Ondo Gov Akeredolu Canvasses Legal Backing For Cannabis Cultivation

By Ayodele Oni

As the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs is collating views of Nigerians towards legalizing cannabis, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has again lent his voice to its legalisation. The Governor says it is good for medicinal purposes.

Governor Akeredolu, who spoke, Thursday, in Akure, on a television programme, was of the view that Nigeria would loose if leaders fail to legalise the cultivation of Cannabis.

He pointed out that Cannabis could be a strong foreign exchange earner for Nigeria if its cultivation is legalised.

“We must find a way to legalise cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. There is nothing wrong about it.

“We are only shooting ourselves in the foot. It is a foreign exchange earner for people outside the country. People want this. We ourselves, even our pharmacies want to develop.

“I travelled out of here and I was in Thailand trying to study the cultivation of cannabis for pharmaceutical use.

“We did all these, we even went there with National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, the Chairman at that time went with us, maybe he came and said what he went for was for a different thing, but that was why we went, and we felt that, let us look at the way they did it over there.

“Everybody has drug problem, most countries have drug problem. We are having it here, it is not as pronounced here as in other places, but there are ways they went about these things, that those who are involved in drugs, those who are selling, those who are exporting had other ways of doing things that they had to leave it.

“So, when we talk about cultivation, we are saying that it will a monitored one, in which NDLEA will have an office near farms.”

The House of Representatives is proposing the legalisation of the cultivation and trading in Cannabis for medical and cosmetic use, research purposes, as well as revenue generation for Nigeria.

This is being proposed in the Cannabis Control Bill 2020, sponsored by Miriam Onuoha, which is awaiting second reading, but the bill has been met with stiff criticisms and opposition.

The legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Regulate the Cultivation, Possession, Availability and Trade of Cannabis for Medical and Research Use, and Related Purposes.’

Cannabis cultivation and sale are presently outlawed in the country.

If the bill becomes law, hospitals and doctors will be allowed to prescribe doses of Cannabis for treatment of patients, while Pharmacies and Stores will be allowed to sell the Drug.