Appolonia Adeyemi 
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has said Nigeria will not support the trend of legalisation of cannabis for non-medical use as the country lacks the financial capacity to fight cultivation, production and illegal use of the substance. This development came as NAFDAC, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) amongst other stakeholders, have vowed to collaborate in the fight against illicit drug production, trafficking, and use, and in curbing related organised crime.
The pledge was made on Thursday in Lagos at the launch and dissemination of the 2022 Annual Report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and Precursors Report 2022. However, Adeyeye while disapproving the legalisation of cannabis for non-medical use, said the non-medical use of cannabis, contravenes the United Nations Single Convention of 1961, which classifies cannabis as a highly addictive substance. ‘’The Nigeria Indian Hemp Act as well as the NDLEA Act prohibit the cultivation, production, distribution, sales and use of cannabis and its extracts or derivatives for medical or non-medical purposes’’.
She commended the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime UNODC for the assistance and support to Nigeria in the fight against illicit drug production, trafficking, and use, and in curbing related organised crime. ‘’We also appreciate INCB for the support to NAFDAC towards enhanced regulatory control of narcotics and psychotropic substances’’. Adeyeye described narcotics and psychotropic substances as indispensable for the relief of pain and suffering and that they are controlled within the framework of the three international conventions as they possess abuse liability and produce dependence in users.