VOA慢速英语：马拉维试行种植工业大麻

In Malawi, the government has approved plans to grow industrial hemp for export on a trial or temporary basis.

在马拉维，为了出口，在试行或暂时的基础上，政府已批准种植工业用大麻的提案。

The government's decision followed years of heated debate. The proposal continues to meet resistance from anti-drug activists and religious leaders.

经过几年激烈争论后，政府做出该决定。该提案遭到来自禁毒活动人士与宗教领袖的阻力。

Industrial hemp and marijuana are from the same family of crops. But industrial hemp does not contain the psychoactive chemical agents found in marijuana, the plant known as chamba in Malawi.

工业用大麻与大麻来自同种类作物。但工业用大麻不包含大麻中发现的精神化学物质，在马拉维，该植物被称为昌巴。

Biomass company CEO Ed Lehburger examines a barrel of shredded hemp on the way to being turned into pulp and used for paper and other products, at Pure Vision Technology, a biomass factory in Fort Lupton, Colo., May 19, 2015.

Last May, parliament member Boniface Kadzamira asked lawmakers to reconsider the plant's economic abilities. In his country, he says, people used to think that chamba caused madness and crime. He said people now understand that industrial hemp is purely a money-making crop.

去年五月，议会成员Boniface Kadzamira要求议员重新考虑该植物的经济能力。在他的国家，他说，人们过去认为昌巴会导致疯狂与犯罪。他还说人们现在明白了，工业大麻纯粹是一种赚钱的作物。

Industrial hemp can be used to make paper, cloth, medicine and even food products.

工业大麻可以用来制造纸、布、药品，甚至是食品。

But the government's decision has anti-drug campaigners worried. Nelson Zakeyu is director of Drug Fight Malawi, a local non-governmental organization.

但政府的决策使一些反毒品运动者感到担心。Nelson Zakeyu是马拉维打击毒品组织的主任，其为当地的一个非政府组织。

"That will just give an easy access to marijuana. The country will have so many problems. Some of the problems are shootings and suicides as it is in some states in the U.S., like California."

“这只是为人们获得大麻提供方便。该国家将面临许多问题。其中可能包括枪杀与自杀，就像美国的一些州所面临的问题一样，如加利福尼亚。”

Tony Burden is director of Herbarium, a South African company.

Tony Burden是植物标本室的主管，一家南非的公司。

He says industrial hemp is very different from marijuana.

他表示工业大麻与大麻是完全不同的。

"We will have to bring in the certified low-drugvarieties. And they come from Europe so we have to see if they can grow here in Malawi. If they don't grow then we have to look around Malawi to see if maybe there is also industrial hemp in Malawi or we can see if we can make new varieties that grow well for Malawi's climate." Visit the website www.chinavoa.com to get more information!

“我们将不得不把它列为所认证的低药物种类。它们来自于欧洲，因此我们要看看它们是否能在马拉维种植。如果它们在这里不能生长，那么我们要在马拉维到处查看或许还有其他地方可以种植，或者我们将研发新的品种使它们适应马拉维的气候，生长的更好。”

Joseph Chidanti Malunga is deputy chairperson of the parliamentary committee on agriculture. He told local radio that hemp will help the local economy.

农业议会委员会副主席，Joseph Chidanti Malunga，他告诉当地电台，大麻有助于带动当地经济。

"I understand the money it fetches is more than what tobacco would fetch for a given unit area. So we think that if we go this direction, we might even surpass what even what we get from tobacco."

“对于一个给定的单位面积而言，我认为它所带来的利润要远远高于烟草。因此，我们认为，如果我们朝着这个方向迈进，我们甚至可以超越我们从烟草中获得的利润。”

But religious leaders disagree. Dinala Chabulika is with the Muslims Association of Malawi.

但宗教领袖们反对该政策。Dinala Chabulika是马拉维穆斯林协会的领袖。

"Whether it is going toboost the economy or not, it is not acceptable. There is no inner permission Islam gives to any drug or something that would disturb the intelligence of a human being. So our recommendation is it should not be done."

“不管它是否能够提振经济，这种做法让人无法接受，伊斯兰教并没有给予任何药物或扰乱人类智慧的某些事物内部许可。所以我们的建议是不应该这样做。”

The government has approved trial crops of industrial hemp starting next year at an agriculture research station in the capital, Lilongwe.

该国政府已经批准明年在首都利隆圭的一个农业研究站开始试行种植工业大麻。

I'm Jonathan Evans.

我是乔纳森·埃文斯。

Lameck Masina reported on this story for VOANews.com. Marsha James adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Should Malawi grow industrial hemp or not? What do you think? Please leave us a comment or post onour Facebook page.

_______________________________________________​______________

Words in This Story

composition – n. the way in which something is put together

variety– n. a collection of different things

fetch – v. to go after and bring back something

surpass – v. to be better or greater than something

boost – v. to increase the amount of something