Rwanda has enacted a new law making medical use of Cannabis, better known as marijuana, legal, as the country edges closer to mass production and export of the multibillion-dollar cash crop.
In Rwanda, it is still illegal to consume cannabis products for recreational purposes. Illegal cannabis production, distribution, and usage are all punishable in the country.
A new Ministerial Order regulating Cannabis and its Products in Rwanda, which was gazetted on Monday, lays out rules for marijuana cultivation, processing, export, and medical use.
The new law, which was signed by Ministers of Health Daniel Ngamije and Justice Johnston Busingye, underlines that recreational marijuana usage is still unlawful and punishable by law.
According to the new Ministerial Order No 003/MoH/2021 on June 25, 2021, “any investor or person who is dedicated to execute any activity of cultivation, processing, importation, export, and use of Cannabis and Cannabis products, for medical or research purposes” is authorized to do so.
The law specifies eight different licenses and the actions that each one allows, each of which is valid for five years.
