The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has clarified that the statement made by its Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, regarding the possibility of cannabis oil export was merely an opinion, and not an official pronouncement by the Federal Government.
Marwa had, on Wednesday at a workshop, 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. However, he opposed its local use, citing the provisions of the extant law and the already high prevalence of drug abuse in the country.
“It is important to note that 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 yet, especially since the Agency commissioned the ongoing study on cannabis oil by the Nigerian Academy of Science.
“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 inputs that will be used to develop an informed policy on the subject,” the Agency said in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Thursday.
Babafemi explained that this clarification was needed to avoid misrepresentations and suggestions that the Agency had approved cannabis oil export.
He added that any decision can only be taken by the FG after considering inputs from various stakeholders.
