The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has adopted a dual position on cannabis, stating it is open to the strictly controlled export of cannabis oil to foreign markets but remains opposed to its local consumption due to severe its public health risks.
This policy was articulated by the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), at a stakeholders workshop organized by the Nigerian Academy of Science in Abuja on Wednesday, 2025. The workshop was themed, “Cannabis Oil Debate: The Path Forward for Nigeria.”
Marwa welcomed the dialogue but insisted that any policy on cannabis must be “informed” by scientific facts, not driven by “commercial interests or global trends.”
The NDLEA is not averse to the idea of exporting cannabis oil for therapeutic purposes to boost foreign earnings. However, Marwa stressed that this process must be strictly controlled, licensed, and monitored by the NDLEA, with operations confined to export free zones.
The agency maintained its firm opposition to domestic consumption, citing the high risks associated with misuse and mental health consequences that could worsen Nigeria’s already high substance abuse prevalence.
The NDLEA Chairman highlighted why domestic use cannot be considered without strong safeguards, noting that Nigeria faces one of the world’s highest rates of drug misuse.
He stated further that Nigeria has a 14.4% substance abuse prevalence rate (compared to a global average of 5.6%), with a staggering 10.6 million cannabis users.
Marwa warned that evidence links cannabis use and its extracts to adverse effects on mental health, including anxiety, depression, psychosis, and cognitive impairment, especially among young people.
Speaking at the workshop, Prof. Oye Gureje, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre at the University of Ibadan, affirmed that while cannabis has “some limited medical use,” its “widespread recreational use is likely to lead to increased risk of psychosis.”
To address the push factors driving illicit drug cultivation, Marwa announced that the NDLEA became the first agency in Africa to introduce an Alternative Development Project in 2023.
