an informal activity to a formal, regulated and profitable industry for the youth,” added Malikebu.
Enhancing Zimbabwe’s medical cannabis sector
Many of the local people are still oblivious to how they enter the medical cannabis sector: there’s little information available for the average person, as well as the continued criminalisation of cannabis possession means its public image remains the same.
“The government needs to educate small scale farmers and commercial farmers of the importance of the cannabis business. Also, they need to offer a good buying price to farmers to attract more participants,” said Hwari.
“Moreso, they need to give loans to farmers who are interested. The growing of cannabis needs to be treated like any other crop,” added Hwari.
Malikebu also shared the same sentiments noting that the government should apply the same support model it uses for tobacco, which includes contract farming, input schemes, guaranteed markets, extension services and access to affordable financing.
“I recommend clear guidelines for smallholder and cooperative participation, support for local research and product development, training programs on good agricultural and manufacturing practices, facilitation of market linkages for both local and export markets,” said Malikebu.
“However, key challenges still remain, access to finance, reliable electricity and water, meeting international compliance and testing standards, market access as well as continued regulatory clarity. Addressing these will determine how far we can go,” said Malikebu.
A 2023 workshop between government officials, cannabis licence holders and researchers identified many of the same complaints raised by Hwari and Malikebu. Back then, the meeting was critical of the high licencing fees, but it also outlined other financial constraints: namely banks’ hesitancy to provide loans to cannabis farmers for fear of getting involved in “dangerous drugs” (the name of cannabis’ regulatory bills) and compromise their other businesses.
Change needed to reach green dreams
With the Government aims to turn cannabis into a billion-dollar industry by 2028, there’s serious changes that need to happen for the industry to reach that point. More realistic licencing fees may be what the nation’s industry needs to grow; but further efforts to develop the nation’s workforce as well as address the concerns of other key sectors (like finance) need to happen to reach this number.
