Parliament has officially legalized the cultivation and management of cannabis for industrial and commercial uses, as per the approval of the Narcotics Control Commission Regulations 2023, which legalizes cannabis with a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of 0.3.
Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery emphasized during the passage of the legislative instrument (LI) that this move should not be misconstrued as the legalization of recreational marijuana. He clarified that cannabis with a THC of 0.3 is not currently grown in the country, and the ministry is preparing to introduce such varieties.
In response, Minority Chief Whip Governs Kwame Agbodza expressed concerns over the new law’s predisposition to abuse; according to him, the law won’t positively impact the country’s fortunes. He cautioned that the legislation, if exploited, could worsen the already critical mental health situation in the nation.
“None of you is talking about the potential of abuse and how that can degenerate into mental health problems we already have in this country. Why are we pretending that this is going to solve our problem? Minister? Do you even know how many people in this country are smoking weed?” he questioned.
“Even electricity, which we can quantify, we are unable to police the amount of electricity we produce in this country. You are now talking about giving a license to people to produce weed. While I don’t have the potential of stopping this, the fact is that Ghana is blessed enough with gold, diamond, and just recently we found E-Levy; none of them is able to save our country,” added the MP.
Contrastingly, the new Vice Chair of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Sarah Adwoa Safo, disagreed with Mr. Agbodza. She argued that cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes could boost Ghana’s economy.
“We’re not talking about just a leaf in someone’s backyard; we’re talking about a whole industry that is being created. And if we have our fertile lands here, and we can grow and make sure that the right framework is in place, I don’t see why we can’t take advantage of it,” she stated.
Cannabis refers to a group of plants which are mostly known for their psychoactive properties. With a THC of 0.3 however, the plant product has minimal psychoactive properties and hence can be used to make various useful products such as paper, bags and for other industrial purposes. Cannabis has also been medically used as a form of therapy in some treatments.
