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Malawi, poorest nation, burns billions of kwachas worth of cannabis

Mphatso Khutcha Richard

Malawi24

Wednesday 28 Jan 2026

Falling in the top ten poorest countries in Africa, Malawi yearly burns thousands of kilograms of Cannabis Sativa (Chamba), a product parliamentarians deliberated and passed an amendment agreeing that Chamba is an economic turn around of Malawi, police have torched over 5 thousand kilograms of hemp in Salima.

According to Salima police spokesperson, Rebecca Ndiwate, cannabis weighing over 5 tons was seized from unlawful possessors.

Ndiwate said burning of cannabis is in accordance with the law if 6 months have elapsed without the owners appearing to claim ownership.

She further said oftentimes, owners of the product are always at large and police are mandated to burn it, (ngati apolisi tili ndi lamulo lomwe limatilora kuwotcha katundu ngati uyu yemwe tinalanda kaamba siololedwa ndipo ayini ake anathawa kapena sakupezeka,” Ndiwate explained.

Former President Lazarus Chakwera in June 2024 withheld an assent to the cannabis bill citing an appeal from various stakeholders for further consultation and sensitisation though parliament testified that one kilogram of Chamba is rated over $150 per kilogram a worthy economic transformation for Malawi.

Based on information from 2022, investors looking for Malawi local hemp (Chamba) were offering a minimum price of approximately $150 per kilogram which is over 262 thousand kwacha per Kilogram.

In March 2024, Parliament passed the Cannabis Regulation (amendment) to iron out other operational challenges in the production of cannabis in the country.

Peter Dimba member of parliament for Lilongwe South now Phirilanjuzi constituency presented the cannabis bill saying enacting the cannabis Bill will promote local participation in the cannabis industry and estimated that Malawi will be making about $700 million annually from Indian Hemp.

During the deliberations, Member of Parliament for Thyolo Central now incumbent minister of local government Ben Phiri said Malawi acts oppositely, saying when it has an opportunity to generate revenue from Chamba it spends a lot of money arresting and prosecuting those found with the crop.

Malawi together with Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and 33 other countries, is among those that have legalised medicinal use of cannabis, decriminalising and tolerating cannabis use without full legality.

https://malawi24.com/2026/01/28/malawi-poorest-nation-burns-billions-of-kwachas-worth-of-cannabis/

 

 

 

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