The President of the Concerned Farmers Association, Nana Oboadea Boateng, has called on the government to take a second look at the industrial cultivation of marijuana and its medical use in the country because of its numerous benefits.
According to the President of the Concerned Farmers Association, the industrial cultivation of the plant has the potential to change the economic fortunes of the country.
Nana Oboadea Boateng argued that the marijuana plant is Ghana’s economic game-changer in the wake of excessive borrowing by successive governments in the country.
Nana Oboadea Boateng opined that the plant has the potential to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth on the street and will in turn help to alleviate the current hardship in the country.
The President of the Concerned Farmers Association advocated the legalisation and mass cultivation of the plant while pointing at the failings of the agricultural sector of the economy on
“What is the big deal when the government is taking steps to accept Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods into the country when as a country we [can] grow marijuana plants locally to boost the economy?
“It is only the highest state of madness for the government to frown on the cultivation of marijuana and accept GMO foods.”
Nana Oboadea Boateng
Changing the Economic Fortunes of Ghana
Nana Oboadea Boateng noted that the cultivation of marijuana is one of the low-hanging fruits to help change the economic fortunes of the country. He explained that the cultivation of the plant for medicinal purposes will earn the country millions of dollars annually.
“Ghana would not have to be dependent on the Bretton Woods institutions for loans when investments are made in the cultivation of marijuana.”
Nana Oboadea Boateng
Nana Oboadea Boateng, meanwhile, advised the regulatory bodies to take a second look at this for the good of the country.
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various traditional medicines for centuries. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component of cannabis, which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.
Of late, mass production and legalization of Marijuana has gained traction. Recently, President Joe Biden took his first major steps toward decriminalizing marijuana, pardoning thousands of Americans convicted for possession of the drug and ordering a review of its legal status. The review will need to consider emerging data that shows how legal weed is reshaping public health.
The U.S. cannabis market size was valued at USD 13.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2% from 2023 to 2030. In the United States, cannabis is often used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food & beverage industries.
However, no comprehensive research has been done on the marijuana industry in the Ghana. Nonetheless, the call presents a huge opportunity for the government to carry out some studies on it.
READ ALSO: Speaker Alban Bagbin Leads Parliamentary Delegation To IPU Conference In Bahrain
