March 27, 2018 
The United Nations has said it has approved the use of Indian hemp for medical purposes, urging Nigeria to relax laws restricting usage to allow its prescription for Nigerians.
The UN also decried criminalisation of hard drugs’ use, noting that those addicted to them are sick and need treatment, care and rehabilitation.
The Project Officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Nigeria, Harsheth Kaur Virk, stated this in her presentation at a one-day public hearing on the rising abuse of pharmaceutical drugs among youths in Nigeria.
The event was organised by the Senate’s joint Committee on Drugs and Narcotics and Health.
According to Virk, cannabis is a miracle drug allowed for medical purposes by the UN. She, however, stated that it was not for recreational purposes.
The UN official however pointed out that the global body was against drug trafficking.
She charged Nigeria’s security agencies to be proactive in their anti-drug trafficking campaign and not reactive.
Cannabis should be legalized in whole of Africa because it can be locally grown to avoid meeting high cost of pharmaceutical drugs which most poor third word countries can’t afford.WHO should come in and support UN voice on legality of the same.