Motorist Flees Leaving Car With Marijuana At A Police Roadblock
A motorist from Chiweshe reportedly panicked and fled a police roadblock in Glendale and left his car behind with 360g of marijuana on the block.
The motorist, Vitas Chigwanda (27), was later taken to Concession magistrates courts, where he appeared before magistrate Joshua Nembaware.
What Happened?
On July 13, the police stopped Chigwanda at the 40-kilometre peg along the Glendale-Chiweshe highway. Chigwanda panicked, disembarked from the car, and fled. The police searched the vehicle and found 360g of dagga. Chigwanda returned to the scene several hours later and was subsequently arrested. He was remanded in custody until July 17.
Growing, Possession and Use of Marijuana / Dagga / Mbanje in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, the production, use, and possession of marijuana are strictly regulated by the government. While the use of marijuana for medicinal and scientific purposes has been decriminalised, it is still illegal to grow, possess, or use marijuana for recreational (enjoyment/pleasure) purposes.
In 2018, the Zimbabwean government allowed for the legal production of industrial hemp, a strain of the cannabis plant that contains very low levels of THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. Statutory Instrument 218 Agricultural Marketing Authority (Industrial Hemp) Regulations, gazetted in 2018 by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Anxious Masuka, does not legalise the production or use of marijuana for recreational purposes, as the use of marijuana for non-medical purposes remains illegal in Zimbabwe.
SI 218 provides for three types of permits for growers, namely general growers’, research and breeding, and industrial hemp merchant’s permits.
