Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hempire Association of Ghana, Nana Kweku Agyemang,has disclosed that the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes will help in absorbing all the chemicals on the farmlands caused by the activities of illegal and small-scale mining.
“It (cannabis) is good for the environment because at the moment we are clamoring to deal with galamsey and there are farmers sitting there looking at lands they would previously pay peanuts for and those lands have been poisoned with mercury and other toxic chemicals.”
He went on, “Well, I wish to inform you that when we cultivate industrial hemp on that land, those lands would be reclaimed because the industrial cannabis will absorb all the toxins over a period of time and the farmers will be able to go back to those farmlands and start cultivating high-value crops.
“The same is true with our water bodies, the cultivation of industrial cannabis in those water bodies and the banks will clean up those water bodies so that we can return to them and use them in our everyday day domestic lives,” he said on Accra-based TV3.
The advocate for decriminalization and legalization of cannabis sativa (industrial hemp) and cannabis indica (medicinal marijuana) in Ghana, further stated that parliament’s passing of the Narcotics Control Commission Bill, 2023 into law will also help reduce Ghana’s unemployment rate.
“Ghana is the winner, entrepreneurs can not celebrate alone. What we are looking at is tens of thousands of direct jobs and indirect jobs across the country, it is something that we need.
“We have graduates who are leaving the universities and they are being told there are no jobs for them, they should go and fend for themselves but the establishment of this industry is something that could pull in their resources and the knowledge they have learned in the universities.
“It is also great for the economy because now, the government of Ghana can have something whereby they will generate revenue internally from the taxes. If you look at other countries and what those governments have been making from the taxes alone, it has been huge, humongous,” he concluded.
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