By Kehinde Okeowo
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, who has been advocating for the medicinal use of canabis has found an ally in the immediate past National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) and drug expert, Dr. Samuel Adekola.
The seasoned pharmacist agreed with the call for medicinal use of canabis as advocated by Akeredolu while also calling for enabling laws to legalize and regulate its use.
Adekola, who did not support the recreational use of canabis, however, called on stakeholders to have a rethink on the urgent need to adopt cannabis for medicinal use.
He said this while speaking with an online newspaper, SunshineTruth, in Akure, the state capital.
He also urged the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to activate the laws that will allow medicinal use of cannabis in the interest of the nation and her people.
“We are not talking of recreational use of cannabis, we still believe that smoking cannabis is prohibited, that is the message that must be made clear, the message is that cannabis has medicinal benefits.
“I have said it over and over that let us say it right, even the current law, all the three laws that control drugs in Nigeria make provisions for medical use of cannabis.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to activate them (the laws) and that’s another thing when we talk about leadership.
“NDLEA has not been able to activate that point and that is the message Ondo State government is giving out, which is in tandem with the message of my own body, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria and International Pharmaceutical Federation, the world body of pharmacists, that has its headquarters in The Netherlands.
“Therefore, Nigeria should activate the laws, if we take that law to court and challenge it, we will win and that’s the truth, that’s if we want to go by legal route because the law allows for medicinal use, it gave execptional use of cannabis, but we are saying that instead of going by that route, why don’t we do advocacy, why do we not make it clear to them that what we are saying is that cannabis has a lot of medical benefits which the people must not be denied of” the drug expert said.
Recall the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd) has spoken against legalizing the use of canabis in the past.
Marwa fears that doing so, might undermine the fight to rid Nigeria of substance abuse.
