HoR Member Propose Legalization of Cannabis Cultivation

In a proposed Cannabis Control Bill 2020, the House of Representatives member Miriam Onuoha is proposing the legalization of the cultivation and trading of cannabis for medical and cosmetic use.

In the bill which is awaiting second reading, honourable Miriam argued that cannabis legalization will bring revenue to the country as well as be used for research purposes.

The legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Regulate the Cultivation, Possession, Availability and Trade of Cannabis for Medical and Research Use, and Related Purposes.’

Cannabis cultivation and sale are presently outlawed in the country.If the bill becomes law, hospitals and doctors will be allowed to prescribe doses of cannabis the for treatment of patients, while pharmacies and stores will be allowed to sell the drug.

The proposed law, however, sets conditions for the cultivation, buying, selling and consumption of the drug.

Onuoha said objectives of the bill, among others including provision for the “regulation of the cultivation, possession, processing, availability and trade of cannabis for medicinal and researching purposes.”

The bill partly read, “A person who grows, produces or sells can,abis not for medical purpose and does not present the particulars required for registration under Section 12(1) commits an offence and shall be liable upon conviction to imprisonment for two years or a fine not exceeding N1,000,000 or both.”

“A licensed seller who sells more than the prescribed dose to a buyer would risk imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not less than N500,000 or both, while a buyer who smokes or ingests can,abis on the contrary, might be jailed for two years or fined not less than N500,000 or both.”