Cannabis Control Bill Is A Good Move By The House Of Reps

Princess Miriam Onuoha had only being in the House of Representatives for four months, but is set to make a big impact with her bill on legalizing cannabis.  She only came into the house in January winning the rerun election for her Isiala Mbano/ Onuimo/Okigwe federal constituency of Imo State. She defeated an incumbent to take her seat in the house.

During the campaigns, she had lamented lack of quality representation for her people in the green chambers, but promised to change the narrative.  She was sworn in in January and seemed to have hit the ground running. Barely four months in the house and she has come up with a comprehensive bill that could change the country’s pharmaceutical industry for good.

The Bill titled “The Cannabis Control Bill, 2020,” seeks to regulate the cultivation, possession, availability and trade in cannabis for medical and research purposes. The NDLEA Act had criminalized cannabis and possession or smoking of cannabis, or allowing one’s premises to be used for dealing in cannabis, may lead to prison terms from 15 years to life.

But despite the law, cannabis or marijuana has continued to be grown and sold across the country. According to the NDLEA, cannabis is mostly cultivated in the southern states of Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Edo and Delta. Cannabis has, for several years, remained at the top of NDLEA’s illicit substance seizures . Many have also been prosecuted but Nigerians have continued to defy the law by smoking marijuana openly at public places like motor parks, relaxation spots, stadiums and night clubs.    

The objectives of the Bill include to  Provide for a registration and licensing system for Cannabis farmers and processors;  establish a  registration and licensing system for Cannabis famers and processors;  regulate the cultivation , processing,  availability and trade of Cannabis for medical  purposes and promote public awareness about the cultivation, processing, availability and trade of Cannabis for medicinal and research purposes and its use in relation to medical or health purpose.

Many countries around the world are moving to decriminalize cannabis use and take advantage of its medical benefits, and there’s no reason why Nigeria should not do same.

Countries like Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Mexico and Peru have taken this step, following after Uruguay, which in 2013, made history by becoming the first country to legalise cultivation, trade and usage of marijuana.

Also, some states in the United States have decriminalized marijuana and legalized its use for medical purposes.  It is also instructive that a country like Thailand, which once prescribed the death penalty for cannabis use, had in 2018 approved medical marijuana use.

Nigeria can benefit from a thriving global medicinal cannabis industry which is estimated to be worth $55.8 billion dollars by 2025. Legalizing marijuana use would provide job opportunities for the teeming youths of the country if there is a flourishing medical cannabis industry. Considering the high rate of unemployment in the country, perhaps the job potentials of the cannabis industry, besides its medicinal qualities, was a strong motivation for Princess Onuoha whose personal legislative agenda, according to reports, is to initiate laws that would change the lives of people positively.

But while no one can downplay the potential economic buzz the medical marijuana industry in Nigeria would create, its benefits for the health and wellbeing of the people far outweighs any harm, if any, that decriminalizing marijuana use could bring.   

Experiences of other countries show that cannabis has huge medical potentials. One of these is its use in the treatment of Glaucoma by helping to lower the pressure in the eyeball, giving patients some temporary relief.

It has also been shown that it is efficacious in the treatment of some lung ailments such as  lung cancer and Emphysem. It is also effective for relief from  arthritis. It’s helpful for those with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). It could help regulate metabolism: as it helps your body process and deal with food and obesity, it also helps maintain and regulate metabolism.

 Cannabis is also known to help people living with AIDS/HIV to cope by helping them maintain their diets and handle associated pains and aches. It is also proven that chemical compounds in cannabis react with brain receptors to regulate feelings of nausea. Medical experts have also said cannabis could help treat some sexually transmitted diseases, including Herpes and Chlamydia.

Persons with speech problems would also benefit from cannabis therapy as it can help in the same way that it helps calm spasms and twitches. It is also known to improve skin conditions and treat skin conditions like eczema .

The cannabis control bill now before the house of reps has  is a comprehensive proposal which addresses areas of public concern regarding regulation. The 18 clause in the bill addresses issues of registration, licensing, medical and non-medical use of cannabis, duties of growers, processors and sellers and general regulation of the industry.

To avoid criminals taking advantage of the law, thebill sets conditions for issuance of licenses, which must include a national identity card, certificate of good conduct from the Criminal Investigation Department or DSS and a recommendation from a medical practitioner of not less than five years’ experience.

Also, a license for medical use of cannabis would only be given to a hospital whose medical practitioner has been duly licensed; a clinic or hospital which has been duly authorized, permitted and licensed to prescribe medicines for patients.

Coming at a time there is grave concern about rising drug and substance addiction in the country, some may argue against giving legal force to marijuana use. There would also be concern about the dangers that may come with abuse of the law, if it eventually becomes law. There is no doubt that the bill would generate heated debates in the green chambers but it is an idea whose time has come.

But it is an opportunity for the house of reps under Femi Gbajabiamila to make positive history and impact the lives of Nigerians as it promised after inauguration. This is one bill that Nigerians would follow with keen interest because of its potential to change many things.

-Mr Solomon writes from Kubwa, Federal Capital Territory

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.