Abstract:
Traditional marijuana cultivators have been largely affected by cannabis legalization. The main
issue is centered on the fact that legalisation of medicinal marijuana in Lesotho came with raised
expectations that it would create opportunities for small illegal growers to enter the legal market
and benefit from it. However, In Lesotho illegal marijuana growers have continued to be
marginalised and the widespread growth linkages that were anticipated have not accrued. This
dissertation presents the study findings on the impacts of medical cannabis cultivation on rural
livelihoods in Bela-Bela.
The research employs a qualitative approach, incorporating data collected through surveys,
interviews and field observations. The study concludes that due to a lack of other options for
employment, traditional marijuana producers in Bela-Bela mostly rely on the production of
cannabis. These local growers have not reaped significant benefits from the medical cannabis
operation, despite it creating some jobs. Rather, it has brought about economic challenges such
as land loss and insufficient payment, which has made their food and economic security worse.
The community's experiences and opinions regarding the Verve Dynamics project were
investigated through the use of the qualitative research method in this study. Additionally, the
study collected data using primary and secondary sources. The data collection approaches
employed in this study included face-to-face interviews, focus groups, and interview schedules
with open-ended questions. The researcher was able to choose and sample the 24 study
participants in order to represent Bela-Bela community with its distinct clusters by using
stratified and purposive sampling approaches.
