Has “weed” been legalised in Nigeria?

The intake of “weed” in Nigeria is now becoming rampant than ever. One can conclude that “weed” has been unofficially legalised in the country and people, not withstanding the gender, age participate in this activity. Cannabis, which a large number of Nigerians know as “weed”, is a mix of dried, shredded leaves and flowers from the marijuana plant. It is often green, brown, or gray.

People have developed different ways to take in this leaves for pleasure; they either roll marijuana up and smoke it like a cigarette or mix it in food, amongst many other methods. A 2017 report filed by Telegraph.co.uk, a national British daily newspaper, places Nigeria on number three on the chart of the 30 world biggest smoking countries.

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In January, 2019, a survey led by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Center for Research and Information on Substance Abuse with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and funding from the European Union, shows that Over the past year alone, nearly 15 per cent of the adult population in Nigeria (around 14.3 million people) reported a “considerable level” of use of psychoactive drug substances. This is a rate much higher than the 2016 global average of 5.6 per cent among adults. It also reports that the highest level of drug used was recorded among people aged between ages 25 to 39, with cannabis being the most widely used drug.

The rate by which canabis is consumed is becoming very high. The Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy 2007; National Drug Policy 2007–2012 has it that Nigeria is ranked world 8th highest consumer of cannabis. This plant is widely grown across the States of Nigeria, including Ondo, Edo, Delta, Osun, Oyo and Ogun States.

Even though smoking of “weed” in Nigeria has been tagged illegal, this activity is still usually done in broad daylight without fear of arrest. According to the National drug law enforcement agency, the possession of cannabis is illegal and is punishable by a minimum sentence of 12 years in prison. In serious trafficking cases, life imprisonment may be imposed.

Are we really checking these laws? Has these laws been abandoned? Do we have a country that forgets its laws as year progresses? If not, why is the numbers of cannabis users increasing?

Cannabis smoking is a serious public health problem among adolescents in various environments. Its medico-social effects could ruin the life and future of our youths. The consumption of cannabis have gained a stand in our environment because of easy access, the availability and peer pressure, this is reaching a dangerous dimension.

This does not only have an adverse effect in the lives of our youths but the country at large. I am not saying that cannabis has no good effect; the exportation of cannabis can be a source of income to our country as a former presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore proposed.

However, if cannabis has been made legal, it should be governed by strict laws. License should be given to only few people and punishment served to anybody who has no license to sell. But I ask again, has it been made legal? Can we now consume cannabis freely?

Caleb Ijioma,

 [email protected].