By John Ikani
The constitutional court of Uganda has nullified a law that criminalised the use and sale of narcotics like marijuana and khat.
The decision comes after a group of khat farmers challenged the law six years ago, claiming that it was unconstitutional.
The court ruled that the law was passed without the required quorum in parliament, which mandates at least one-third of all members entitled to vote must be present in the house.
Although the law has been struck down, there is still a risk of arrest for growing, possession, consumption, or sale of banned or restricted drugs under other Ugandan laws.
While the law has been struck down, growing, possession, consumption, or sale of banned or restricted drugs still carries a risk of arrest under other Ugandan laws.
Ugandan security forces frequently carry out raids and destroy cannabis and khat farms on private land, and the sale and consumption of the herbs for recreational purposes is illegal.
The situation in Uganda, however, differs from the global trend of countries legalizing commercial growing and exporting medical marijuana.
Across Africa, several nations have been making efforts to legalize these practices.
