By Edzorna Francis Mensah
Ghana is set to legalize the production of cannabis subject to licenses from the state for medicinal purposes.
The government through the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, is seeking to amend the existing law, Act 1019, to make way for commercial production.
On Wednesday, 12th July 2023, Parliament has taken Narcotics Control Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Bill is composed of a single clause when passed will empower the Minister, to grant a license for the cultivation of cannabis which has no more than 0.3 percent THC content on a dry weight basis for industrial purposes for obtaining fiber or seed or for medicinal purposes.
The Bill further prohibits a person who has been granted a license under the Bill from cultivating cannabis for recreational use.
“The object of the Bill is to amend the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) to empower the Minister to grant a license for the cultivation of cannabis which has not more than 0.3 percent THC content on a dry weight basis for industrial purposes for obtaining fiber or seed or medicinal purposes”, according to the report of the committee on Defence and Interior on the said Bill.
The Committee met and determined that the Bill is urgent and should therefore, be taken under a certificate of urgency by article 106 (13) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 119 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
The urgency emanates from the numerous benefits Ghana stands to gain by empowering the Minister of the Interior to regulate the cultivation of cannabis which has not more than 0.3 percent THC content on a dry weight basis.
BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION FOR THE BILL
Hemp or industrial hemp is a variety of cannabis plant species explicitly grown for its industrial uses. Hemp and products derived from hemp are not subject to international drug controls under the United Nations drug treaties. or supplementary protocols. The exemption of the cannabis plant from international control for industrial uses applies to fiber and seed.
The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs limits the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes to fiber and seed. Cannabis indica is distinct and has unique phytochemical compositions and uses. It can be used to make a variety of commercial and industrial products including food, rope, fabrics, paper, plastic and composite materials, building materials, jewelry, cosmetics, and biofuels. One of the attributes of the cannabis plant is the ability to absorb nuclear radiation and it is noted to have been used in the cleaning up of the Chernobyl disaster.
Additionally, the global cannabis industry generates an estimated amount of US$1 billion a year. Countries like the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Peru have identified the value share of cannabis to their economic growth.
