Medi Kingdom - Africa’s 1st Medical Cannabis Cultivator
In late 2014, our UK founders together with two South African horticultural specialists first decided to develop the idea of pioneering a legal medical cannabis cultivation operation in Lesotho to supply the world’s burgeoning legal markets needing medical grade cannabis.
We knew Lesotho was already historically known for growing cannabis easily, mainly due to its unique topography with mineral rich soils, natural spring waters & high altitudes.
Although at the time it was illegal to cultivate cannabis or “Dagga’ as known locally, its primary purpose was as a subsistence crop that provided food and education resources for the poor villages & farmers.
This was most definitely, an untapped opportunity to develop the first legalised cannabis cultivation for medical purposes on the Roof of Africa, in this Sovereign country called The Kingdom of Lesotho.
We knew if this staggeringly beautiful country legalised this opportunity through its government given the right education and knowledge of this already globally legalised phenomenon, would without question bring huge economic and social development to the benefit of its country and Basotho people.
Once we had gained a clear line of sight to further develop we duly acted as unofficial ambassadors for Lesotho helping to gain further international exposure. We in turn attracted huge appetite for foreign investment that would then help provide all the requisite expertise, specialised knowledge and technology to cultivate world class quality cannabis ethically, and become the 1st African country to cultivate in the Southern Hemisphere.
Our firm intention we believe still to this day is that Lesotho becomes recognised internationally as a world class cultivator of cGMP compliant medical grade cannabis product in various forms exporting to international sophisticated markets globally.
Our journey to legalisation
Lesotho early 2015 gave start to the first 24 months developing the licence in Lesotho. Our activities involved engaging international consultants, licensed growers & specialist scientists to assist us with our journey.
Over that period we very much adopted a hearts & minds approach with the local Basotho people to understand more about how farmers had cultivated ‘Dagga’ for 1000’s of years primarily seeing its purpose as a sustenance crop.
We helped to explain how the worlds perception was rapidly changing eradicating prohibition to allow legalised cultivation given the huge advances in cannabis medicines since its 1st recorded use over 6,000 years ago. These advances gained through more advanced understanding of the plants 143 known different cannaboids and its harmonious connection with the human endocannaboidal system.
Throughout the early days we extensively connected with local councils leaders, constituency chiefs, advocates, commissioner of police, government ministers and their civil servant principal secretaries eventually through to several private audiences with the Lesotho Prime Minister.
We explained how legalisation would further ensure direct foreign investment, local job creation, international skills transfer, utilisation of the higher educated skills workforce in agricultural, scientific, technology & renewable energy sectors not to mention providing the country with new tax revenue streams, that many western countries were already hugely benefiting from having already legalised its use.
In 2019 we will commence global exports of medical grade cannabis flower cultivated from the latest state of the art cGMP greenhouse facilities.
Medi Kingdom Lesotho Licence No : 18/08/01/2017
The ‘01’ in our licence no. 18/08/01/2017 denotes Medi Kingdom as the 1st License presented by the Lesotho Ministry of Health given to cultivate, manufacture, supply, hold, import, export and transit a prohibited drug namely Cannabis.
Lesotho Cannabis Regulations
Medi Kingdom complies to the following:-
Drugs of Abuse Act (No.5), 2008