Why Cannabis Shouldn’t Be Legalised In Nigeria – NDLEA
The Director of Media and Advocacy National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NAFDAC), Femi Babafemi, has given reasons why cannabis, popularly referred to as Marijuana, should not be allowed in Nigeria.
He said this when he appeared as a guest on Punch online roundtable on Wednesday.
He explained that legalising Marijuana would increase the rate of crime and insecurity in the country.
While reacting to a question on the agitation of some Nigerians seeking the legalisation of Cannabis in Nigeria, he said, “We need to look at where we are now. 14.3 million Nigerians are currently abusing drugs in Nigeria. 10.6 million abuse marijuana.
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“Legalising cannabis will lead to an increase in drug abuse. When it becomes easily available, you will have a generation of addicts to deal with.
“Beyond that, we are most likely to have more young adults who will have access to this and they will misuse it.
“Legalisting it will also make us be dealing with cases of mental disorder and work accident.
“Medical experts have also argued that taking marijuana affects sexual potency in men, and alters the menstrual cycle of women.
“Now, we have seen videos of young people reacting to variants of cannabis. It also leads to learning impairment in our students. It affects their cognitive reasoning.
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“We also have to consider that treatment for cannabis addiction is not readily available in Nigeria. It is cumbersome.”
