By: Ade Adeleke
A drugs Expert and immediate past National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Pharmacist Samuel Adekola has expressed satisfaction with an advocacy by the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, for medicinal use of cannabis.
The Expert insisted the governor’s call was lawful and urged shareholders to have a rethink on the urgent need to adopt cannabis for medicinal use.
Adekola who spoke with SUNSHINETRUTH in Akure, the state capital, pointed out that various international bodies had also taken a position that was in line with Akeredolu’s advocacy.
The former ACPN National President urged the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA to activate the laws that allow medicinal use of cannabis in the interest of the nation and her people.
Adekola however kicked against recreational use of cannabis and smoking of the product should remain prohibited; saying, “We are not talking of recreational use of cannabis, we still believe that smoking cannabis is prohibited, that is the message that must be made clear, the message is that cannabis has medicinal benefits.”
He opined, “I have said it over and over that let us say it right, even the current law, all the three laws that control drugs in Nigeria make provisions of medical use of cannabis.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to activate them (the laws) and that’s another thing we talked about leadership. NDLEA has not been able to activate that point and that is the message Ondo state government is giving out, which is in tandem with the message of my own body, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria and International Pharmaceutical Federation, the world body of pharmacists, that has its headquarters in The Netherlands.
“Therefore, Nigeria should activates the laws, if we take that law to court and challenge it, we will win and that’s the truth, that’s if we want to go by legal route because the law allows for medicinal use, it gave execptional use of cannabis, but we are saying that instead of going by that route, why don’t we do advocacy, why do we not make it clear to them that what we are saying is that cannabis has a lot of medical benefits which the people must not be denied of.
……. Watch out for the Exclusive Interview with SUNSHINETRUTH News Magazine by Pharmacist Adekola who also spoke on other sundry issues on ways out crisis in the health sector.
