Cannabis Debate-Your right to know by Ayo Turton

This short essay is necessitated by the shock I received from reactions to Presidential Aspirant Omoyele Sowore suggestion that Nigeria would start to export cannabis of he wins.

I have heard some funny arguments against the proposal, some social, some religious, some apparently political and some out of unbridled ignorance. 
I feel the need to put this out there for those who genuinely care to know.


What is CANNABIS?
It is just one of those flowering plants that have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries and that have also been abused as psychotropic drugs because of their stimulant qualities.

However many of these plants have done more good to humanity than damage.  Cannabis is of the lower cadre of these plants compare to Opium or Coca Leaves. It is even a better stimulant than dried pawpaw leaves that some of our youths are experimenting with.

Nigeria's climate in certain areas is good for the cultivation of cannabis. A number of countries with the capacity,  are growing it, processing it and have turned into a foreign exchange cash crop just like cocoa and coffee. Ask Canada and Britain. Smoking it for recreational purposes is actually legal in a country like Netherlands and they are obviously doing better than us by every indices of human development.

Of recent, almost all the states in the US have approved its use for medicinal purposes.  My State recently approved it and we are still in court fighting for a Nigerian  client of mine whose license application was denied unjustifiably.
 Of over 1000 companies that applied, only 24 were granted, that is how precious the licenses are. It is a potential gold mine. Why? Because science keeps discovering more and more medicinal uses of the plant and so governments are being proactive by refusing to be stuck in the past or be condemned to their own sentimental ignorance.

Some are licensed as Growers and some as Dispensers. As the demand grows, it is most likely that the companies wouldn't be able to meet the demand and then look towards import.
Export of the processed form of it, especially the oil is already a money spinner for a country like Canada. The Conservatives of Canada restricted it, young Justin Traudeau lifted it and they have been smiling to the banks. The advantage of voting a young and fertile minds, digital rather than analogue.
 Some companies even use it in the development of hair growing products.

The Social Argument.
Many expressed the fear that many people will start to smoke hemp if we start to produce it for export. 
But guess what,  the most dangerous stuffs are the uncontrolled things that people do underground because you can't monitor the production.

 When a very few companies are licensed to grow and process it under very strict regulations, you are able to bring it under control. Right now weeds are sold in many dark corners of our major cities anyway. You can can get it for as cheap as N100. So what's the big deal? 
Licensing companies under a strict control and regulated area will checkmate illegal production to a large extent.

Actually when you start to grow and process it for hard currency, you are likely to price it out of the reach of every bus conductor at Mushin and Ajegunle parks.

Did you know that Cocaine from Coca leaves was part of the Coca-Cola that you love so much for several years? That the name was derived from It?

Did you know that Cocaine a derivative of Coca leaves which is a major "cash crop" for some Latin America countries because many household drugs contain some measure of it, so it is a major raw material for pharmaceutical companies?
Did you know that Cocaine has saved more lives than it has killed?

Religious Argument
Are Nigerians more religious than the Talibans of Afghanistan? Opium the plant from which heroine is derived, so also the active ingredient of many opioid drugs and analgesic like Percocet, Tramadol, Codeine etc is the primary source of the country's income. It is what crude oil is to Nigeria to them.
Are we more religious than Pakistan with the  largest population of Muslims in the world next to Indonesia?
Many countries in that axis grow opium for foreign exchange. 

While you are busy fighting over common weed export for foreign exchange, your youths are already hooked on by products of opium grew in far away Afghanistan! Liberate your mind.

You see, lack of foresight is a problem,
I thought the natural reaction of knowledgeable Nigerians to export of cannabis should be "what has taken us so long?"  But I was in total shock by reactions from certain quarters, especially those that you would think would know better.

No country can and will ever grow better than the level of education of its people.  Therefore, we need to start investing more in the education of our people. 
People are not likely to vote a candidate into office any better than the level of their own exposure and intelligence.

I also heard the argument about the political incorrectness of the argument. Your political correctness don bring electricity? Who your political correctness epp?
Pocket your hypocrisy,  we won't try to pander to their ignorance for political expediency,  we will rather help them to catch up to 21st Century realities.

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About King Angela Uyi

I am Angela Uyi aka Mama Naija|Two time Social Media Personality Winner| A smooth talker| Humanitaria| Ghost Writer| CopyWriter |Twitter:@Angelauyi |