Following steps being taken to legalize cannabis sativa in Nigeria, it has been reported that the Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Marwa (retd.), has disclosed that the call for the legalisation of cannabis sativa cannot succeed in Nigeria because the proliferation of illicit drugs often leads to crime, chaos and conflict.
According to him, “Our individual answer to that question will give us a public opinion of where we should stand as a country in the cannabis debate. We should stop treating cannabis like some sweet candy without any side effects. Its repercussions outweigh the vaunted benefits. And legalising its cultivation for a country like Nigeria is a shortcut to illicit drug Armageddon.”
He reportedly made this known while featuring as a guest speaker during the 2021 Ulefunta Annual Public Lecture organised by the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi.
Marwa said that, “Africa, nay, Nigeria has enough problems without adding the burden of narco-terrorism. Of all the known illicit substances, cannabis sativa is the only one that is native to Nigeria and it is the most abused of all illicit drugs, and from the findings of the National drug Survey of 2018, cannabis is becoming a national albatross.”
He made it known that, “Where cannabis is concerned, we should not by any argument allow ourselves to become the proverbial fool that rushed in where angels fear to tread. Countries like Canada, which are pro-cannabis, have strong and efficient institutions that are way ahead of ours.”
He added that, “And for those who point at the inherent economic benefit that could accrue from legalisation of cultivation, in accordance with our reality, would you be comfortable, if, by tomorrow, your 13-year-old son could easily access marijuana, or you find some wraps of weed in his pocket, or you learnt someone had introduced your 16-year-old daughter to smoking igbo under the pretext that it has medicinal value?”
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