Green Party leader Pater Sinkamba says he has formed a company called Green Gold Medical Marijuana Limited and has registered for a license with the Drug Enforcement Commission to start cultivating marijuana.

In an interview, Sinkamba said he wanted to lead the way in cultivating medical marijuana to prove to Zambians that his idea was viable.

“We have actually already started the process. We want to show the Zambians that what we are talking about is manageable. We have even formed a company called Green Medical Marijuana Limited. We have applied to DEC for a license and we gave them the conceptual framework for the business. For now we have submitted an application at the Ministry of Health because the government policy requires us to register with the ministry. So we hope the minister will consider our application,” Sinkamba said in an interview.

Sinkamba said he would make sure that his company operated within the confines of the law.

He said he was excited that people had started realizing the importance of cultivating marijuana for medicinal purposes.

“As Green Party, we knew that we were standing on firm grounds. It was just a matter of time before people could realize the importance of cultivation marijuana. This is an issue which needed immediate attention,” Sinkamba said.

 “We went through a lot of ridicule, we were dragged left, right, and centre because people didn’t understand what we were talking about. But now it is good that finally they have come to the realization and are taking this issue of marijuana very serious. For us this is phase one; phase two will be industrial hemp which is marijuana. We are going to embark on that once phase one is finalized and is off the ground.”

In a statement issued in Lusaka last week, DEC public relations officer Theresa Katongo clarified that cultivation of cannabis was only legal if one had a license to cultivate it for medicinal purposes.