The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has clarified that the statement of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig-Gen Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), at a workshop organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) on the prospect of cannabis oil export was merely his opinion and not an announcement of the Federal Government’s position on the issue.
Marwa, in his remarks as one of the invited guests at the workshop themed “Cannabis Oil Debate: The Path Forward for Nigeria”, organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science in Abuja on Wednesday, disclosed that the NDLEA is not averse to the idea of exporting cannabis oil to other countries that desire it solely for the purpose of generating foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria, while maintaining its opposition to its local use due to the position of the extant law and the already high prevalence of drug abuse in the country.
A statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Thursday said the Agency’s position was one of the many opinions canvassed by various stakeholders invited to address the workshop and should not be seen as the Federal Government’s approval of the position, especially since the Agency commissioned the ongoing study on cannabis oil by the Nigerian Academy of Science.
The statement reads: “We can only be further guided on this matter by the final recommendations of NAS, which will eventually be submitted to the Federal Government as part of the inputs that will be used to develop an informed policy on the subject.
“This clarification is needed to avoid misrepresentations and suggestions that the Agency has approved cannabis oil export, a decision that can only be taken by the Federal Government after considering inputs from various stakeholders,” the statement added.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune