National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has opposed Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, over the growing of cannabis sativa for medicinal purpose or economic gain.
Akeredolu had last week advocated having cannabis legalised to enable his government to cultivate it for economic benefit.
The governor had also posted several pictures of himself and head of NDLEA, Muhammad Abdallah, on a trip to Thailand for a programme on medicinal cannabis extract development.
However, Abdallah said in a statement on Monday that he and Akeredolu did not go to Thailand to learn how to grow cannabis sativa for economic gain as being reported.
He also said his agency had destroyed 3,900 hectares of cannabis sativa in Ondo State to show that cannabis cultivation is still outlawed as upheld by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs’ round-table talks in March 2019.
“My attention has been drawn to the misinformation that the Ondo State Governor and I were in the Republic of Thailand to learn how to grow cannabis sativa for medicinal purpose or economic gain,” he said.
“This is far from the truth. At no point did I make any remark in favour of the commercial and medicinal value or monetary gain of cannabis.
“The purpose of the visit to Thailand is to understudy how the country has successfully migrated some of her citizens hitherto engaged in illicit plant cultivation to the cultivation of legitimate economic crops and other lawful businesses.
“The NDLEA under my leadership has been consistent in our opposition to legalisation and decriminalisation of cannabis.
“For example, Operation Thunderstorm undertaken by the Ondo State Command of the NDLEA destroyed 3,900.73 hectares of cannabis sativa planted in forest reserves.”
