By Wilson Adekumola
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has explained why marijuana usage is legalized in developed countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada among others but prohibited in Nigeria.
The Agency Secretary, Shadrach Haruna made this explanation on Wednesday while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
Haruna, stressed that the species of marijuana in the West are those without Tetrahydrocannabinol, noting that those advanced countries have good policies to regulate the usage.
He stated that there was “a lot of misconception” about decriminalising the use of drugs.
“You travel to Canada, you travel anywhere, and you say, ‘They’ve decriminalised marijuana or cannabis and we’re using it,’” he said.
“But of course, you have different species of marijuana and in those countries, they have very good policies; very good enforcement and measurement standards which they have to follow.”
Explaining the different species of cannabis grown worldwide, the NDLEA official said, “The species they have, which they say they have decriminalised in some of those countries, are those without Tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the active ingredient that makes one be something else,” he said.
“We have cannabis that is far, far more potent, almost 45 per cent, 100 per cent Tetrahydrocannabinol. We can’t compare it to what they’re saying they have decriminalised.”
The Agency Secretary stated further that the enforcement is strict in the US, the Uk and others, maintaining that not so many countries, including the US, have “actually said we have decriminalised some of these drugs. None, including the UK”.
He said the UK used to allow the importation of cannabinol, which according to him, is used for some kinds of medical treatment.
“But of late, they have also restricted it because they’ve noticed the increasing content of cannabinol in that particular oil,” he said.
The NDLEA secretary also said while some argue for its commercialisation in Nigeria, the World Health Organization has advised that the harmful impact of cannabis outweighs its benefits.
“Some people are saying, ‘We make a lot of money from it.’ But it is not the money we are looking for. We are looking for the health of the nation. We’re looking for the well-being of individuals,” he said.
“But they are talking about the commercialisation of drugs and all those things. To me, it is a misconception, which of course the media should come out against it because we know that it’s something that is wrong for this country.”
