SOLIDARITY FOR MR TIE MWAPE
By Mailo Zulu
Today we start the year by going to offer solidarity to 82 year old Mr Tie Mwape who has been in police custody for weeks over a few grammes of Marijuana. Judgement comes up in the Lusaka Magistrate Court (Court 3) at 09:00hrs.
For the first time in Zambia, a marijuana case will be argued on scientific grounds where the burden to prove the 0.3% Tetra Hydro Cannabinoid (THC) content in the herb lies on the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).
For a long time DEC has allegedly been sending people to jail without providing scientific evidence of the plant. Mr Mwape’s case is expected to set a precedent in future marijuana convictions as calls for legalisation get louder.
The Rasta community has particularly been a target for DEC arrests. A number of families and innocent citizens were physically harassed during a recent raid outside the venue of a reggae concert in Lusaka while surveillance on Rasta facilities has been constant.
