Time not ripe for Cannabis legalisation in Nigeria— ISSUP

THE International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals, ISSUP,  has kicked against any bill to legalize cannabis use in Nigeria, saying the country is not at the stage to contemplate such move.

The statement comes after the House of Representatives recently stepped down the bill to legalize marijuana use in Nigeria.

The bill was seeking to amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ,NDLEA Act to allow the cultivation of cannabis for recreational and medical use.

It also seeks to confer the NDLEA the power to grant and revoke licenses for the cultivation of Cannabis or any of its species; establish a system for  registration of cannabis growers and users , as well as to set a legal framework for the registration and licensing of cannabis growers and producers in Nigeria.

President of ISSUP, Dr. Martin Agwogie , who gave the assertion  in a statement issued, called on the upper house, to  also lend its voice to stepping down the consolidated bill sponsored by Miriam Onuoha ( APC Imo) Benjamin Kalu (APC Abia ) and Olumide Osoba( APC Ogun).

 

Kicking against the bill,  Agwogie , said  “Nigeria is in a drug crisis that legalization of cannabis should not be contemplated now. There are medicinal and economic values that can be extracted from the cannabis plant, but these are not without alternatives. Moreover, the economic benefits should not override the health and social consequences”.

He therefore called on the FG to make all psychoactive substances, including cannabis plants “  which  are available for scientific purposes, continue with the drug use decriminalization process and invest more in substance use prevention, treatment and research.”