Actor cum politician, John Dumelo is at a loss as to why it is legal to engage in cigarette smoking and trading but illegal to trade and smoke marijuana in Ghana.
In a post on social media, John Dumelo questioned why the country will permit the smoking of cigarette which is dangerous not only to the smoker but to people around while outlawing marijuana which has some health benefits.
He stated “In Ghana, it’s legal to buy and smoke cigarettes. How come it’s illegal to buy and smoke marijuana?”
His post has since elicited interesting responses from social media users. While some believe the outlawing of marijuana is an attempt by the Western world to discard anything African while promoting theirs, others are of the view that cannabis is outlawed because the country’s laws are not stringent enough to permit its trade and usage.
Some, however, asserted that smoking cannabis is prohibited because leadership do not want their followers to become conscious of their wrongs and hold them accountable as they believe smoking cannabis makes people conscious with others also positing that cigarette is legal since its chain of production and trade are well-structured and can easily be taxed to generate revenue for the state.
According to the American Center for Disease Control (CDC), cigarette smoking causes deadly diseases and disabilities and harm every organ of the body of a smoker. CDC also established that smoking cigarette does not only harm the smoker but people around them and their unborn babies.
Despite its health hazards, smoking and trading of cigarette is legal in most parts of the world including Ghana. Although there are some guidelines regulating its usage and sale, most of these guidelines are mostly flouted with impunity. Notably among the guidelines is the prohibition of smoking in public spaces which is usually flouted with law enforcers failing to take any action against offenders.
On the other, the intake and sale of cannabis is illegal in most parts of the world including Ghana. Ghana, however, in 2019 legalized the growth of a strain of cannabis for medicinal purpose with strict regulations. But recreational marijuana and for that matter the smoking and possessing of cannabis without authorization remains illegal and law enforcers seem committed to arresting and prosecuting abusers of cannabis than even perpetrators of heinous crimes.
Below are some of the reactions to Mr. Dumelo’s post on social media.
