The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has disclosed that Nigeria was the highest consumer of cannabis in the world in 2019, with over 10.6 million users.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), who made the disclosure at the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) 40th Annual Olumide Memorial Lecture in Abuja, explained that the figure is more than the entire population of Portugal or the United Arab Emirates, (UAE).
He further stated that worse still, the countrys drug use prevalence of 14.4 percent is one of the highest in the world compared to the global average of 5.6 percent.
They have implications. They have accompanying problems which if left unattended to will in a matter of few years snowball into a big problem that may become an overwhelming albatross capable of undermining meaningful national development, he said.
So far, over 35 million people are suffering from drug use disorder and this has a dire implication for the national development of countries, especially third-world countries like Nigeria.
What is most alarming, however, is the growing illusion propagated by some activists and politicians that our country can achieve some economic growth by cashing in on the global cannabis market which is projected to be worth $103.9 billion by 2024. In recent years, they have canvassed for the legalisation of the cultivation of cannabis Sativa as the magic bullet for Nigerias economic growth.
Meanwhile, the economic cost of drug abuse in 2007 was estimated at $193 billion and lost productivity accounted for $120 billion while $11 billion was spent on healthcarefor drug treatment and drug?related medical consequences.
The NDLEA chairman also recalled the devastating effect of methamphetamine called Mkpuru Mmiri across the States in the south-eastern part of the country in the last quarter of 2021, adding that the situation undermined development and caused instability.
In his remarks, the president of NIS, Dr. Kayode Oluwamotemi, extolled the virtues of the late Surveyor Cyprian Theodosius Olumide whose efforts led to the formation of the institution.
