Smoking in Lesotho
Smoking is legal in Lesotho under a specific regulatory framework. Based on these regulations, cigarettes can be sold and the importation of cigarettes for trade is permitted with a license, but sales through online platforms and vending machines are banned. Additionally, health warnings are required on cigarette packaging, the minimum legal age for sales is 18 years, and there are also legal restrictions on smoking in public indoor places. Moreover, advertising of cigarettes is regulated, banning all forms of advertising. Cigarettes are subject to a specific excise rate of 39.64% contributing to a total taxation rate of 52.68%. In Lesotho, the prevalence of tobacco smoking among adults has shown significant variations over recent years. As of 2024, the adult current smoking prevalence was 21.3%, with a marked gender disparity: the prevalence was 42.7% among males and 1.5% among females. This represents a slight increase from 2020, when the overall current prevalence was 19.1%, 38.6% among adult males, and 0.4% among adult females. The number of smokers aged 15 and older was approximately 323,000 in 2024, whereas in 2020 it was 269,025. For reference, the adult daily smoking prevalence was 20.6% in 2017, with 41.6% among males and 30% among females. Smoking-related mortality also poses a significant public health challenge in Lesotho, with 2,168 deaths recoreded in 2021, representing 5.73% of all deaths that year. This includes 1,675 male deaths and 493 female deaths, reflecting gender-specific mortality rates of 8.35% among males and 2.77% among females. These statistics underscore the persistent challenge of tobacco smoking in Lesotho, highlighting the need for targeted public health interventions to reduce its health impacts.
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February 28, 2020 by theguardian.com
Malawi legalises cannabis amid hopes of fresh economic growth
Malawi has passed a bill decriminalising cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes, almost five years after a motion to legalise industrial hemp was adopted.
The country follows in the footsteps of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Lesotho, neighbouring south-east African states that have legalised medicinal cannabis, as well as South Africa, where medicinal and recreational use was decriminalised in 2018.
“Today is a very glorious day for me personally and, I think, for the entire nation,” said Boniface Kadzamira, the former MP who tabled the topic in 2015, following the successful passage of the bill on Thursday.