Head of the Addictive Disease Unit under the Department of Psychiatry at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Logosu Amegashie, has shot down calls for the decriminalisation of cannabis, popularly referred to as wee.
According to him, legalising cannabis in Ghana will do a lot of harm than good since most of the discussions in the public have all been based on moral justification and exaggeration of the effects of the marijuana, with scientific evidence thrown out of the window.
Recently, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Prof Alex Badioo, called for the legalisation of marijuana.
He made the call when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament yesterday to answer some infractions in their audited report.
The CEO stated that the economic potential of marijuana for the country is huge, emphasizing that it is about time authorities came up with a firm decision on taking advantage of the herb.
He clarified that in advanced countries like the United Kingdom, United States of America (USA), marijuana use is legal.
“In UK, for instance, one can purchase nicely and neatly packaged marijuana from stores for both medical and social use. Even though Ghana does not need the medical use of the drug, it will gain immensely from its exportation if it is legalised,” the GSA boss claimed.
However, Mr Amegashie was of the view that “in all this for legalisation, he who feels it, knows it. If they feel there is nothing wrong about it they can legalise, decriminalise or liberalise whatever they want to do, they should give roll to their family and family members to smoke just one month, I say this one so that the implication nobody tells them. They should give Ghana marijuana to mother, father, children, uncle, everybody to smoke for one month so they don’t have problem then they should come again.”
Mr Amegashie made the appeal during Ghana Recovery Walk at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region on Saturday to create awareness on drug addiction in the country.
The awareness was organised by Hopeful Way Foundation, in collaboration with Recovery Ghana Consortium (RCG).
He explained that the content of marijuana in Ghana is very high as compared to the refined substance in western countries, adding, “Therefore, the call for legalisation of Ghana marijuana is something serious they shouldn’t have talk about it. It’s like the people calling for the legalisation do not know what they are talking about.”
Mr Amegashie mentioned that all persons with substance use disorders should be made to receive protection and treatment which is accessible, available and affordable than wholly prosecution.
“Ghanaians must understand that substance use disorder is a disease therefore they should help reduce incidence of substance use in Ghana through accessible, available and affordable treatment and rehabilitation for substance users,” he stated.
He called on government to build more rehabilitation centres across most parts of the country than decriminalisation of marijuana.
Mr Amegashie mentioned that that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) should be made to cover treatment of drug abuse in order to reduce the cost of rehabilitation in the country.
About 30 percent of out-patient visits to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital each year were marijuana-related. About 10 percent of admission cases at the hospital are also marijuana- related.
Marijuana is said to contain psychoactive chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which psychiatrists have identified as a major cause of psychotic illness or simply madness.
From Vincent Kubi, Ashaiman