The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has once again made a case for the legalisation of marijuana in Nigeria, but strictly for medical purposes.
The manufacturing, distribution, and use of the psychoactive drug are completely banned in Nigeria, but the Governor says its deployment can be controlled for certain purposes.
During a meeting with pharmacists on Wednesday, Akeredolu said “more in-depth research into marijuana for medicinal purposes is one of the pathways to its controlled cultivation.”
He noted that the abused usage and circulation of marijuana in the black market would drop drastically if it is legalised in Nigeria.
“In Ogbese, we can have a farm where NDLEA will be in charge. Nobody can take it out to smoke. From there, it gets to you for medicinal purposes.
“Pharmacists have been working on herbs, you can research on this too. It is one of the pathways to the controlled cultivation,” he said.
The Governor cautioned that Nigeria is already missing out in the huge revenue generated from marijuana in other parts of the world.
His position is a direct contrast to that of the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who said last week he was not on board with legalising the substance.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, has also been a strong campaigner against legalising marijuana.
He said that “legalising it would cause a setback for the agency’s progress in battling the distribution of illicit drugs in Nigeria.”
The NDLEA said that over 10.6m Nigerians currently abuse cannabis in Nigeria.