Nigeria considers legalizing hemp

A bill to legalize the cultivation of hemp A bill to legalize cannabis for medical and scientific research is currently being considered in Nigeria. The bill passed its second reading in the House of Representatives in mid-October. The House Committee on Narcotics will review it before it is adopted in its third reading. The bill will then be submitted to the Senate and subsequently to the Nigerian President.

Nigeria is seeking to cultivate and develop the market for non-psychotropic products from CBD and industrial hemp, spearheaded by the Canadian group GROW CANN AFRICA.

The group recently stated that Nigeria is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing global demand for cannabis, CBD oil, and industrial hemp markets, which are projected to reach $10 billion by 2020.

The president of Grow CANN Africa, Uju Adaku, recently declared During a Zoom conference, she explained that she was seeking a license to lead the research and development of hemp-based products in Nigeria and then scale up the operation.

During the same event, Dr. Tony Jaja, a lawyer who drafted the bill on the cultivation, processing, and marketing of cannabis, stated that Nigeria’s Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act currently criminalizes the use of cannabis for for medical research and commercial purposes. He stated that, to ensure strict regulation of cultivation, the bill would establish renewable licenses for scientific and commercial operations involving hemp.

At the same time, the Rwanda legalized the cultivation of medical cannabis for export