Dangerous Drugs (Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (No. 2)

The Minister of Health and Child Care has amended the Dangerous Drugs (Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use) Regulations, 2018. The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) is designated to administer and enforce them, in consultation with the Minister, with a committee to oversee cannabis regulation and an inspectorate to check sites. Licence applications, licensing decisions and most functions pass from the Minister to MCAZ; appeals go to the Minister within 30 days, and then to the Administrative Court within 21 days.

Producer licences are valid for five years and must be renewed before expiry; a late renewal is treated as a new application, and renewal may be refused if the producer never started operating. MCAZ may temporarily suspend a licence for breaches, unlawful dealing, dishonesty convictions or in the public interest, after asking the producer to show cause.

Cannabis must be grown indoors or in greenhouses. MCAZ may allow outdoor growing if the site is at least 15km from any other cannabis or industrial hemp farm and meets security requirements, including a 2.1m anti-climb, anti-crawl, anti-cut perimeter barrier and a 2.1m electrified fence around the growing area. New rules cover uncontaminated growing media, tested irrigation water, registered pest control products and integrated pest management, harvesting and drying, air filtration at post-harvest facilities, accredited testing for contaminants, and written standard operating procedures for good agricultural and manufacturing practice. Maximum THC content for oil, active ingredients and capsules is set by the destination market, and MCAZ tests all cannabis before export, in post-market surveillance and after complaints.

Cannabis not exported within twelve months of harvest must be reported to MCAZ within seven days; MCAZ inspects within seven days and destroys it, and may suspend or cancel the licence after giving 30 days for representations. Cannabis must also be destroyed immediately if a producer breaches licence conditions. New fees are US$75 for an import or export licence application, US$1,500 for annual returns, US$75 to import or export samples, US$10,000 for an additional site licence, US$400 plus costs for inspection and US$250 to vary a licence; fees are waived only with the Minister's written exemption.

The new definition of "cannabis plant" excludes fibre, non-germinating processed seed and seed oil, and — as written — cannabis sativa with a THC concentration of "not less than 1 per centum" on a dry weight basis. That wording appears to exclude high-THC plants, and readers should check it against the official text.