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Tag: Marijuana

  • NDLEA arrests 134 suspects with Marijuana in Sokoto

    NDLEA arrests 134 suspects with Marijuana in Sokoto

    The Sokoto Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on Thursday that no fewer than 134 suspects were arrested in eight months with 118.695 kgs of cannabis sativa otherwise called marijuana in the state.

    Alhaji Musba’u Idris, the state Commander of the agency, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto that 132 of the suspects were male, while four were female.

    The state commander said that 45 of the suspects had already been convicted.

    He solicited the support of the general public to volunteer useful information that would assist the command in dealing with hard drugs syndicate operating in the state.

  • NOT ALL REGGAE ARTISTES SMOKE MARIJUANA –REGGAE STAR, RAS KIMONO

    NOT ALL REGGAE ARTISTES SMOKE MARIJUANA –REGGAE STAR, RAS KIMONO

    Veteran root reggae star, Ras Kimono speaks to JANE KOLADE about his craft, philosophy, and Rastafarianism

    THIRTY something years on, and still going strong. How has it been?

    Very well.

    What do you do now?

    Music is what I do. I had a concert last week. Outside of music; nothing else. I am doing well. I don’t buy and sell, only music, strictly music business.

    How many years have you been into music professionally?

    About thirty five years now.

    Were you part of a band?

    People used to think that I was part of Jahstix, with the likes of Majek Fashek, Amos Mcroy, and Black Ryce; but I was not. But I performed with them, and many other reggae acts who were contemporaries. I was part of a sound system called Massive Dread. In the eighties, we used to perform in colleges across Nigeria trying to promote reggae music in Nigeria, and later on at a location along the Marina, called The Floating Buka. I performed with bands like that of Mustapha Amigo, Sweat, and the like.

    Does that mean that you performed with many of your contemporaries at the time? Especially on the Reggae music scene?

    Exactly.

    Do you practice Rastafarianism?

    Rastafarianism is not preachable, neither is it a religion; but a musical function of one’s heart, in the sense that you have to feel it before you know it. You don’t practice it. You have to feel it before you know it. You don’t go on the streets preaching it, saying “You have to be a Rasta”. It is more of a nature, Africans used to live this way, before the advent of the comb.

    Then the white man came with combs and mirrors, expecting us to look like a ‘white’ Jesus Christ, and everyone followed suit. So, it is not a religion, but a way of life. You don’t preach it, you don’t practice it; you just know it. It is like part of our history. Some of our youths don’t know our history. Many youths; graduates, don’t know anything about African leaders, dead or buried. What they know is about Mungo Park, Christopher Columbus, and all those foreign agents.

    Many people think you were born Ras Kimono, what is your birth name?

    My name is Ki mo no, it means, “What is up with Ono? Munu”

    The name on your birth certificate is?

    Ras Kimono. I turned it to Kimono for easy pronunciation. My last name.

    Many believe that musicians, especially those into reggae music do drugs, like Marijuana?

    Yes, many Rastafarians, and reggae musicians do, but Ras Kimono; I don’t drink alcohol, smoke, or do drugs. I just do it naturally. People ask how I get inspiration, and I tell them that I get inspiration from my environment. I live with the people. As a youth, I grew up in the ghetto, and I know what ghetto life is all about, so I sing about what I see. As a Rasta man, I read the bible. Music is not my hobby, but my profession. God blessed me with it. I believe that those that smoke/use drugs are probably shy, or take it as a hobby. There are places where smoking Marijuana is part of the culture. Not every Jamaican smokes, but in Jamaica, everyone smokes ganja, cutting across all classes. Whether you are a musician, a lawyer; everybody smokes. They don’t see it as a big deal. So, it’s not true that every reggae musician smokes. I say to people, “Show me one hip hop music artiste who doesn’t smoke, and I will show you five reggae artistes who don’t smoke.” Just like in Nigeria; the Kwale grow Ganja, so everyone there smokes Ganja, everyone there smokes, and don’t think it’s a big deal. For instance, I, Ras Kimono, I don’t drink or smoke, same for Lucky Dube, and a number of others.

    Where were you born?

    I was born in Africa.

    Where exactly?

    Anyone who knows my philosophy will tell you that I share the philosophy of Pan Africanists like Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyetta, Haile Selassie, and Zik of Africa.  Following their footsteps, I tell people, “I am not a Nigerian, or Cameroonian, or from Abidjan. I am an African. Call me an African.”  It is my right to live anywhere I wish on the continent. I am a proud Africanist. I have a right to live anywhere in Africa I wish. If war were to break out in Nigeria, trust me, I would flee to somewhere safe in Africa, as a right, not a privilege.

    So, will you tell us where you grew up?

    Of course I grew up here in Africa, in Lagos, I lived in the Western world for a while, lived in Ghana, and other places, so I grew up everywhere.

    You once said that you were a farmer and a fisherman. That was evidently not in Lagos?

    All the fish eaten in Lagos, who fished (caught) them? I was a farmer, and fisherman. But now that I am in the city, travelling, and doing shows, I no longer have the time to go fishing, but if push comes to shove and I’m at the countryside, or at a place like Port-Harcourt, I would go fishing; Of course in unpolluted waters.

    You are known as a down to earth character who is not ashamed of his ghetto/rustic roots. But as someone from such a humble background, were your parents in support of your career?

    Yes, they did. But their fear was that they had no money to set me up, buy me instruments, a tour bus, and so on. Not knowing that companies did all that.

    Could you tell us some of the challenges you faced starting out as a musician?

    A lot. Musicians face challenges, but as a Rasta man, it is forward ever, backward never. As the lyrics of an old song of mine goes, when people see us smiling, drinking, and making merry, they do not realise that it is a rough road. I don’t dwell on past challenges.

    Reggae music in the eighties/ nineties, and today, what is your take on it? Do as many people come to your shows as they once did?

    Buying CDs is much worse today as more people prefer to download. Reggae from the eighties till date remains the same, but might not attract a huge following today, because most times reggae deals with the truth and rights. About twenty years ago, I had a track from my album, Fire go burn them, crazy politicians. I do have politician friends who are nice, but many are not.

    How did people react to your being a musician as a young man?

    I was not bothered, although my parents gave me their blessing, extended family members were a different story. If however you needed to find a job, you were discriminated against for carrying dreadlocks, and would even be told to cut off your locks. But, in spite of it all, we give thanks. Today, the rich take a couple of millions to music producers and tell them, ‘My child can sing’, buying music, so to speak, and this affects the quality of music put out. Having said that, many songs today do not have much quality, as such. Many think that music is an avenue to drink, smoke, and amass women, or to even avoid going to school.

    What advice would you give a young musician starting out?

    Stay away from drugs, learn to play at least one instrument. That way, when you meet a producer, you can contribute in the production process. At least learn the rudiments of music. Back to drugs; leave drugs alone, as drugs will always mess you up. With all the music stars in the present and past whose lives have been wasted by drugs, it is wise to heed this advice. Some have the mistaken notion that drugs will make them superstars, but they are mistaken.

     

    At what point in your life did you realise that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

    As a youth.

    As young as?

    As soon as I started speaking. As early as age four or five, I used to say that I would be a musician when I grew up.

    Is there any particular thing in your background responsible for your interest in music?

    Music is in-born for me. It is not a hobby, but a profession. Jah created me with it. I am influenced by my environment probably to play reggae, but it is a God given talent.

    If you were not doing music, what would you be doing?

    Only Jah knows.

    Are you completely satisfied with your musical career?

    I am yet to get to where I want to.

    What are the things you like the most about your career?

    The fact that I sleep with two eyes closed, owing no man. People owe us, not the other way round. There are businessmen, thinking of business deals, legal woes and such like, who sleep with one eye open, but not us.

    What are the things you don’t like about your profession?

    The things I love about it have covered my dislikes so it’s all good. Many think I do drugs before I get on stage, but seeing people dance, enjoying themselves encourages me to do better.

    Many musicians use stuff to push them to perform on stage, what do you think of this?

    This is leading so many astray. Of a truth, in the next ten years, many performers today will be walking the streets stark raving mad, in rehab, or go offline, because the rate at which some entertainers smoke, and drink these days is appalling. Many fail to realise that all men will pay for everything they do in life.

  • Why marijuana should be legalised, by Seun Kuti

    Why marijuana should be legalised, by Seun Kuti

    Afro beat singer, Seun Kuti, has said that the Nigerian government was ill advised to ban the use of marijuana, believing that the decision is a carryover of colonial law.

    According to the artiste, “There are doctors and scientists who believe that marijuana should be legalised. There are also lawyers, judges, and politicians who believe that the war on drugs is a false war. That is actually a war on the poor people all over the world, because poor people and rich people use drugs to be sane. But you will find that here, people are in jail more for drug use.”

    Going further, he said, “We as Africans had no reason to ban marijuana. It was done out of the U.S. lobby, forcing our governments to ban the drug. I don’t think that the Nigerian government has ever carried out any independent research on marijuana. One of the biggest markets in the world for marijuana in the world is Israel (which is a more religious country than Nigeria). But they understand the benefits… especially the economic benefits. So much wealth can be generated from it, but that is another issue entirely.”

    Seun, a father of one, says that he does not believe in marriage for the simple reason that it is a power game. “It is a thing of ego, of domination and submission. I think humanity is gradually moving away from it from the number of marriages that don’t even work. In the ones that work, someone has to submit, someone has to give up who they are for the other person for it to work; especially the women, if no one agrees to do that, the marriage won’t work. Women are more independent,” he said.

    The singer, who studied Popular Music and Sound Technology at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, going further with his thoughts of marriage, and women’s liberation said that his grandmother Mrs. Funmilayo Kuti, a foremost nationalist and feminist did not have a great relationship with her husband after she became independent. “My father told me that when his father died, his mother told him she and her husband had not been speaking for 10 years, even though they lived in the same house… staying together because of the children. My grandfather was a reverend, so divorce was not an option. Not like Chris Oyakhilome, or Chris Okotie that divorced, they swore an oath to God, and still broke the oath.”

  • The teenage marijuana smoking epidemic

    The teenage marijuana smoking epidemic

    With the rate at which teenagers in Lagos are smoking Indian Hemp as if it is a candy, and going out of fashion, stakeholders are at a crossroad on how best to handle the helpless situation reports Sina Fadare & Medinat Kanabe

    They are helpless, homeless, hopeless and perhaps do not know the implications of their actions.  They are smoking marijuana, popularly called Indian hemp, igbo, eja or kukuye on a 24-hours basis as if their lives depend on it. They are products of broken homes and carefree parents who care less about where, when and how they are surviving.  They live their lives on the streets and under the bridges. During the day, they are noticeable at major bus stops and parks across Lagos and other states. And these are aside those permanently operating under the bridge at Oshodi towards the Ilupeju end. Often, you can identify them by their tell-tale unkempt looks, wrapped weed in between their fingers, thick smokes unfurling and melting into the atmosphere, and of course the nauseating odour. Welcome to the little world of teenage hemp smokers,

    As early as 5 am, their day starts. They are on the streets, snatching bags, phones and money. Investigation by The Nation revealed that they rarely sleep, preferring to occupy themselves with smoking Indian hemp almost throughout the night. And they’re freshly out of the cradle, their ages ranging between 12 -16 years.

    “How can they sleep, when throughout the day they are smoking Indian hemp? Definitely sleep will elude them and that is why they are ready-made recruits for buglers and armed robbers,” a newspaper vendor under the bridge, who knew virtually all of them, due to years of interacting with them lamented.

    We also discovered that some of them have turned under the bridge to their homes. Their clothes could be seen littering the base of the bridge, while those recently washed hung on the barbed wire, supposedly used as demarcation by the authorities to discourage people from making the place a bypass.

    A repeat visit to the place on weekends confirmed that the kids actually live under the bridge. Some of them could be seen washing few of pieces of cloths, while others naturally busied themselves with their pastimes, hemp smoking. It did not matter that it was just 6:30 in the morning. We also discovered that they are threats to commuters who trooped to the popular bus terminus to take early bus rides to Lagos Island and other cities and towns outside the state. At one time or the other, a good number of them have fallen prey to these urchins, losing bags, phones and other belongings in the process.

    After the morning rush of passengers, some of them move to the garage adjacent their abode to begin a long session of dice and card games, using money, wrist watches and sometimes shoes, most of which were stolen,  to bet. During this time, the big white stick never leaves their fingers. They just can’t seem to have enough of the illicit weed.

    How teenagers between the ages of 11 to 15 years of age could become hemp addicts in the glare of the ever busy Oshodi, with so many people troop in droves on a per minute basis beats the imagination and raises cause for concern.  More worrisome is the fact that a police station sits just about 10 meters from this spot.

    This team of The Nation was however dazed to discover that this trend cuts across the major bus parks and bus stops across the Lagos metropolis. From Fadeyi to Mushin to Bariga; right across to Somolu, Ketu, Pen Cinema, Abbatoir, Mile 12, Olodana Oto Apapa,  Agege, Ajelogo, Agric Ikorodu, Agbole area of Ikotun, Itire, Ojuelegba, Obalende; the story is the same. And so it is official, hordes of teenagers, who should be in school or at vocational training, preparing themselves for a meaningful future, are smoking away their future with impunity.

    At Agege area of the state, a middle age man, who identified himself as Baba Kabiru, said he almost fainted the day he learnt that his son who was in primary six was smoking Indian hemp.

    He said the poor boy learnt to smoke the weed during his regular trips to the Quranic lesson, which he used to attend after school hours. “Some of the bad boys were living in the same building that is housing the evening class and were using these innocent children as errand boys whenever their master was not around. Gradually my son and some others were inducted into smoking. I got to know one day when my wallet was missing. In the confusion of searching everywhere, l checked his school bag where l saw two raps of Indian hemp.”

    Baba Kabiru who disclosed that he was unable to sleep that night said upon investigation he learnt that they have a group and they have been involved for a while. “l had to change his school and move away from the environment because l was too shocked to see my son, a primary school pupil smoking Indian hemp. The experience is still strange to me.” He lamented.

    The entrance of Our Lady Lourdes Girls Primary School on Clegg Street in Surulere area of Lagos is another notorious joint that harbours hemp-smoking kids. On a daily bases, immediately the school closes for the day, these kids take charge and smoke marijuana till the wee hours of the day.

    Again, the Area  ‘C’ Police Division  is very close to the school compound, but somehow, they seem to be content with looking elsewhere, whilst this atrocity go on.

    Speaking to The Nation on condition of anonymity, a police officer from the command said most of the parents of these kids are within the vicinity, but unfortunately they cannot put them under control, adding that “there is little the police can do because some of these kids are under-age and cannot be put behind bars.”

    As a panacea, he challenged the government to wake up to its responsibility and send these kids to rehabilitation homes, where they can learn different vocations to make useful to themselves and society later in life.

    At Obalende, another kid hemp smoking rendezvous assailed our reporter. Here we gathered that weed smoking, particularly among the teenagers, is like a carnival. A middle-aged woman, Labake Ilori who sells assorted wines in the area questioned this reporter’s naivety, asking if he was new in Lagos not to know that smoking of Indian hemp in the vicinity by the teenagers is a daily occurrence.

    “Are you new in Lagos? All these kids are chain hemp smokers, virtually from morning till late into the night. Some of them don’t have anywhere to go; therefore they live on the streets and sleep in most of the kiosks. Occasionally the police come here to raid them, but after few days you see them again,” she explained.

    She lamented that at the dawn or night, they become uncontrollable and there is nothing they cannot steal. “You can see all of us are very careful and keep our money inside our inner purse otherwise they can do anything.”

    Candidates for nuthouse

    If the kid hemp smokers are potential recruits into the world of crime, they are also potential patients at psychiatric homes. The question thus arises; why are they left to waste away their future under the bridges and at bus terminals, when their parents, government officials and even the police could have kept them in check?

    Lagos State Police Public Relation Officer, Mr.  Nwosu Kenneth said that the police in the State are doing everything within its power to arrest the situation.

    He pointed out that Oshodi area of the state is a peculiar terrain that remains a concern to the police authority, adding that “when we arrest people we know are underage and cannot really be arrested under the criminal justice system, we take them to juvenile homes for care because some of them get involved in it because of lack of care.”

    He said the police in partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW and the government of Lagos State are trying to mop up the area in order to save the future of the kids. “Most of the kids you see there are not from a home; they are on their own, fending for themselves; so they are vulnerable and easily lured into these things. We do clean up there about twice a week. We rescue these kids because they cannot be arrested. If you have information about how we can get the kids, so they can be rescued, it will be much appreciated.”

    Kenneth however regrets that the kids keep returning to the dark areas, despite being rescued on a daily basis. He ascribed this to the fact that these are places where they earn their living, albeit illegitimately.

    Speaking in the same vein, Head of Public Affairs of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Mr.  Ofoyeju Mitchell said kids get involved in marijuana due to their ignorance of the consequences of the drug.

    Mitchell while speaking to The Nation in his office noted that “some are so carried away by the type of peer groups they keep that they don’t even know when get involved.  If they are unfortunate to have friends who are involved, they are likely to succumb to pressure by their peers to try it out.”

    According to Mitchell most of the kids do not have what you can call a home; therefore they are ready-made tools for such a gamble. “Lack of good upbringing also leads to it because when children are not properly cared for, it affects. You don’t know their friends or what they do; when they keep late nights, nobody asks where they are coming from. And children being what they are, like to experiment, even when they know that government have said the drug abuse is bad. They want to experiment and have a taste of that much-talked-about euphoric pleasurable feeling, forgetting that the feeling is addictive.”

    He lamented that these kids are products of broken homes, who possibly have nobody to lean on for survival and therefore take solace in bad peer groups. “There are children that don’t even know where they are from or where their parents are. We have counseled some that we expect them to go back home, but they can’t because of one reason or the other. Some live under the bridge in Lagos but their parents are in Osogbo.  And when they are on the streets, they are exposed to all forms of abuses because they don’t have guidance.”

    Mitchell pointed out that the NDLEA has put up a lot of enlightenment programmes to assist them. “We have introduced drug free clubs in schools. The club builds capacity among the children. They have their NGO. We  talk to them and give them  fliers, and whenever they are having programmes like debate or seminar within their school, they invite us as patrons to come and present talks and we believe that by involving them in anti-drug abuse programme, it will help to inculcate a drug free lifestyle in them, and it is working.”

    Mitchell said that in as much as the agency wants these kids off the street, it has its limitations. “We have challenges of accommodation for them. After we counsel them, we can give them money to go back to their various homes around the country, but there is no proper follow-up or monitoring to know if they actually went home.

    “There are some others that after the counseling process, they go back home but because of lack of follow-up we re-admit them again. We expect that their parents would take over after they complete the process. Some say that nobody cared for them after getting home, but their friends came and they followed them and started taking the substance again.”

    He argued that the daunting challenge at hand is that all hands must be on deck to monitor these kids, particularly by their parents who have greater responsibility towards them before they turn to social menace.

    “We have raided Oshodi, Obalende and some other notorious spots in Lagos and we do that on regular bases, but we cannot do it alone. Parents must be involved; NGOs, civil society groups, opinion leaders, traditional rulers, individuals. We have a dedicated phone line on our website that people use but we also advise other people to use it. I cannot know what is happening in your area even though we have people who go out to raid notorious places.” He said.

    Reacting to the allegation that the government of Lagos State is not doing enough to take these kids off the streets, a deputy director at the ministry of Environment, Lagos State, who spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity said the government is trying to do its best but challenged parents not to give birth to children they cannot take care of, lest they become social deviants.

    According to him the government in conjunction with relevant security agencies raids these notorious dark spots, but the kids are always back there after “escaping from our custody at juvenile homes.”

    He lamented that the government is busy about electioneering at the moment and most of these kids have been conscripted into pasting posters, especially at night; therefore he said “To have a meaningful programme for them will be after this election palaver.”

  • ‘I started taking marijuana at 14’

    ‘I started taking marijuana at 14’

    Just back from the United States of America where he got entangled in the marijuana scourge, Precious Elem shares his experiences, many losses and close shave with death; and his activism aimed at tackling the problem in Nigeria

    For 17 year-old Precious Elem who started taking marijuana at 14 back in New-York, United States of America, marijuana was never a bad thing because it was given to us by God, since it grows from the earth. He also did not believe it could be a problem to him or anyone else. Precious who is now clean, told The Nation the story of his journey into the world of marijuana and how he managed to free himself from it.

    He has initiated an NGO called Second Chance Counseling and Empowerment Initiative which seeks to assist children with marijuana problem.

    Precious, who attends Extaport Schools, Gbagada, Lagos revealed that, at a young age in middle school, he made friends too easily, especially with bad boys. “I was always with bad boys at 12 but it didn’t really affect me. They were just my friends, I thought. After school I would go home to my parents and play with them. I was in Harry S. Truman High School then in Bronze, New York.

    “The boys had their bad lifestyle but I didn’t indulge in it; so I felt their lifestyle couldn’t be my lifestyle if I didn’t want it to be. My parents used to warn me and preach to me from the bible not to join bad gangs, even though they didn’t have any idea what was going on outside. They just gave their parental advice.”

    Somehow, he felt reassured that he just couldn’t be influenced. “It even got to a stage when my friends began to wonder and asked me how I managed to hang out with them without doing what they did.

    But at 14, Precious himself started getting curious. I asked, why couldn’t I join them in experimenting? They talked about some things that I had no idea of; then one day when it came to the aspect of drugs, mostly marijuana, they told me about a high trip they had. I decided to try it out myself. They never actually forced me. Whenever they were going to smoke, they excused themselves. One day I called them, gave them money and asked that they bought some for me. On a second thought I decided to go with them, so I could know where to get it whenever I wanted. They were surprised.

    It happened and from that day I was never the same again. I was scared the first time because I didn’t know what the effect would be like. I kept asking myself if I was high but kept diving more and more into it.

    I never misbehaved, but I would be quiet while my brain did things I never thought it could do; and I liked the feeling, so I kept taking it and getting deeper into the addiction. As I grew older, I started to experiment more, but I didn’t take other drugs because I actually hated drugs. I started lying to myself that marijuana is not a drug but something given to us by God, after all it grows from the earth.

    Back home the effect was showing. The relationship I had with my parents became bad; I also became disobedient. I suddenly had the guts I never had before. My father would be talking to me and I would talk back, shout and slam the door.

    Some days I would get angry and not come home for weeks. As I got older, I got bolder. At school, I went down from an A grade student to average; from average to below average; from there to poor; and from poor, I stopped going to school. I would say I was going to school, but I won’t get there. When I went, I went late and before one period was over, I’d be out with my friends. I was wasting my time and fooling myself. It got to a stage when I ran away from the house for about a month. I knew a lot of people, so there was always a place to run to.

    True all those people were not good for me, but I was already living a lifestyle where I needed them around me.  I got involved in violence, gangsterism and other things that came with it. I got involved in the drug dealing ring; no, not marijuana, but cocaine and other hard drugs. I was just doing different things in the streets. I got arrested about three times and the only time my dad got to know was when he got a call to come to court to get me. Soon after, I was gone again until the day he got a message that I was in the hospital, after I had been shot by another teenager. I had a bullet hole in me. His gang and my gang had a problem before I joined the gang. He shot me because I was the person in front. I knew him but I didn’t have a problem with him, so it was confusing to me.

    It went through my arm, came out and pierced my chest to my lungs, collapsing it and my ribs. I had so many injuries.  It was June last year, so I spent my birthday in the hospital. After that incident, I told myself that the street is not where I belong and that that lifestyle wasn’t for me. However, I felt marijuana wasn’t a problem to me, so I continued taking it. I was in the hospital for a month.

    My parents decided to come back to Nigeria for me to recuperate, so they started making plans. I went home from the hospital and was there for a week before the trip. The week before we travelled, we went to the courthouse for another issue I had to clear in court with my fresh wounds. At a point, I told my dad I was in serious pains and begged him to please go get my medication for me. He was worried and ran home to get them; but before he came back, I was gone. I wanted to spend the last days with friends.

    We did what we normally did,  drank and smoked. I felt like I was at home because everybody was protective of me. They believed I took the gun shot for them. I began to see them as a family outside my home and decided I wasn’t going back to Nigeria. I wasn’t even planning on going to my house in NY for my trip the following day; but suddenly I changed my mind.

    I went home at about 12.30 midnight, knocked and knocked, but nobody answered. So I became angry that I was left knocking and decided to leave. As I made to leave, I decided to knock for the last time, but I felt really tired and slept off until the next morning.

    I woke up; knocked again after hearing my dad’s voice and he came to open the door. They had already packed my bags, so we left for Nigeria. When I got back I had time to think, I hadn’t changed though. Everybody knew me to be stubborn, rebellious, and curious.

    I came back in July last year, but it didn’t take long before I made bad friends and got into marijuana again. I told myself marijuana is just my thing. But after a while, I started thinking a lot. I thought about my life in NY and how I got shot and everything I have been through. I told myself that marijuana is actually my problem and that everything that happened to me happened because of marijuana. Then I decided to check it. I had lost everything, school, focus, even control of myself. I couldn’t sit down and listen to someone talk because my brain was working faster than the person. I already knew what the person was going to say before they said it. I thought I didn’t need school; marijuana was doing the thinking for me. I was so bold and could look you in the face with the highness and talk to you.

    My moment of discovery

    I decided to see what would happen if I didn’t take marijuana, so I stayed away from it for two days. I became like a zombie. I would sit down and be very quiet, without any thought or emotion. I was just there but was not high. I went back to marijuana to see the difference, and again I was sharper and smarter. It dawned on me that marijuana was doing the living for me and that my problem was marijuana; so I went to my parents and told them I had a problem and needed help.

    This was in September last year. After I got cleaned up and rehabilitated, my dad brought up the idea of using my experience to start helping other teenagers who are involved in drugs through the NGO Second Chance Counseling and Empowerment Initiative.

    The NGO started in November. There have been an outflow, some of the guys are encouraged, they want to do it but they relapse, which is normal. Some of them get back up again, and some don’t. So far, we have four cases ongoing, but the problem is that we are working in conjunction with the local rehabilitation centre at Oshodi, which is not really a rehabilitation centre. It is like a psychiatric facility, with therapists that can work with the children to rehabilitate them and prescribe drugs that can help. But it is nothing to write home about. Most parents will not even feel comfortable putting their children there.

    So we want to establish a new and improved facility that is mainly for rehabilitation of adolescents and young adults and very affordable. Most times they find themselves among people with advanced psychosis and they might take that as an excuse not to seek help.

    We have gotten approval from the Lagos State Ministry of Education and we are going to schools to talk to students about it and invite them to come and join us. We are liaising with universities too because that is where we have the advanced stage. Some don’t know the consequences of what they are getting into.

    We try to let them see reasons to change and let them know that they are the leaders of tomorrow. If we don’t take this step, then the next generation may be affected by marijuana and drug abuse.

    We have had two cases that have been the most successful. They were really involved at very young age ages. One left his parents and siblings in the village in Anambra State to come to Lagos to seek brighter future at age 14. Three brothers came and scattered and they all had places to serve and they were on their own. He saw marijuana as an escape. I knew him personally because he is my friend. I decided to change and he accepted when I reached out to him. We took him through the steps and since then he has been making huge progress.”

    Precious however believes that the government can play a huge role because as individuals, they can only do as much as their resources can avail them. In his words, “I don’t know what Nigeria will be like if we lose all our children to drug abuse.”

  • Consumption of marijuana harmful to youths, society says expert

    CONSUMPTION of marijuana by Nigerian youths and its attendant addiction has a great implication on the society, the Director-General of Police Assistance Committee of Nigeria (PAC), Dr. Martins John-Oni, has said. John-Oni, who recently took part in an international conference organised for law enforcement regulators and policy makers in the United States of America to discuss on issues bordering on impact of marijuana on public health and safety, noted “that addiction suffered through marijuana consumption by Nigerian youths had led to serious social implication on the mental and physical development of young adults.” He said: “The drug abuse among Nigerian youths, including consumption of marijuana, had brought untold hardship on our social system. The development has led to the escalation of social vices among our youths such as cultism, prostitution, armed robbery, kidnapping, mental derailment and political thuggery. It has culminated in the complete misuse of our youths and by implication affecting social and economic stability of our youths.” John-Oni, however, explained that the menace of drug abuse “is being consciously addressed by various government agencies and institutions like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as well as other law enforcement agencies that have been enforcing government legislation against drug abuse in the country.” He added that there are other government regulatory institutions such as the Police, Customs, Immigration and border security officials both on the sea, land and airports saddled with the responsibility of monitoring illegal movement of harmful drugs into or out of the country. He stressed that the time had come for all hands to be on deck to fight the harmful effect that consumption of marijuana and other hard drugs on youths globally.

  • Oyo/Osun Customs Area Command vows to suppress smuggling of Marijuana

    Oyo/Osun Customs Area Command vows to suppress smuggling of Marijuana

    The Nigeria Customs Service appears determined to prevent all forms of smuggling, including narcotics and illicit drugs into the country. It’s Oyo/Osun Area Command recently intercepted some consignments of Indian hemp being smuggled from across the border and they arrested the smugglers. OSEHEYE OKWUOFU reports on the effort to stop the illicit business and the harmful effect of smoking Cannabis Sativa.

    On January 16, 2014, a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number Lagos EPE 39 AY, loaded with 29 sacks of Indian hemp was arrested along Saki-Iseyin axis by men of the Oyo/Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.

    Four months later the anti-smuggling squad of the Command intercepted a Peugeot 504 car along the same axis carrying 22 (50kg) bags of smuggled rice and sixty packages of the illicit drug neatly concealed with yam flour. The driver, Wasiu Raji, resident at No. 3, Challenge Road, Saki in Oyo State, was immediately arrested.

    The Nation learnt that these arrests and seizures were just a few of the successes recorded by the Command in recent times in their fight against the smuggling of illicit drugs into the country especially through the Iseyin/Saki land corridor which is becoming a major problem in the area, and also an indication that some unpatriotic Nigerians are still engaged in the business.

    Use of narcotics such as Indian hemp which are becoming rampant in the society especially among the youth is considered as one of the factors responsible for the cause of insanity among many Nigerians who were addicted to the weeds.

    Some Indian hemp farms have been discovered in Oluyole, Iseyin and Saki in Oyo State, as well as in some parts of Ondo State and destroyed by law enforcement agents.

    The rate at which people, especially the youth, consume the weeds is quite alarming. In motor-parks, garages, residences, beer-parlour and comfort stations, it is a common sight.

    Some of the consumers who obliged to speak with The Nation claimed to derive a lot of benefits from the consumption of the weeds, but failed to see some health hazards and challenges it might cause to users.

    “The leaves alone are used as drug to reduce excitement, irritation and pain as well as to induce deep sleep,” Tajudeen Adewale one of the consumers who spoke on the advantages of Indian hemp said.

    Though Tajudeen, 25, tried to justify the fact that smoking the weeds is medicinal, he lacked  the courage to display his habit in the open out of fear that he could be caught by law enforcement agents.

    The Comptroller Oyo/Osun Command of Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Richard Oteri, discouraged the consumption, smuggling and cultivation of Indian hemp because of its negative impact on the health of the populace.

    According to him, the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria forbids the use of narcotics, one of which is Indian hemp.

    He warned the operators of the illicit trade to desist from it as the command would not leave any stone unturned to ensure that anyone caught faces the full wrath of the law.

    “I want to use this medium to warn all unpatriotic Nigerians who engage in this illicit business of smuggling unwholesome goods into Nigeria, that it is no longer business as usual in the Oyo/Osun Area Command axis as the Command has been well equipped by our visionary and dogged leader, the Comptroller General of Customs, Dr Abdullahi Dikko Inde (CFR) with the provision of AK 47 riffles and three brand new Hilux vehicles which have enhanced our performance,” the Customs boss reiterated.

    The Command, he said, will continue to arrest and prosecute suspects who engage in smuggling of cannabis into the country, while stating that the men of the Customs have made giant strides in suppressing smuggling of Indian hemp.

    “With our intelligence network and the effective strategies put in place in the Command, sixty packages of Indian hemp have been handed over to the State Commander, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Oyo State, Mrs Faboyede Omolade, on Tuesday May 13, 2014, in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration.

    “The Legal Advisers of both the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) are to file separate charges against the accused person.  The charges are to be filed  on the same day.

    “We shall continue to build on this robust relationship with other sister agencies to rid the society of criminal elements that are working against the interest of the country. The Command will not relent in its war against smuggling till it is reduced to its barest minimum,” Oteri said.

    Marijuana, another name for Indian hemp, especially the variety Cannabis, from which several narcotic drugs are obtained is a coarse Asian plant, of the family Cannabaceae, widely cultivated for its fiber and for its yield of intoxicating drugs.

    Many out of ignorance, have abused and misused the plant and in the process have developed severe nervous exhaustion, convulsions and neuralgia.

    Yet, some part of Indian hemp is said to contain medicinal values when regulated.

    Dr. Edward Akomolafe of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, in his assessment stated that Indian hemp plant provides three products, namely, fiber from the stems, oil from the seeds and narcotic from the leaves and flowers.

    He, however, cautioned strongly against smoking of the leaves and flowers, which contained narcotics as it has caused severe damage to the nervous system, and is responsible for a lot of mental challenges being faced by many Nigerians who have formed the habit of smoking the leaves and flowers of Marijuana.

  • Uruguay legalizes marijuana sale and production

    Uruguay legalizes marijuana sale and production

    Uruguay has become the first country in the world to legalize both the sale and production of marijuana. President Jose Mujica has championed the measure as a way of combatting the illegal drug industry that has decimated parts of Uruguay.

    The country’s parliament passed the bill by a vote of 16 to 13 on Tuesday evening. Senator Alberto Couriel, a member of the ruling Broad Front left-wing coalition, called the passing of the bill “a historic day” for Uruguay.

    Under the new legislation, the price of marijuana will be set at one dollar per gram, aiming to undercut the current price of $1.40 on the illegal market. The sale and production of the drug will be regulated by a specially-set-up government body which will administer a database of adult citizens registered to consume marijuana.

    “This is an attempt to bring an end to the illegal drugs trade by identifying the market and bringing it into the light of day,” said President Mujica in a statement. Mujica added that the law does not promote the consumption of the drug; it merely identifies the consumer so that authorities may “intervene if [the consumer] overdoes it.”

    Before the new legislation was passed, the consumption of marijuana in Uruguay was not penalized, but the sale and production of the drug was considered a criminal offense.

    A number of conditions will govern the sale and production of the drug. Registered Uruguayans over the age of 18 will have the right to buy up to 40 grams of marijuana from pharmacies every month and cultivate a maximum of six plants on their property. The legislation will also allow for the creation of so-called cannabis clubs, composed of up to 45 members who will be able to grow a maximum of 100 plants.

    Uruguay’s National Drug Board estimates that there are around 120,000 marijuana users in Uruguay from a population of 3.3 million. Consumer groups estimate a higher figure, putting the number of users at around 200,000.

    The bill has triggered debate in Latin America over the issue of the illegal drugs trade and the problems it creates.

    “I think it is unrealistic,” Paraguay’s National Anti-drug Minister, Luis Rojas, told Spanish news agency Efe earlier this year. Despite the new law, Rojas said he believes Uruguay will continue to receive marijuana grown in Paraguay.

    Moreover, president of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Alves, said that Brazil was not ready for the legalization of marijuana in neighboring Uruguay. According to police figures, around 80 percent of the marijuana cultivated in Paraguay is exported to Brazil where it feeds the illegal drug trade. Brazil is concerned that the legalization of the drug could lead to a similar system in Uruguay.

  • Tonto Dikeh responds to NDLEA arrest threat

    Tonto Dikeh responds to NDLEA arrest threat

    …Denies posting marijuana photos on Instagram

    Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh has responded to a potential arrest threat by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) by declaring that she has not received any summon to that effect.

    The marijuana pictures posted on Instagram elicited a flurry of invectives from critics and fans alike of the controversial actress and according to the spokesperson of NDLEA, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyejus the agency will see to it that action is taken on the issue.

    “Our attention has been drawn to the post quite frankly and I can tell you that action will be taken on it. The law is clear and NDLEA has been very clear on the issue. No one is permitted to sell, use, cultivate or encourage the use of Indian hemp in Nigeria. The substance is one of the banned narcotics in the country.

    “NDLEA Act Section 14 (b) states that any person who conspires with, aids, abets, counsels, attempts to commit or is an accessory to any act or offence referred to in this act shall be guilty of an offence under this act and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not less than 15 years and not exceeding 25 years.”

    Meanwhile the actress has launched a damage control campaign by stating through her publicist that the picture posted on Instagram is a misconception.

    “As much as I would like to ignore the current issue on hemp, I think I owe well-meaning people some clarification. It is so easy the misconception that can come from a picture- the genius of technology. If you cannot find me holding a wrap of marijuana then you may want to slow down on your assumptions. We shouldn’t use our platforms to spread half-truths.

    “A fan wrote those words with herbs on my birthday on Instagram, and I replied: “Thank you #teampoko”. Now how does someone else’s action become my crime? If I said those words (‘Mi smoke gaja mi smoke weed while my hatez smoke ma gossip’) I will stand by them but I didn’t, and just because it is convenient for people to believe the lies still doesn’t make it the truth. The whole thing is falsified by people who just love to have fun at other’s expense.

    “Let’s put some thought to some of the things we write. Don’t do cut-and-paste. The original pictures are there to see; but no! That is too boring to be the truth. We want the truth to be nasty and spicy for our enjoyment, even if it is a pack of lies. Visit my Instagram page and see if the original picture is the same as the ones being circulated”, she said.

  • ‘441 Lagos commercial drivers tested positive to cocaine, marijuana’

    ‘441 Lagos commercial drivers tested positive to cocaine, marijuana’

    The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said 441 commercial bus drivers tested positive to cocaine and marijuana in a recent medical screening exercise conducted in some parks in Iyana Ipaja axis of the state.

    The state Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris and his counterpart in Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, who disclosed this at a press conference in Alausa, Ikeja.

    They said the government will prosecute any motorists found to be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

    Idris said the government has constantly educated the drivers on dangers associated with consumption of alcohol while on the wheels.

    He said, “So far we have screened 2,002 drivers with the following results obtained. 781 were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol, while 601 were found to be hypertensive.

    “441 tested positive to psychotropic drugs, especially cocaine and marijuana. 940 were screened for visual impairment and 13 percent had to be given special glasses.”

    The commissioner said given the grave consequences of driving under such influences, the state government had no option than to invoke section 21, subsection 1 of the state traffic law which prescribes a conviction fine of N100, 000 or two years imprisonment or both on the offenders.

    Idris lamented that road accidents has become one major cause of deaths in the country, noting that the state government cannot achieve the desired health indices if it ignore the menace of deaths by road accidents.

    “ Alcohol and substance abuse have been documented as a cause of road traffic accidents and several studies have shown that an intoxicated driver is a danger to himself , his passengers and other road users,” the commissioner noted.

    Idirs said a major breakthrough was recently recorded in the sensitization campaigns in the motor parks against irresponsible driving with a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Guinness Nigeria Plc.

    Opeifa in his presentation explained that government is focusing on motor parks to make the awareness campaign effective because of its involvement in mass transportation of people to various destinations within and outside the state.