A bill seeking to amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, 2004 and grant it more powers to revoke licenses for the cultivation of cannabis plants in Nigeria for medicinal purposes failed to fly in the House of Representatives on Thursday.
On Wednesday at the plenary, the measure that Hon. Benjamin Kalu and Hon. Olumide Osoba had co-sponsored was withdrawn to allow the House to combine it with another one that Hon. Miriam Onuoha had sponsored.
At yesterday’s plenary, the bill was represented with the title, “Bill for an Act to Decriminalise the Growth and Use of Cannabis, to Establish a System for the Registration and licensing of Cannabis Growers”.
Kalu, who led the debate on the general principles of the bill, outlined the benefits of cannabis including pain control, weight loss, and cancer treatment.
He said the bill sought to establish and regulate the safe use of cannabis as a source of medicinal treatment in medical centres, adding that the NDLEA could effectively regulate its use for treatment.
Speaking against the bill, Hon. Nicholas Ossai noted that Nigeria was a signatory to the international treaty of nations on the ban on cannabis.
He queried the authenticity of the claim that cannabis could cure cancer and be efficiently regulated when allowed to be legally administered.
Ossai also decried the harm that the abuse of cannabis had on citizens.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila reminded Ossai that where conflicts of laws and treaties existed, laws always took preeminence, especially when the treaties were not fully domesticated.
He also stated that the treaty did not repeal any existing law, further noting that the bill would allow experts to contribute at the public hearing if cannabis could treat the mentioned illnesses.
On his part, Hon. Nkem Abonta called for balance in the passage of the bill as the motive of the sponsors of the bill was just, but the practical application could be harmful to society, especially if not effectively regulated and then abused.
He called for a rigorous debate at a public hearing where relevant experts could shed more light or knowledge on the matter.
Also contributing, Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase expressed worry that if legislation was used to legalize cannabis, it could be exploited to abuse the drug, especially among the youth.
He called for the development and application of more traditional or indigenous types of medicine to treat some of these ailments.
Wase also reminded the House of the increasing rate of drug abuse, saying the House should not escalate the situation.
He, therefore, called for the bill to be stepped down for further research.
But again, Gbajabiamila stated that the abuse of the drugs would naturally necessitate the need for regulation.
The Chief Whip, Hon. Mohammed Mongunu stated that it was vague and ambiguous.
Stating that the ambiguity can make the bill manipulative by abusers of cannabis, the lawmaker also called for the stepping down of the Bill until it was properly clarified.
At this point, Hon. Miriam Onuoha, who co-sponsored the bill, said that world health medicine has achieved a lot in the use of cannabis.
Understanding the mood and concerns of the House on the possible abuse of cannabis, she moved to step down the bill in the interest of the House.
In his remarks, Hon. Dele Gboluga stated that the right approach to make the bill succeed was for the debate for the decriminalization of cannabis before it is approved for medicinal purposes.
He stated that Nigeria lacked pharmaceutical companies that could harness and utilise the medicinal components of cannabis and the companies also had to be established before the bill could have the desired effect.
On that note, Kalu in exercising his right of reply as a co-sponsor of the bill stated that the consolidation of the different bills had distorted the intention of his original bill.
He, therefore, called for the stepping down of the bill for further consultations.
The bill was eventually stepped down by leave of the House.
