Cannabis (Igbo): Update On Bill to ‘Legalize’ Cultivation, Sales, And Use In Nigeria
There is an update on a bill seeking to legalize the cultivation, sale and use of cannabis, also known as marijuana, for commercial purposes in Nigeria.
The Heritagenewsng reliably gathered that House of Representatives, on Thursday, stepped down the bill.
Apart from the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the sponsors, all those who spoke at the second reading criticised the bill.
The criticisms against the proposal forced the sponsors to demand that it should be stepped down for review, a prayer that the lawmakers unanimously granted.
The sponsors had clashed on Wednesday over the proposed legislation.
Two members of the House, Benjamin Kalu and Olumide Osoba, had sponsored separate bills seeking to amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, to expand the scope of the anti-narcotics agency to issue licences for the cultivation, sale and use of weed.
The proposed pieces of legislation were harmonised and titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Confer Additional Responsibility of the Power to Grant and Revoke Licences for the Cultivation of Cannabis (or Any of Its Three Species, Namely Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indicia and Cannabis Ruderalis) Plant for Medicinal Purposes; and for Related Matters.’
However, when the bill was up for second reading at the plenary on Wednesday, another member of the House, Miriam Onuoha, protested that the content of the bill was the same as hers.
The Cannabis Control Bill, 2020, sponsored by Onuoha, 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.’
The Speaker had in his ruling asked both sides to liaise with the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata, to identify the differences and similarities between the bills ahead of sitting on Thursday.
On Thursday, the two bills, which had different titles, were first harmonised.
While Kalu and Osoba’s maintained the same title, Onuoha’s was titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Decriminalise the Growth and Use of Cannabis, to Establish a System for the Registration and licensing of Cannabis Growers, Users, Control to legalise the Growth, Sale and use of Cannabis and set out a Legal Framework for the Registration and Licensing of Cannabis Growers and Producers in Nigeria; and for Related Matters.’
Those who spoke against it, especially the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, and Majority Whip, Mohammed Monguno, condemned the proposed decriminalisation of cannabis.
Gbajabiamila, who presided over the session and had defended the proposal, noted that it must have been opposed due to the word ‘decriminalise’ in the title of the bill, which he said was not there earlier on Wednesday.
While Kalu and Onuoha were unanimous on the call for the bill’s withdrawal, the former noted blamed the rejection on the harmonisation of the bills, noting that they would be represented separately after a review.
Cannabis cultivation, sale and use are presently outlawed in Nigeria.
Source: Punch