MONDAY: 13th September, 2021: The National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) has opposed the planned legalization of Indian hemp, also known as Cannabis Sativa, weed in Nigeria.
The National President of the NCWS, Mrs Laraba Shoda, made this statement in Abuja on Monday as she cautioned that weed should not be legalized for any reason, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Shoda further advised that individuals who want to use it for medical purposes should do so through established legal channels.
The House of Representatives had earlier expressed its willingness to legalize the use of Cannabis Sativa in the country due to its economic benefits.
“As Nigerian women, we say no to the legalization of Cannabis Sativa. We already have lots of challenges in the country that are associated with drugs abuse; legalizing Cannabis Sativa will further worsen our situation, despite its tremendous benefits. I am sure we are not ready as a nation to handle the legalization of the weed at this time,’’ she said.
According to Shoda, lots of Nigerian youths including women were involved in drug abuse and legalizing weed would give them the license to do so with impunity.
“In my view, we should not legalize Cannabis Sativa yet when there is little to no research data on the various areas the plant is cultivated since most people grow them in secrecy in our environment. We should rather start with giving relevant stakeholders the mandate to coordinate research across schools of pharmacy in the country to develop validated analytical methods to do quantitative phytochemistry.
“Our conversation as a nation should be centred on what science is required and what scientific capability the country has that might safely drive the legality of the use of Cannabis Sativa in our country,’’ Shoda said.
She also called on Nigerian women to pray for the country and its leaders so that they can find ways to address the insecurity in the country.
