The Chairman of the Rastafari Council of Ghana, Ahuma Bosco Ocansey, aka Daddy Bosco, has said that the legalisation of weed in Ghana will further boost the local economy.

Daddy Bosco said Ghana stands to benefits in several ways through the cultivation of weed.

On Friday, 20 March 2020, Ghanaian Parliament passed the Narcotics Control Commission Bill, 2019, which transforms the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) into a Commission with enhanced powers to control and eliminate trafficking of prohibited narcotic drugs.

Per the new law, NACOB also becomes a Commission with additional powers to oversee the industrial use of some narcotic substances.

The new law empowers the Minister for the Interior to grant licences for the cultivation of cannabis of not more than 0.3 per cent THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that gives the users a high sensation, for industrial and medicinal purposes.

Speaking on the maiden edition of Dwabirem Entertainment on CTV hosted by Kwadwo Preko Dankwa on Friday, 27 March, Daddy Bosco said: “This will inject a lot of capital into the economy. These are the positives we need to look at”.

“I have got a lot of calls from people who are very excited about this news.”

He further called for public education on marijuana and its benefits to the society.

“Public education will change the mindset of Ghanaians toward weed,” he said.

Ahuma Bosco Ocansey aka Daddy Bosco is the Director of Communications and Special Projects of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and onetime Administrator of the Union. He is the current Secretary of the Board and is seeking re-election for a second and final term.

There have been calls on the government to legalize cannabis (marijuana), popularly known as ‘wee’, in the country by some advocates who believe legalizing the hard drug would help improve the current economic situation in Ghana.

Among the numerous people who have called for the legalization of marijuana is the late Kofi Annan who urged the government not to only look at the negative side of the hard drug but also think about the benefits that the country can derive after decriminalizing it.