Zimbabwe excludes industrial hemp up to 1% THC from its cannabis-plant ban

Zimbabwe’s criminal-code amendment published on 14 July 2023 excluded industrial hemp from the dangerous-drug definition for cannabis plants. It defined hemp at no more than 1% delta-9 THC by dry weight. The amendment also placed the burden of proving that material was cannabis rather than industrial hemp on the person asserting it during a criminal investigation.

Hemp farmers already worked under authorisations

The 2019 hemp rules had authorised approved farmers and the state to handle hemp and grow it on approved farms. Those rules used a 0.3% THC definition.

The 2020 agricultural regulations then introduced separate permits for cultivation, research and breeding, and merchants. They covered varieties, security, crop records, testing and trade, again using 0.3% in their definition.

The 2023 change addressed the criminal code itself, giving industrial hemp an express definition within the chapter dealing with dangerous drugs.

The new definition included seeds and derivatives

The amendment’s hemp definition covered the cannabis plant and its parts, including seed, derivatives, extracts and cannabinoids. The limit was no more than 1% delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis.

It changed the dangerous-drug entry for cannabis plants to exclude industrial hemp. The text also continued to list other controlled forms, including prepared cannabis and cannabis resin, within the dangerous-drug definition.

For farmers and investigators, identifying the material and applying the definition became part of deciding whether the cannabis-plant entry covered it.

An investigation required proof of the distinction

The amendment added a specific rule for investigations where the question arose whether a plant, part or derivative was cannabis or industrial hemp. The person asserting that it was cannabis had to prove that assertion.

This mattered because the code attached criminal penalties to unlawful possession, use, growing and dealing in dangerous drugs. The statutory distinction between hemp and controlled cannabis could therefore affect whether those offences applied to the material being investigated.

The change appeared in an enacted amendment after the earlier bill had moved through parliament.

Agricultural permits remained a separate part of the story

The amendment changed the criminal-code definition. The earlier agricultural regulations described the permits and continuing obligations for growers and merchants, including their original 0.3% threshold.

Zimbabwe’s hemp history therefore involves several linked changes: permission for approved farmers, detailed controls on growing and trade, and a broader criminal definition in 2023. The CBD medicine application route opened in 2022 added another regulated way for businesses to develop hemp-derived products.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}