Legalise marijuana for export purposes, no local consumption – Dumelo tells gov’t

The call for the legalization of Marijuana locally known as ‘weed’ has been encouraged by many over the period.The current to join the bandwagon rooting for the legalisation is Actor John Dumelo.

According to the movie actor and now a staunch member of the NDC, a lot of countries and religious bodies around the world are now cashing in on the marijuana trade so the government should do same by setting up farms for such venture.

In a series of tweets, the actor advised the government to set up farm to cultivate marijuana which will be solely for export and not necessarily for local consumption.

According to him, most countries and religious institutions are cashing in on the marijuana trade.

“A lot of countries and even religious institutions are cashing in on the Marijuana trade, Here’s my take, the Ghana Gov can look into setting up the farm. The marijuana will be solely for export, no local consumption” he tweeted.

The actor further indicated that, “That way Ghana can cash in on the billions dollars. We need revenue for infrastructure, paying of salaries, etc. We have all it takes to generate that. Let’s stop talking and start trading”

The actor who is now into farming believes Ghana will generate billions of dollars to cater for infrastructural problems and payment of salaries through the legalization.

His posts comes days after it was reported that the Church of England was contemplating on investing $10.5biion in marijuana production as a way of increasing its revenue.

This will not be the first time John Dumelo is advocating for the country to tap into the potentials of ‘weed’.

In January this year, the actor, speaking on Cooks and Braggarts, a cooking show hosted by Yvonne Okoro, he said the country can benefit more from the medicinal advantages of Marijuana after it is legalized.

“When you go to some of the Western countries, it [Marijuana] has been legalized for health purposes and we can also do same,” he stated.

He quizzed, “If alcohol and cigarettes are legal in Ghana, why not marijuana.”

Some interest groups, including the Rastafari Council of Ghana, in years past have suggested, the country could control effectively the recreational use of the weed by decriminalizing it.

Other groups have also suggested, addressing the use of Marijuana through criminal justice institutions, ultimately infringes on various fundamental rights of people who use drugs, including the rights to health, information, personal autonomy, and self-determination.

However, the Mental Health Authority in 2016 did not budge in their argument against the legalisation of Marijuana saying, it poses a severe threat to the mental health of people who use it.

“If you take Marijuana in your teens when the brain is actively developing, you interfere with your ability to be motivated adequately and to judge adequately,” the Chief Executive Officer of the authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei said.