L.I approving marijuana cultivation will worsen mental health conditions – Governs Agbodza

The Minority Chief Whip, Governs Agbodza, is claiming that there could be an abuse of cannabis following the maturity of the legislative instrument to regulate its cultivation and management by the government.

The lawmaker argued that the maturity of the law will worsen mental health conditions rather than improve the economic fortunes of the country.

“Unfortunately, the young man taking weed in this country is not going to take what he has to the laboratory to test HPC content before taking it. And none of you is talking about the potential for abuse or how badly it would degenerate the mental health we already have in the country.

"Why are we pretending that this is going to solve our problems in the country? Minister, do you even know how many people are taking weed illegally, to the extent that you are going to license the people and show them where to store the weed?”

However, the Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, Dr. Dominic Ayine, disagreed with him.

He stated that countries that legalized the industrial use of cannabis stand to benefit economically.

“Mr. Speaker, studies conducted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade and Development indicate that the industry has potential benefits for countries that have legalized its cultivation and management. These include economic, industrial, foreign exchange, employment, and medicinal benefits. Every part of the industrial hemp plants, from the roots to the flowers and seeds, has potential industrial and medicinal benefits, which can be beneficial to the economy of the country.”

The L.I. seeks to streamline the use of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes after the parent law was passed by Parliament.