21/02/2026
Namibian Presidency Office of the Prime Minister OPM_Namibia Ministry of Health and Social Services-Namibia Namibian Chamber of Environment Namibian G***a News Share Namibia Legal Assistance Centre Namibia Michael Amushelelo UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Kadhila Amoomo Legal Practitioners
Time will tell—and time has already shown us this. —Truong M. Nguyen
Do you remember when cannabis advocates warned that legalization, regulation, and decriminalization would disrupt major industries? They weren’t wrong.
When governments choose to ban a plant or its derivatives, it’s not always to protect the public. Often, it benefits a small group of lobbyists and corporations that profit from products and services they can control or monopolize.
Looking at the legal, medical, and social impacts of cannabis legalization (along with other beneficial botanicals and fungi), five major industries have seen reduced demand as access expands:
1. Pharmaceuticals (especially opioids and mental health medications)
2. The alcohol industry
3. Correctional facilities, private prisons, and law enforcement systems
4. To***co and ni****ne markets
5. Illegal and black-market networks
Some argue that governments can act like powerful gangs—using military force and political authority to maintain monopolies, protect strategic interests, and prioritize profit and control over fairness.
Laws for thee, not for me.
“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”
—Thomas Paine