Why legalise marijuana?

The case for marijuana (wee) to be legalised appears not to be going away, especially when proponents calling for its legalisation make the case that Ghana will benefit immensely from such a move.

How? If Weekend Today may ask? Is it about the foreign exchange that will be raked in from growing and exporting marijuana? Or proponents are talking about the medicinal benefits of the drug?

Weekend Today is surprised at the latest call for marijuana to be legalised by no mean a personality than the Executive Director of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Professor Alex Dodoo. In the opinion of Prof. Dodoo, the economic potential benefits of marijuana for our country are huge. He goes on to cite how countries like the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) have benefited from legalising the use of marijuana.

It must be made clear that the mere fact that its legalisation worked for the British and Americans does not mean that it will work for Ghanaians. Such an argument, in the view of Weekend Today, is flawed. We must guard against copying everything foreign.

We are all witnesses to the many damages marijuana is doing, especially to many of our youth and students. Today, Ghanaian teenagers are not scared of openly smoking wee on the streets, homes, schools compound among others.

This sheer bravado by our youth who smoke wee in the open has become a bad influence on others. And to make matters worse our law enforcers are not doing enough to deal with the situation.

Interestingly, the above is happening in the light of the fact that marijuana sale or smoking is illegal in this country. Thus, one could imagine the consequences if we decide legalise it in this country. That will certainly open the floodgates for all kinds of criminal business and the long-term impact on our youth will be enormous.

It will also mean that people can go into the growing of marijuana bearing in mind its export value. Instead of legalising it Weekend Today is urging the government to rather resource our state security agencies to enforce the laws that make the use of marijuana illegal in this country.

It is important that we guard gainst making Ghana a transit point for trade in narcotic substances. This should be our goal and not heeding to the call to legalise the trade and use of wee.