MURANGA COUNTY BECOMES THE FIRST COUNTY TO LEGALISE MARIJUANA IN KENYA

It's not April Fools and I am not pulling your leg. Washington and Colorado legalized weed then Uruguay. Kenya has followed suit. And that is no joke! Uncle Chim Tuna doesn't play with his weed. And I can finally say that because the Government of Kenya has legalized the herb. I came across a very interesting piece in The People that was actually done on the 2nd of January that reported that the government has allowed thousands of farmers in Murang’a County to commercial bhang farming. The pilot project will engage more than 3,000 farmers from the county to produce 1000 kilos of bhang each which translates to nine million kilos per season. Simon Mwaura the Chief Executive Officer of Hyaquip Kenya, says the project seeks to explore the positive side of bhang from being an illegal drug to a vital food supplement. Mwaura said this is now a reality after using an organic compound to remove the caffeine in the plant, leaving it with only minerals such as potassium and calcium which are vital to the body. “Caffeine is the only thing which causes a chemical reaction in the body leading to bhang addiction but we have found a way of removing it to make the plant fit for consumption,”he said."The supplement can also be used in cooking food or blended into drinks for spicing. Besides containing minerals, the marijuana supplement can also act as alcohol neutralizer and addiction suppressor." “People who take alcohol can use the supplement to suppress the addiction and remain sober for long,”he added. The CEO who is a biochemist said he had written to National Authority Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) seeking permission to carry out the project and he has been authorised. Mwaura said he intends to roll out the project for three years before implementing it in other counties.“There are approximately 5,000 acres currently under bhang plantation in Muranga county alone which is being done illegally,”he said. He said the project will be rolled out with the co-operation of county administrators to help mop out illegal bhang plantations. Mwaura said the first step would be to contract the farmers currently growing bhang to persuade them to give up illegal bhang growing. He further added that the farmers engaging in commercial bhang farming will be required to obtain a special permit from the county government. Farmers will be required to pay back 10 per cent of their profit to the county government.