By Biodun Busari

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday defended the legalisation of marijuana usage in developed countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada among others and the reason for its criminalisation in Nigeria.

Shadrack Haruna, the agency secretary said the species of marijuana in the West are those without Tetrahydrocannabinol, adding that they have good policies to regulate the usage.

Haruna revealed this on Wednesday during Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.

He said there was “a lot of misconception” about decriminalising the use of drugs.

“You travel to Canada, you travel anywhere, and you say, ‘They’ve decriminalised marijuana or cannabis and we’re using it,’” he said. 

“But of course, you have different species of marijuana and in those countries, they have very good policies; very good enforcement and measurement standards which they have to follow.”

Haruna further clarified that there are different species of cannabis grown worldwide. 

“The species they have, which they say they have decriminalised in some of those countries, are those without Tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the active ingredient that makes one be something else,” he said.

“We have cannabis that is far, far more potent, almost 45 per cent, 100 per cent Tetrahydrocannabinol. We can’t compare it to what they’re saying they have decriminalised.”

The NDLEA official also said the enforcement is strict in the US, the Uk and others, arguing further that not so many countries, including the US, have “actually said we have decriminalised some of these drugs. None, including the UK”.

According to the NDLEA scribe, the UK used to allow the importation of cannabinol, which he said is used for some kinds of medical treatment.

“But of late, they have also restricted it because they’ve noticed the increasing content of cannabinol in that particular oil,” he said.

Haruna said while some argue for its commercialisation in Nigeria, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that the harmful impact of cannabis outweighs its benefits.

“Some people are saying, ‘We make a lot of money from it.’ But it is not the money we are looking for. We are looking for the health of the nation. We’re looking for the well-being of individuals,” he said.

“But they are talking about the commercialisation of drugs and all those things. To me, it is a misconception, which of course the media should come out against it because we know that it’s something that is wrong for this country.”