The Hemp Association of Ghana has said it is hopeful that sooner or later, Cannabis will be decriminalized in the Country after several appeals to the local authorities.
This, the Association believes will be the platform for Ghana to generate millions of dollars in revenue and also create jobs for the country’s teeming population.
These assertions were made by Dr. Wycliffe Baird, a physician based in Canada and the Chief Executive Officer for Cannabis Access LTD.
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 10,000 years ago.
Cannabis Sativa, Marijuana, or Wee as popularly known in Ghana, is a banned substance in the country in any form, with high punitive judicial sentences by the courts when one is caught in possession or use.
While some scientists maintain that marijuana has immense medicinal benefits, critics say it contains harmful chemicals that are 20 per cent more likely to cause cancer to the user than tobacco.
Some even argue that marijuana contains ingredients that can potentially affect the formation of sperm cells and eventually deform them, thus causing temporary sterility.
In Ghana the perception of the banned plant, is that it has psychotic effects and leads to mental ill health.
This Dr Baird said should not be the focus as the benefits far outweigh the perception. He sought to enlighten the public on what cannabis and hemp were, and their benefits.
Nana Agyeman, who is the founding President of the Hemp Association of Ghana, was of the view that, the quagmire could be addressed with regulations and revealed that, the process of decriminalisation is currently in progress in parliament.
