The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has weighed the varying usage of Cannabis in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Nigeria.
NDLEA Secretary, Shadrack Haruna spoke about the distinction in the use of the drug between the countries during an interview with Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
Haruna defended Nigeria’s criminalization of marijuana, unlike the UK and the US.
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Haruna said:
“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.
“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.”
He explained that different varieties of marijuana were grown all over the world.
He 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 to be something else.
“We have cannabis that is far, far more potent, almost 45 percent, 100 percent Tetrahydrocannabinol. We can’t compare it to what they’re saying they have decriminalised.”
According to him, law enforcement in these countries was very strict, adding that many countries, including the US “actually said we have decriminalised some of these drugs. None, including the UK.”
The NDLEA Secretary explained that the UK had previously allowed the importation of cannabidiol, which he said was used for certain medical purposes.
He said:
“But of late, they have also restricted it because they’ve noticed the increasing content of cannabinol in that particular oil.”
Haruna said while some advocated the commercialization of cannabis in Nigeria, the World Health Organization, WHO said the harmful effects of cannabis outweighed the benefits.
He said:
“Some people are saying, ‘We make a lot of money from it.’ But it is not money we are looking for. We are looking for the health of the nation. We’re looking for the well-being of individuals.
“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.”
