Nigeria, Africa's biggest cannabis consumer

A little known fact, yet Nigeria is the world's leading consumer of energy. African cannabis with nearly 15 % smokers.

Nigeria, Africa's cannabis crossroads

Cannabis consumption habits are rarely studied beyond the Sahara. Nigeria, the region's economic champion, is also number one in cannabis consumption. 14.3% of Nigerians smoke weed, putting them in 3rd place worldwide. The tropical climate of the coastal regions allows cannabis to grow in abundance. In Kano state, 37% of the population smoke cannabis regularly.

Cannabis would have arrived in the country thanks to its strategic position between 3 continents. Travellers from elsewhere are said to have brought with them seeds from the Maghreb, Central Asia and South America. Because of its recent arrival, the plant has no ancestral local name. Cannabis is known as «Indian hemp» and «Igbo». No religious, pharmacological or recreational customs are recorded in Nigeria's ancient history.

Record production and seizures per hectare

Cannabis is the country's most profitable plant. The penalties for any activity involving cannabis are severe. Until 1992, growing cannabis could cost you your life. Now, penalties range from 15 years to life. Cannabis, the country's leading crop, is said to be one of the main causes of deforestation in Nigeria. Nigeria is also a drug hub. The authorities have tried to combat the spread of weed, but to no avail. From 1990 to 2009, 98 % of drug-related arrests were linked to cannabis trafficking, possession or cultivation.

A game of cat-and-mouse in a country where corruption is rampant. For a fee, the authorities can let a weed plantation pass. But when the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency gets hold of you, the fun's over. When the Nigerian DEA organizes a raid, the result can be counted in millions. ton. From July to September 2016, the NDLEA seized and then destroyed nearly 24 tons of cannabis. June 15, 2015, 24 hectares were seized in the state of Oyo and finally 1,400 hectares of cannabis destroyed in 2012. According to NDLEA spokesman Mitchell Ofoyeju, «the giant plantations are located in the deep forest, and officers sometimes have to walk for hours to get to the seizure point». Operations are not very profitable if only a small quantity is seized. On the other hand, the larger the plantation, the more time officers will spend destroying it. You can't set fire to it, you have to cut it all down by hand. The NDLEA is considered corrupt by several Nigerian media. According to Punch, Some of the agents were protecting a 20-kilometer-long farm in Osun State.

Almost legal consumption.

This abundance of merchandise leads to low selling prices. 10 grams of Indian hemp would cost around 400 Naira or 1.5 euros. Consumption of «Igbo» has been democratized among young people, and is now part of custom. The police no longer intervene in cases of weed consumption. Yet public opinion is not in favor of legalization. In this YouTube video, we can see that young Nigerians reject legalization.