Police destroy five-acre weed farm

About five-acre marijuana farm at Anum in the Eastern region has been destroyed by Police personnel deployed from the Regional Police Headquarters.

Starr News has gathered the weed farm located in a secluded bush was destroyed Thursday, September 26, 2019 after intelligence by the Drug Law Enforcement Unit at the Regional Police Headquarters.

Police also retrieved unspecified quantities of dried leaves suspected to be harvested cannabis from the farm.

It is not clear if any arrest was made.

When contacted, the Deputy Public Relations Officer officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command Sargent Francis Gomado confirmed the development to Starr News but declined details.

Pressure continues to increase on Government of Ghana to decriminalize production and Sale of Marijuana in line with trend worldwide and to enable the country to step up its foreign exchange earnings through the export of the product with huge market potential.

According to the proponents, given that Ghana’s economy is driven by the Agric Sector, cannabis cultivation would generate diversified revenues for Ghana’s farming population.

Instructively, there have been some key officials who concur to the preposition of the activists. For instance, appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament in September 2018, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) Prof. Alex Dodoo said, “the economic potential of marijuana for the country is huge”, stressing that “it is about time authorities came up with a firm decision on taking advantage of the herb”.

However, the effect of abuse of the drug looks scary. Globally, some 35 million people mostly youth are estimated to suffer from drug use disorders and who require treatment services, according to the latest World Drug Report, released June 26, 2019 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Cannabis remains most widely used drug globally with an estimated 188 million people having used the drug in 2017.

In Africa, the highest prevalence and increase in use is being reported in West and Central Africa with rates between 5.2% and 13.5%.