Tanzania leads East Africa in Marijuana consumption: Report
What you need to know:
Although growing and consumption of marijuana is illegal in Tanzania, a new study ranks Tanzania tops in marijuana consumption in East Africa
Dar es Salaam. Tanzanians consume more marijuana than any of their East Africa Community (EAC) counterparts, according to a new report.
UK’s New Frontier Data ranks Tanzania fifth in Africa, with 3.6 million of its citizens said to take marijuana.
In EAC, Tanzania leads the two other populous nations Kenya with 3.3 million consumers and ranked sixth in Africa while Uganda with 2.6 million consumers is ranked eighth in Africa.
Top consumers in Africa, according to the report, are Nigeria with 20.8 million users, Ethiopia with 7.1 million people, Egypt 5.9 million people and DR Congo taking the fourth slot with 5 million people.
According to the study, Nigeria has the world’s highest rate of cannabis use, with 19.4 per cent of its population aged 15 and above having consumed it in the past year.
In 2018, Africa recorded a staggering value of up to $37 billion worth of marijuana consumed on the continent.
New Frontier Data’s latest analysis reveals a huge demand for marijuana with more than 260 million adults worldwide consuming cannabis at least once per year. The collectively spending is a staggering US$344 billion annually.
Asia is the world’s largest market due to its geographical size with 39 per cent of the global consumers. Yet, Asia has the lowest regional usage rate of 2 per cent, while North America (15 per cent), Europe (12 per cent) and Africa (11 per cent), respectively, have higher percentages of adult consumers.
There has been a growing trend of countries around the world legalizing the usage of marijuana, especially for medical purposes.
In Africa, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Uganda are among countries that have cleared the medical application of marijuana. Kenya activists have opened a case in the high court to push for its legalisation.
Last week, Tanzanian Member of Parliament Jumanne Kishimba of Tabora Urban (CCM) urged the government to legalise the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
He told Parliament in Dodoma that Tanzania could make a lot of money from its growing of marijuana.
