Why Female Lawmaker Wants To Legalise Marijuana

By Chuks Ekpeneru

The female member of the House of Representatives who has conceived a bill to for the first time legalise the use of marijuana in the country has a pedigree of turning the tables.

She indeed turned the table against the former member for the constituency Obinna Onwubuariri in the January 2020 rerun election for the Isiala Mbano/ Onuimo/Okigwe federal constituency of Imo State to enter the House of Representatives.

However, her bid to turn the tables to make marijuana or cannabis legal in the country for limited purposes would, however, be a daunting challenge. More daunting than the defeat of a Onwubuariri.

She brought the bill to the floor of the House of Representatives last Thursday.

She said the bill titled “The Cannabis Control Bill, 2020,” seeks to regulate the cultivation, possession, availability and trade in cannabis for medical and research purposes.

Hon. Onuoha joins Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who has remained an advocate for the federal government to tap into the estimated $145bn medical marijuana market.

She is a Development Legislation Advocate, environmental consultant and women and youth empowerment activist.

A grassroots mobilizer and former legislative aide, Princess Onuoha came into the green chambers with years of legislative advocacy in her bag, having worked with lawmakers at the federal and state levels since 2012.

Onuoha is a graduate of Estate Management from the University of Lagos and holds a master’s degree in environmental planning and Protection from the University of Abuja.

She has worked as Member, Board of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation and served as Chairman, Tourism Development and Investment Committee where she led effort to develop roadmap for increased revenue in tourism sector through public-private partnership.

She was also a member, Imo State Implementation Committee, Community Services, Women & Youth Employment (CSWYE), and the Subsidy Re- Investment & Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

It was based on her activity at SURE-P that she got the popular name, Madam Sure-P.

She designed the state’s Graduate’s First Employment Scheme which proposed to reduce hassles for applicants with no previous job experience, and developed a database of indigent unemployed women and youth.

Onuoha also served as Senior Special Assistant to Bayelsa State Governor, International Development Co-operation between 2012 – 2014 where she designed work plan to tackle basic development challenges in the State.

According to her, the Bill Provide for a registration and licensing system for Cannabis farmers and processors;  establish a  registration and licensing system for Cannabis famers and processors;  regulate the cultivation , processing,  availability and trade of Cannabis for medical  purposes and promote public awareness about the cultivation, processing, availability and trade of Cannabis for medicinal and research purposes and its use in relation to medical or health purpose.

The Bill prohibits the issuance of cannabis licence for medical use if such a person is without a proof that “he is either a medical doctor and intends to use it for medical purposes or a pharmaceutical company who intends to use an amount of Cannabis which may be determined as required, in producing medicine for the cure of a certain disease or an epidemic.”

Onuoha’s Bill has been endorsed by the Civil Society Organization Stakeholders on Farming for Medical Use Initiative, which described it as “strategic” bill that would unlock the potentials of cannabis.

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