Africa’s most populous nation has so far sat on the sidelines and watched a growing number of the continent’s countries legislate for cannabis.
However, that phase of inaction and uncertainty looks set to be over soon as a leading politician has revealed.
Labour Party member Athan Nneji Achonu recently disclosed current discussions aimed at establishing a legal cannabis framework to generate investment and economic opportunities. The stated aim is to develop a new economic activity, with restricted use for medical, scientific and industrial applications.
For one, the country is naturally blessed with ideal conditions for cultivating the plant. It boastsvast agricultural land, favourable climate and a demographic dividend capable of sustaining a thriving cannabis market.
A buoyant value chain across cultivation, processing to research, logistics and the pharmaceutical industry could generate thousands of jobs in a supervised and tightly-controlled production, say analysts. The new industry could also add to foreign investment in strategic sectors such as agriculture and healthcare.
The proposed licensing system caters for growers, processors and researchers, with strict control over production and distribution, according to those familiar with the plans.
However, the plan is not without naysayers and opponents, as expected of a deeply conservative society.
Although proponents argue it is possible to reconcile economic development, scientific research and health-risk control, opponents express fears that legalisation could spawn addiction, mental health disorders and related problems, despite limitation to medical and industrial uses. Others also fear the probable emergence of connections to the black market.
For instance, more than 100 tons of drugs, mostly cannabis, the most widely used illicit drug in the country, were seized last year, according to the country’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
However, several law reform proposals put forward in recent years to allow for supervised commercialisation have failed to come to fruition. As of now, cannabis possession, use and trafficking remain harshly penalised with up to 15 years or more for convicted offenders.
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