By Nimi Princewill.
The Governor of Ondo State Rotimi Akeredolu, has maintained that the growing of Indian hemp, also known as cannabis in exportable quantity in Ondo, would help boost the Internally Generated Revenue of the state.
The governor, alongside the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Muhammad Abdallah, visited Thailand last week to attend an event tagged, ‘Medicinal Cannabis Extract Development.’
Akeredolu explained that the state government intends to take advantage of the medicinal and commercial value of the plant to boost the state’s IGR and create jobs for the youth.
In reaction to a barrage of attacks the governor’s decision had generated, the Ondo State Government has cautioned that it is not yet legal to cultivate cannabis in the state.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Yemi Olowolabi, the governor noted that the state government was still in the process of making the cultivation of Indian hemp legal.
He also made boast of Federal Government’s credence, hence, the collaboration with the NDLEA.
“We are still at the elementary stage of this matter. Before we legalise cannabis growing in this state, it has to pass through certain procedures and we have begun the procedures.
“The assistance we seek from the Federal Government is the collaboration we already have with the NDLEA, which is an agency of the government.
“Since we are dealing with the NDLEA, we are dealing with the Federal Government.”
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