A former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has warned that legalising marijuana use in Nigeria portends grave danger for the nation’s youth.
Sani said this in a tweet on Thursday, March 23, in reaction to a controversial bill currently before the House of Representatives.
Two members of the green chamber, Benjamin Kalu and Olumide Osoba, had sponsored a fresh bill seeking to amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, to expand the scope of the anti-narcotics agency to issue licences for the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana.
Members of the House clashed on Wednesday during deliberations over the bill titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Confer Additional Responsibility of the Power to Grant and Revoke Licenses for the Cultivation of Cannabis (or Any of Its Three Species, Namely Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indicia and Cannabis Ruderalis) Plant for Medicinal Purposes; and for Related Matters.’
Reacting, Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, warned of the consequences of state-sanctioned marijuana cultivation and use.
“The bill to legalise marijuana now in the Nigerian House of Reps, if eventually becomes law, will result in the systemic destruction of our youths and plunge the country into a drug problem.
“There will be (blow) of smoke everywhere as users will claim it’s for medical purposes,” Sani said.