The Agriculture Department’s Policy on the Licit Use of Cannabis in Botswana, dated 24 February 2025 was to have been the foundation document for the  Inaugural Hemp Business Conference scheduled to have taken place in Gaberone on 5 April 2025 but cancelled at the last minute because government “was not ready”.

It's unclear why the document has not yet been released for broad circulation as it lays out the standard ‘African view’ of seeing cannabis primarily as a foreign exchange earner rather than a commodity that could be of benefit to its citizens.

New President Duma Boko's stated aim of legalizing industrial and medical cannabis is to reduce Botswana’s dependence on diamond sales for foreign exchange earnings.

 Policy Hinges Around 'Sustainability'

The Ministry says the overall policy goal is “to establish (and promote) a regulated, sustainable cannabis sector that advances public health while creating opportunities through cultivation, medical and industrial applications”.

The Government has no intention to legalize adult-use consumption in Botswana, with the document noting “The policy explicitly excludes recreational cannabis use, maintaining existing prohibitions while creating pathways for legitimate medical and scientific applications”.

The Ministry says the “establishment of an enabling policy and legislative framework is essential for the successful implementation of Botswana’s cannabis policy” and this framework will be reviewed every five years to “accommodate contemporary issues on the use of cannabis, to cover cultivation, industrial use, public health usage, and other value chains”.

Central Authority to Oversee All Matters Cannabis

It says the intended use of cannabis will affect several organizations and that a central designated authority will be put in place to “oversee national cannabis regulation including roles and responsibilities aligned to international conventions and national regulatory requirements”.

This central authority is to develop “co-regulation strategies with affected regulatory bodies including health, agriculture, environment, law enforcement, customs, research institutions, and professional councils” and to create protocols for sharing information.

It will be responsible for implementing the following policy objectives:

a. Develop enabling legislation for cannabis use;

b. Establish institutions that effectively regulate cannabis;

c. Designate a dedicated entity to oversee cultivation and use;

d. Create designated cultivation sites through research-based

mapping; and

e. Develop market linkages and value chains.

In putting the policy into place, the Ministry says the following factors need to be addressed by the new central authority:

a. Medical and scientific applications of cannabis.

b. Industrial hemp cultivation and processing.

c. Quality control and safety standards for all cannabis variants.

d. Regulatory oversight mechanisms for both medicinal cannabis

and industrial hemp.

e. International compliance requirements including distinctions

between drug-type cannabis and industrial hemp.

f. Industry development for medicinal cannabis and industrial

hemp sectors.

g. Supply chain controls and tracking systems.

h. Research and development frameworks.

i. Market development and economic opportunities.

Public Health Concerns are a Key Pillar

A central guiding principle in legalization is public health protection:

“Public health protection is a central pillar of Botswana’s cannabis policy. The policy prioritizes the safety and well-being of the population by ensuring that cannabis use is strictly regulated and evidence based. Key principles under this pillar include:

i) Prioritizing safety and quality

ii) Evidence-based decision making

iii) Risk-based regulatory approach”

The Ministry says compliance will be a key measure in developing its cannabis policy, including

i) Adherence to United Nations Conventions

ii) Regional harmonization

iii) Global best practices

Involving the Community

Botswana’s hemp policy, says the Ministry, needs to promote economic development while at the same time ensuring there is a social responsibility element to this development. Key objectives under this principle include:

i) Industry sustainability

ii) Local capacity building

iii) Value chain development

It emphasises the role of community involvement in the new cannabis industry to ensure “that the benefits of the cannabis sector are equitably distributed and that communities are actively engaged in decision-making processes. Guiding principles under this pillar include:

i) Equitable access

ii) Stakeholder engagement

iii) Community benefits

The document says that the deregulation of cannabis “requires a strict control in accordance with international protocols. To ensure proper regulation, the following will be done:

a. Develop comprehensive quality control standards;

b. Implement tracking, tracing and monitoring systems;

c. Develop enforcement protocols and standards;

d. Establish regulatory agency to regulate cannabis industry; and

e. Designate specific and protected sites for cultivation of

cannabis.