Brett Hilton-Barber, Cannabiz Africa writes 6 May 2026
Lesotho has completely revamped its cannabis oversight structures in the past year and is soon to publish new licensing and inspection guidelines. A new regulatory body, Lesotho Medicines Regulatory Authority (LeMeRA), is now in charge of the sector along with the newly formed Lesotho Narcotics Bureau (LNB).
Lesotho’s cannabis landscape has transformed dramatically over the past year, emerging with a regulatory clarity of purpose after several years of chaos and confusion.
Two new regulatory bodies have been established in the past 10 months and the Lesotho Medicines and Medical Devices Control Authority Act, 2023 has been operationalized to include inspection and licensing guidelines specific to cannabis.
LeMeRA, a new regulatory body, similar to SAHPRA in South Africa, is legally3 entrusted with the regulatory clean-up of Lesotho’s cannabis and pharmaceutical sector.
The man at LeMaRA’s helm is Board Chairperson, Robert Taolana, a professional pharmacist and public health policy specialist, who has been working alongside the Health of Medicines Regulations, Ms. MatinaMabuzela, the Minister of Health, Honourable Selibe Mochoboroane, and Parliamentary Social Cluster Committee, Chairperson, Honourable Mokhothu Makhalanyane, to institute this new regulatory authority.
In an exclusive interview with Cannabiz Africa, Taolana, said Lesotho’s current focus was on producing high quality medical cannabis for export and this was reflected in the new cannabis licensing regulations gazetted in December 2025.
Taolana says Lesotho’s vision for its cannabis industry is “anchored in coordination, credibility, and long‑term public value rather than short‑term commercial gain. At its core, the government seeks to unite policymakers, regulators, researchers, and industry stakeholders around a shared purpose: the development of a well‑regulated, science‑driven medical cannabis and pharmaceutical sector that meets international standards.
He says the new regulations to further operationalize the Act are in draft and expected to be Gazetted by the second quarter of 2026/7 fiscal year. Key aspects of the new regulations are: to introduce marketing authorization for pharmaceutical products and Lesotho’s first consolidated drugs schedules – these would simultaneously pave the way to regulated clinical trials for new medicinal products.
Taolana says that under the new system, cannabis license and import/export permit applications, now standardized on standardized forms, are submitted to LeMeRA for technical review and recommendations, which then get submitted to the LNB for vetting and decision to comply with bothlocal and international reporting protocols.
The key conditions for compliance are:
- prerequisite compliance documents submitted at application stages,
- a mandatory inspection of the cannabis facility and its personnel, and
- continuous reporting compliance includingtimely reporting on any material changes affecting the conditions of the issued licences and permits.
Although Lesotho has not yet legalized medical cannabis for consumption by the local market, Taolana says this may be on the cards.
In an exclusive conference with the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to upskill LeMeRA Officers on reporting standards and requirements, Talaoana says that a discussion came up around as to why Lesotho, cannabis industry leader in Africa, had not yet developed protocols on both utilization and consumption of cannabis products. This is now underway with the biggest challenge being the the absence of marketing authorization regulations and drug schedules. Once these have been finalized and gazetted, cannabis dispensary authorization will be tabled for Ministerial and Parliamentary decisions.
Taolana says Lesotho is at a pivotal moment in its cannabis journey.
“Early mover advantage alone is no longer sufficient. Credibility, regulatory integrity, and institutional coordination will now determine whether the industry delivers sustainable benefits for the country” says Taolana. “The recent reforms signal a deliberate shift away from regulatory uncertainty toward a rules‑based system that protects public health while enabling responsible investment.”
Although his job is that of a regulator and not a policy-maker, he says he would like to see the benefits of medical cannabis being available to the people of Lesotho.
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