Parliament unanimously agree to deliberate a bill that will legalise production of chamba
Parliament on Thursday unanimously gave Lilongwe South lawmaker Peter Dimba a go ahead to bring to the House two private members bills to legalize the regulated production of local variety of chamba in Malawi.
Members of Parliament energetically supported Dimba’s with most contributors arguing that cannabis (Chamba) is an economic crop which can bring fortunes to the country, in terms of forex generation.
However, Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda warned the members to avoid supporting the motion out of excitement saying there is a lot to consider before bringing the Bill to legalise Chamba.
“Much as we all know the economic value of cannabis, we must keep in mind that we have generations to protect, we have societies to protect so there is need for a wider consultation on the regulations to be used,” he said.
On his part, Thyolo Central MP Ben Phiri said Malawi acts in an opposite manner where it has an opportunity to generate income from Chamba but instead it spends money arresting and prosecuting those found with the crop.
He also wondered why when other countries are making money from Chamba, Malawi through the Malawi Police Service, is known for burning huge volumes of confiscated Chamba.
Nkhata Bay West legislator Christine Mphande said Chamba has always been grown and it has proved hard to stop so the best way is to legalise it as an export crop and put in place proper regulations to avoid abuse.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Titus Mvalo said government has decided to take over the process and will bring the bills as government bills.
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