The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called for removal of cannabis from the list of dangerous drugs in the country saying the drug has far more medical benefits.

Dr Eniola Akindeko, the society’s chair in Ondo State, made the call while speaking on the sideline of the news conference, organised to interrogate the benefits of cannabis in Akure on Monday.

According to him, cannabis has the potential for curing epileptic seizures, especially when used medically as a drug for human beings.

Mr Akindeko stated that aside from the illicit use of cannabis which was criminal, the plant had a lot of benefits in its content and component.

The PSN chairman said that cannabis also performed some medical purposes due to its carnaboid (CBD) content.

According to him, CBD is being used for management of pain, especially chronic one, and also for people who had gone through chemotherapy.

“When cannabis is given, especially CBD oil, it will reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. It can also be used in the management of seizures, that is, epileptic conditions.

“Apart from its medical use, cannabis has been used in the paper and textile and cosmetic industries, as it helps in the growth of hair, while it is also good for the skin.

“The truth of the matter is that because people get high on cannabis, a lot of people have come to rationalise this as its only function and have given the drug a bad name,” he said.

Mr Akindeko called on governments at all levels and the National Assembly to remove cannabis from the group of dangerous drugs in the society.

“We are in the days when they say resources are scarce; if we then have abundant resources in cannabis, why don’t we use it? So the government, especially the legislative arm, should look into how to tinker with the legislation around cannabis.

“Cannabis has been put on the schedule of our drugs law, and what it means is that those drugs are dangerous. They are not supposed to be used. They should remove cannabis from that group,” he said.

The PSN chairman, however, said that use of cannabis could be controlled by putting it under certain regulations to ensure its proper use during its growth, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and utilisation.

Earlier, Benjamin Okezie, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said that cannabis could be used to generate revenue.

He said that the drug was useful for industrialisation, employment and empowerment of youths and women in the country.

Mr Okezie, who was the guest speaker at the conference, said that countries, such as South Africa and others, were currently reaping huge revenue from cannabis, which they were exporting to other nations.

“To enable this process of legalisation, I have presented before the House of Representatives the Dangerous Drugs Act (Amendment) Bill 2020, which, when passed, will usher in a new era on medical cannabis from production, processing and distribution.

“It has become imperative that as a country, we review the legislation prohibiting the planting and production of cannabis for medical and industrial use.

“It has become obvious that industrial cannabis is a viable prospect for our government’s economic diversification efforts,” the lawmaker said.

(NAN)