Reject Legalization Of Marijuana In Ghana- Creg Afful Cautions

The Executive Director of Tema based anti-narcotics organisation Creg Afful Foundation, Michael Creg Afful has charged Ghanaians, especially religious leaders to reject calls by some persons in the entertainment industry advocating for marijuana to be legalised in the country.

According to him, such a call is borne out of an evil agenda aimed to devastate the country’shuman resources,adding that it is also intended to putstrings on financial fortunesof prospective wee or marijuana smokers.

Controversial radio presenterand reggae musician Blakk Rasta and a popularhiplife artiste Kwaw Kesse aka “abodam” have proposed that it was about time that “wee” or “marijuana” was legalised in the countrydue to its economic benefits.

But addressing students of the Tema Technical Institute on Friday to mark the International Campaign Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking under the theme “Lets develop our lives, our communities, our identities without drugs” Mr. Afful argued that the PNDC Law 236, 1990 prohibits importation, exportation, possession, cultivation, manufacture, and administration of any narcotic drug without lawful authority.

He stated that “any person found guilty of such an offence shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than ten years,” adding that “any person who sells, supplies,smokes,sniffs,consume,injects in his body or in any manner administers narcotic drug to any person shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years.”

According to Mr. Afful, it is surprising that in the face ofthe PNDC Law 236, 1990 some persons would suggest that Ghana legalised the consumption of narcotics because other nations have done it.

“If these guys care to know the devastation that “wee” or “marijuana” has wrecked, they should have a tour to all the ten regions of Ghana beginning from Tema metropolis .We believe this will inform their sense of judgment rather than sitting in their comfort zonesand pushing for an agenda that threatens the peace and security of Ghana,” Mr. Afful charged.

Mr. Afful accused the security agencies for failing to clampdown on many spots, where marijuana is sold and smoked, sometimes in the open , noting that the inability of the security agencies in dealing ruthlessly with  wee smokers, is what has embolden them, to call for it to be legalised.

“We believe that, had the police been pro-active, we would not have reached the alarming proportion in the country where a whopping 11.2% representing 2.8% million out of a 25million population, smoke wee, according to 2014 world drug report, he opined.

On her part, a senior medical officer with the Tema Polyclinic Dr. Sally Quartey also raised objection to calls for the legalisation of marijuana. According to her, it would be detrimental to legalise it, adding that it would not be the right thing to do.

She noted that even though marijuana has been banned, yet some persons including students are consuming it and going mad, therefore legalising it will worsen the situation.