Ghana officially opens applications for cannabis licensing – Here’s how to apply

Ghana opens applications for industrial and medicinal cannabis licences, launching 11 categories to boost economic growth and public health while ensuring strict regulation.

Ghana has officially opened applications for the cultivation and management of industrial and medicinal cannabis, following the historic launch of the national licensing regime on 26 February 2026 by the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak (MP).

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) announced the move in a statement dated March 11 and signed by Francis Opoku Amoah, Ag. Director of Public Affairs & International Relations.

The commission noted the decision as a significant step in implementing section 43 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), as amended, and L.I. 2475. The licensing framework is designed to harness the economic and health potential of cannabis while maintaining stringent regulatory standards.

Industrial and Medicinal Focus

Under the law, licenses will only cover cannabis with a THC content of no more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis. The programme is structured around two primary objectives:

Industrial Use: Cultivation for high-quality fibre and seeds.
Medicinal Use: Development of pharmaceutical and health-related products.

Eleven License Categories

The Commission has opened applications across eleven distinct license categories to support the industry’s development:

Cultivation
Processing
Breeding
Research and Development
Laboratory and Testing
Storage
Transportation
Import
Export
Sales and Distribution
Advertising and Promotion

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ABOUT: Nana Kwesi Coomson

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An Entrepreneur, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Communications Executive and Philanthropist. Editor-in-Chief of www.233times.com. A Senior Journalist with Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper. An alumnus of Adisadel College where he read General Arts. His first degree is in Bachelor of Arts - Political Science (major) and History (minor) from the University of Ghana. He holds MSc in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Energy with Public Relations (PR) from the Robert Gordon University in the United Kingdom. He is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow who studied at Clark Atlanta University in USA on the Business and Entrepreneurship track.

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