Ghana to legalize cannabis for medical and industrial purposes

Finally and after much debate, the West African country of Ghana legalized cannabis for medical and industrial use last Friday, March 20th, after the Parliament passed the Narcotics Control Commission Bill, a law that was introduced last year.

It is important to mention that this law will only affect the variety known as hemp and that the recreational use of cannabis will still be considered illegal in the country. Furthermore, cannabidiol (CBD), a compound known for the benefits has on people’s health, and that can be extracted from hemp, will also remain illegal.

If you want to know more about Ghana’s new cannabis law, how it will affect the economy of the West African country and to find out the latest hemp investing news, download the Hemp.im mobile application to your smartphone or tablet.

The National Narcotics Control Board, Ghana’s new cannabis overseer

This law now makes the National Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) a commission with enhanced powers to supervise the industrial and medical use of certain varieties of cannabis with less than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It also gives NACOB the authority to control and eliminate the trafficking of prohibited drugs in order to keep the country safe from illegal businesses.

It is expected that, in the near future, the National Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) will issue licenses for the cultivation of authorized varieties of cannabis across the country. That will open countless economic and research opportunities, boosting the development of the West African country in the coming years.

“We are not promoting smoking, we are promoting the industry, we are promoting cleaning up the environment, we are promoting the creation of a new source of revenue for the government in terms of taxes on cultivation and export. Moreover, we are talking about promoting much better medicines than opioids, medicines that cannot kill you because no one has died from using cannabis,” said Nana Kwaku Agyemang, President of the Hemp Association of Ghana.

A law meant to bring a boost to Ghana’s economy

The new Ghanaian law will allow companies producing jute sacks for cocoa and other products to set up their factories and produce hemp locally, rather than importing its fiber from India or elsewhere. They will also be able to manufacture medicines, given the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) meets the concentration requirements defined by this law.

The new law also classifies drug addiction as a public health problem and no longer as a single criminal offense. A switch that will bring a change on how the authorities will deal with the drug addiction cases reported in the West African country.

Prior to the passage of this law, Ghana’s 1990 Narcotic Control Act considered hemp to be a narcotic, along with cannabis. Any person found in possession or importing a narcotic substance, such as hemp, was “sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than 10 years.”

With the implementation of this law and the legalization of hemp in the West African country, Ghana is joining other countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho or South Africa that have also amended their cannabis laws to allow medical, industrial or recreational uses, in order to boost their economies.

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(Featured image by Remedy Pics on Unsplash)

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First published in Newsweed.fr, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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