Linus Aleke in Abuja
The former Director of Technical Services at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Sule Momodu, has warned that the decriminalisation of Cannabis sativa in Nigeria could fuel crime and exacerbate mental health problems in the country.
The retired Deputy Commander-General of the NDLEA said there were established links between drug use and criminal behaviour.
Momodu, a Fellow of the Security Institute, made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, where he argued that the Nigerian variety of cannabis is particularly potent and should therefore not be legalised.
His comments come amid growing calls in some quarters for the decriminalisation of Cannabis sativa to enable Nigeria to fully harness its economic potential and explore its possible applications for health purposes.
Responding to questions about the calls for the legalisation of the illicit substance, Momodu said:
“Yes, I’m not in support of decriminalising cannabis. I’m not in support, especially the Nigerian variant, because the THC, the chemical content of Nigerian cannabis, is very, very, very strong.
“And if you dare decriminalise Nigerian cannabis, you’re going to create a crisis — a crisis that we will not be able to handle. I am sure you see what happens in some countries where they say, ‘Okay, we’ll decriminalise this.’
“You see zombies on the streets. We’re going to have a lot of mad people on the Nigerian streets. And we’re going to have a lot of people turning to crime.
“Because once you take it, it’s going to give you that impression that you can do whatever you want to do. So let us not just try it. Nigerian cannabis is too strong for us.”
Globally, available evidence points to a significant association between substance use, mental health disorders and involvement with the criminal justice system.
A World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health Survey covering 25 countries found that more than 40 per cent of people with a substance use disorder also had a co-occurring mental disorder.
Similarly, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that 6.9 million people worldwide came into formal contact with the police over drug-related offences in 2022, with about two-thirds of those cases involving drug use or possession for personal use.
While the figures highlight the complex relationship between substance use, mental health and crime, they do not, on their own, establish that substance use directly causes criminal behaviour or mental illness.