Rees Hakeem Oduro, the Deputy Regional Commander of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), has stated that the passage of the Narcotics Control Commission Amendment Bill 2023 does not mean Ghanaians should be smoking wee on the streets.
According to him, the Ghana’s laws still frown on the usage of recreational cannabis and unlawful possession of cannabis.
Ghana’s Parliament on Wednesday July 12, 2023, passed NACOC Bill 2023 which will grant the Minister for the Interior the authority to issue licenses for the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes.
“The passage of the narcotics bill do not mean we should be smoking and misbehave, it’s a no, rather, the bill is now going to allow researchers or students to plant, cultivate and use it for research purposes and what it can be used for,” Hakeem Oduro said in an interview on the Happy Morning Show (HMS).
During the passage of the bill Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin said that Parliament was not reviewing the decision by the Supreme Court that the Clause in the bill was unconstitutional.
He said Parliament was correcting an error made in the Supreme Court decision.
Speaker Bagbin said these after the presentation and the first reading of the Narcotics Regulation Commission Amendment Bill, 2023, by the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, July 6.
The Supreme Court had struck out the law on granting licence to grow cannabis, popularly known as ‘wee’, because there was no debate on it in Parliament before its passage into law, as stipulated by Article 106 (5) (6) of the 1992 Constitution.
But the Speaker who indicated that the country was losing out because of this decision, said he made his displeasure over the ruling known to the justices of the apex court in a meeting and urged them to consult Parliament for proper briefings whenever they are making such decisions.
“We are not reviewing the decision of the Supreme Court, what we are seeking to do is to correct an error and reinstate the right provision. So I am going to refer the bill to the Committee on Defence and Interior for consideration and report to the House.
