Believed to have been introduced to Cameroon by Portuguese traders, marijuana, also known as cannabis, is one of the most widely consumed recreational drugs. That said, in Cameroon, it is a criminal offence to be seen with cannabis.
Year in, year out, many Cameroonians are imprisoned or fined for using or dealing in marijuana. In addition, every year, the government loses hundreds of thousands of CFA francs (XAF) in the fight against the sale, purchase, and use of cannabis. This in mind, shouldn't the government legalize marijuana consumption?
THE CASE FOR MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
Many people are of the opinion that the government should legalize marijuana consumption. Proponents of marijuana legalization reckon that marijuana holds the secret to a better economy. The thing is, they believe that legalizing marijuana will unlock hidden economic potentials. What’s more, they suggest that marijuana is loaded with chemicals that have medicinal properties. But, if this genie is let out of the bottle, will it really make Cameroon's economic and healthcare wishes come true?
1) Marijuana As Medicine
To begin with, marijuana is packed with chemicals called cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are potent painkillers and appetite stimulants. What's more, cannabinoids can alleviate nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatment. In a nutshell, health personnel can use marijuana to treat chronic pain, nausea, and vomiting. Also, they can use marijuana to stimulate appetite and improve weight gain in people with cancer and AIDS.
In addition, marijuana can help treat some mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. To top it all off, health personnel can use marijuana to treat two rare, severe, and specific types of epilepsy that are difficult to control with other types of medication – Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.
2) Economic Growth
For starters, legalizing and taxing marijuana could boost the economy. That is, it could put a lot of money into the pockets of the government. For example, the government could tax cultivators and retailers. Even better, similar to sin tax levied on final consumers of alcohol and cigarettes, the government could impose sales tax on final consumers of marijuana – this tax is charged at the point of sale, paid by final consumers, collected by retailers, and passed on to the government.
What's more, legalizing marijuana would create many jobs: farmers, processors, distributors, retailers, and exporters. In addition to being a major boon to the jobs market, marijuana legalization would attract local and foreign investments – we all know that investments can fuel economic growth.
Lastly, marijuana legalization would reduce government spending on criminal justice, that is, CFA francs spent fighting against the sale, purchase, and consumption of cannabis would be reduced. Basically, if marijuana were removed from the list of banned substances, far fewer court cases involving the substance would go to trial, resulting in fewer incarcerations, and, in turn, more money saved. Better still, legalizing marijuana could phase out black markets and take money away from petty criminals.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
There are just as many people advocating for the continuation of the ban on marijuana as there are people rooting for marijuana legalization. The thing is, these individuals, who are pressuring the government to continue its ban on marijuana consumption, think that marijuana is bad for the economy. What's more, they are certain that marijuana consumption promotes ill health. Given the aforementioned reasons, is maintaining this ban reasonable?
Well, to begin with, marijuana consumption can result in poor mental health. As a matter of fact, studies have linked marijuana consumption to certain mental illnesses, such as addiction to marijuana, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders – to name but a few. Added to that, there is growing evidence that marijuana consumption peels points off a person's IQ. The thing is, cannabis negatively affects attention, memory, and learning; it alters brain development, causes a decline in cognitive function, and promotes poor academic performance.
The lungs can be very badly affected by smoking marijuana. Coughs, colds, and asthma are just the start. Even worse, smoking marijuana can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia and lung cancer. As if that were not enough, recent studies associate frequent marijuana consumption with low libido, abnormal menstrual cycles, impotence or erectile dysfunction, and, at times, low sperm count. Long story short, frequent marijuana consumption damages the lungs and reduces fertility.
Given the aforementioned negative effects of marijuana on mental health, lung integrity, and fertility, one could confidently conclude that marijuana consumption is associated with increased spending on healthcare. On top of that, there could be greater social cost from a decline in worker productivity and school performance. Finally, legalizing marijuana could lead to a greater need for drug education, rehabilitation, and treatment – increased cost.
THE BOTTOM LINE
In a nutshell, legalizing marijuana, in Cameroon, may do huge things for health and society. However, the thing is, marijuana legalization doesn't always correlate with a positive outcome. Put plainly, marijuana legalization is a double-edged sword.
Should the government legalize marijuana consumption? What do you think?
- Dr. Ndifor Judethaddeus.