Cannabis, the world's most widely grown and misused plant, has seen a significant shift in global attitudes towards its regulation and legalisation. Although East Africa has very favourable growing conditions and vast export potential, little is known about both the legal and illegal cannabis industry. This paper examines the prevalence and patterns of cannabis use in East Africa, tracing the historical evolution of laws and legal procedures, and identifies the cultural significance of indigenous communities to gain insight into the potential benefits of the emerging cannabis industry. The article also investigates the role of the public sector towards the global wave of cannabis legalisation and highlights how the region's experience can solidify the trends in breaking down barriers associated with the underground cannabis economy. While data collection in this area faces various challenges, including but not limited to stigma and limited official reporting, the study utilizes available secondary sources, such as annual crime reports and media outlets, to arrive at insights that stimulate further research and contribute to a better understanding of the cannabis economy and its regional impact on job creation, health care and industrial development. Among others, the paper argues that the legalisation wave is inevitable for East Africa, and current prohibition laws are antiquated and ineffective. Cannabis confers a range of backward and forward linkages for diversifying economies and reducing dependence on limited raw materials. Overall, we show that carefully crafted legal regimes and regulations produce positive social welfare results compared to the current atmosphere of prohibition which tend to impose a large deadweight loss on society and engender social and moral degradation.

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Keywords

Cannabis; Cannabinoids; CBD; THC; Legalization; East Africa.