Governor Akeredolu explains that cannabis cultivation will be controlled through NDLEA

ONDO State's Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has clarified that his recent trip to Thailand to survey the country's hemp industry is not part of a plan to promote the smoking of marijuana in Nigeria but an attempt to exploit the medicinal potential of the plant.

Earlier this month, Governor Akeredolu visited Thailand where he met with hemp cultivators and asked them to come and establish farms in Ondo State. His move immediately attracted widespread condemnation as it was seen as an attempt to promote the cultivation and consumption of illicit drugs in Nigeria.

Worldwide, the global hemp trade is worth about $10bn, with cannabis widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. Its by-product jute, which comes from the stems of the plants, is also used in the packaging industry, with countries like Bangladesh, Thailand and Pakistan operating thriving bagging industries.

Having returned from Thailand, Governor Akeredolu had urged the federal government to focus into the medicinal cannabis industry as part of measures to diversify the country’s economy. He added that Ondo State, which is known for its fertile land will make judicious use of the Thailand’s programme, which he said is centred around exploiting the possibility of medicinal cannabis.

However, Governor Akeredolu has warned that cannabis cultivation is yet to be legalised as opposed to reports making rounds. He added that the state government was in the process of making it legal through the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) which they are collaborating with.

Governor Akeredolu added: “We are still at the elementary stage of this matter. Before we legalise cannabis growing in this state, it has to pass through certain procedures and we have begun the procedures.

“The assistance we seek from the federal government is the collaboration we already have with the NDLEA, which is an agency of the government. Since we are dealing with the NDLEA, we are dealing with the federal government.”