SHOULD MARIJUANA BE LEGALISED IN GHANA?

                           

Marijuana is a dry shredded green and brown mix of leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant cannabis sativa. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, Drug Facts,2012). Marijuana is usually smoked in hand rolled cigarettes. It is also smoked in blunts (emptied cigarettes that have been partially or fully refilled with marijuana). Users of the drug mix it with their meals as well. Over the years, many professionals have labelled the drug as very harmful. However, this same drug contains Tetrahydrocannabinol which is useful for treating some medical problems: Marijuana can be used to treat glaucoma which damages the optic nerve and causes loss of vision. Also, Marinol a legal and safe version of medical Marijuana has been available by prescription since 1985. It is no surprise that a plethora of states across the globe have Legalized Marijuana. Hence, when Kofi Annan, the Former Secretary General of the United Nations raised the issue of the legalization of Marijuana in Ghana, it became a protracted debate on whether or not Marijuana should be legalized in the country. Therefore, in making reference to the benefits and disadvantages of Marijuana, it is essential to find out whether Marijuana should be legalized in Ghana.

First and foremost, an encounter with the criminal justice system through apprehension for a drug-related crime frequently can benefit the offender because the criminal justice system is often a path to treatment. More than a third, 37 percent, of treatment admissions reported in the Treatment Episode Data Set, TEDS, collected from state-funded programs were referred through the criminal justice system. Marijuana was an identified drug of abuse for 57 percent of the individuals referred to treatment from the criminal justice system. The future of drug policy is not a choice between using the criminal justice system or treatment. The more appropriate goal is to get these two systems to work together more effectively to improve both public safety and public health. This clearly shows that Marijuana is highly abused by some individuals.

In addition, CNBC says, ‘Legalized gambling has not reduced illegal gambling in the United States; rather, it has increased it. This is particularly evident in sports gambling, most of which is illegal. Legal gambling is taxed and regulated and illegal gambling is not. Legal gambling sets the stage for illegal gambling. Likewise legal marijuana would set the stage for illegal marijuana trafficking. Also, Marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the U.S. In 2008, marijuana use accounted for 4.2 million of the 7 million people aged 12 or older classified with dependence on or abuse of an illicit drug. This means that about two thirds of Americans suffering from any substance use disorder are suffering from marijuana abuse or marijuana dependence. Certainly, if Marijuana is legalized in the U.S, the number of users would increase. Thus, its legalization should be eschewed.

However, it is clearly a common fact that Marijuana has less harmful effects than alcohol, cigarettes, and guns. Even though Marijuana is illegal, people continue to sell it as well as smoke it through the black market, and regardless of it becoming legal or not, people will continue to smoke it no matter what the government says. If Marijuana becomes legal, the cops will have less petty things to worry about and may concentrate more on crimes as well as drugs that are actually harmful.

Moving on, Marijuana is not addictive, yet it is completely and utterly legal to smoke cigarettes that are in fact, addictive and cause cancer among other side-effects. Not only do cigarettes kill you, they kill the people around you as well. Marijuana is not only a natural herb, it is ten times safer than any other illegal substance known to man. According to Dr. Melanie Dreher, a famous Reefer researcher who has done countless studies on human body and the use of consumption during pregnancy, proves with her countless studies that children being born to a Marijuana consuming mother, has found no link to any form of birth defects and that the children tend to be smarter than children born of non-using mothers. Thus proving, Marijuana has far more advantages than disadvantages.

Additionally, with over $100 million in monthly marijuana sales, Colorado is showing the world just how profitable marijuana can be. But it’s not just dispensary owners and marijuana businesses that are seeing economic gains. If you’ve visited Portland, Oregon recently, you may have noticed a unique change. Giant billboards featuring six-foot long images of marijuana buds have popped up all over the city. Prior to the cannabis boom, Portland had made a name for itself for its micro-breweries, fine food, and eco-tourism. In 2014, tourism brought $4.6 billion worth of spending into the state. With legal cannabis so novel and accessible, it’s undeniable that these numbers will only increase. Recreational cannabis has only been legal since October of 2016, but Oregon saw a record of $11 million in sales during its first month alone. Denver, Colorado has already seen a spike in hotel bookings surrounding 4/20 and cannabis festivals.

Moreover, marijuana creates employment. This is evident from the states that have legalized it. The Cannabis industry grew from $1.5 billion in 2013 to $2.7 billion in 2014. Numbers like this show that the world of weed business is becoming very hot rapidly. The Marijuana Industry Group reported that the marijuana industry has created around 10,000 jobs in the state. 1,000 to 2,000 of which were added in a period of just a few months. In legal cities like Seattle, marijuana focused agencies like Viridian Staffing have already popped up. Local branches of the Marijuana Business Association (MJBA) have also begun hosting job fairs in efforts to connect employers with people interested in becoming more involved in the industry. Considering a country like Ghana which has a high rate of its population that are qualified to work unemployed, the legalization of Marijuana is the best thing that the country can do.

Obviously, there are certain things that Ghana must do to maintain the legalization of marijuana as a beneficial factor. Education is an essential part of these things that must be done. The people in the country must be given maximum and continuous education on the use of marijuana. Children should be introduced to the drug early to prevent them from experimenting out of curiosity. Further, laws must be made to govern its usage (these would include the amount of tax to be collected if exported or imported). Essentially, Ghana must learn from the states like Germany, Poland, Egypt and several other countries that have Legalized marijuana. This will help Ghana to be able to progress, manage, control and earn, even, as a country that has Legalized marijuana.

In a nutshell, the drug Marijuana is very useful. Even though it is used for some unhealthy purposes, it is obvious that it has many advantages. Moreover, marijuana’s financial benefits must not be ignored. It is one of the major reasons why some states have legalized it.. From world-wide observations, most of the states that have Legalized Marijuana have a stable and progressive economy. However, the onus still lies on a state to legalize it or not. Doesn’t Ghana yearn for an economical bloom? Should Marijuana be legalized in Ghana?
                                                                                
Notes
•Marijuana Myths and Facts, The Truth Behind Ten popular Misconceptions, Office of National Control Policy (E-book) (accessed 26th September 2016)

•Petition- The Advantages of Legalising Marijuana
https://www.change.org (accessed 2016)

•Three Surprising Benefits of Marijuana Legalisation
https://www.herb.co (accessed 26th November 2016)

•Why We Should Not Legalise Marijuana
https://www.cnbc.com (accessed 27th November 2016)

       Written by Evelyn The Piper
                           (Evelyn Asare),
               27th November 2016