New Era’s Paheja Sirirka and Aletta Shikolo spoke to the public to gauge their views on whether cannabis should be legalised for medicinal and industrial purposes.
George Nambago
Currently, it is difficult to say whether it should be legalised or not. A practical example would be Portugal which decriminalised cannabis, as a result of the decriminalisation of all drugs in Portugal in 2001, however, medical use of cannabis was legalised in 2018. It’s a slippery slope. What I would encourage is probably for the country (Namibia) to legalise it and add the extra tax to make more money internally. On the other hand, if misused, it can have dire consequence on communities and the side effects are higher.
Bello Anna
For the reason that it’s a type of a drug that can be used to cure certain illnesses, I agree that it should be legalised for medicinal purposes. What’s worrying is that some people misuse the drug or use it for other purposes than intended. So it’s definitely okay for cannabis to be legalised for medicinal reasons.
Haipinge Simon
If the legalisation is for medicinal purposes, then why not? It should only be used for that and nothing else.
Lischen Kambanda
I agree with the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. There are a lot of worse drugs that are legal so why not cannabis. I honestly feel cigarettes are way more harmful than cannabis but they are legal. So why not cannabis for medicinal purposes?
Jacques Du Plessis
I agree with the legalisation of it for medicinal purposes only. As for the industrialisation aspect of it, Namibia will stand a chance of benefiting greatly from that venture. I am sure our GDP will be boosted somehow.
Petrina Andima
I am against the legalisation of cannabis for whatever reason. The mere fact that it is illegal yet causing problems in our communities is reason enough to even think about it. People will misuse it, as a matter of fact, they are already misusing it. It’s a no from me.
Helmuth van Rooi
In severe cases, it would be a great help to numb or ease pain. So legalising it would be an ideal thing for the government to do.
Anne Hambunda
There are two chemicals found in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is associated with wide-ranging health benefits, or at least claims of benefit for ailments such as joint pain, anxiety, seizures, and many more while the THC is only there to make you high. I would fully support the government to legalise cannabis on condition that they find ways to extract the CBD which is mostly needed for medical purposes and not include the use of THC. Cannabis has different effects on user’s behaviour, producing a mellow calm in some and anxiety or even paranoia in others and I feel monitoring in that regard needs to be done.
Mwaala Ndalumbuma
Yes! Cannabis should be legalised because it is going to be beneficial to the country because somehow, it’s going to increase our GDP in one way or the other and also create employment but somehow it is bad when it is used for wrong purposes.
Showtime
Why not? Industrial-wise, cannabis is a very profitable line of business, one can tell from people that sell it illegally, they actually make a lot of money from it and it somehow reduces unemployment in the country. There are people that still believe in taboos that cannabis is harmful and it disturbs people’s mind but the fact is that it is a herb that heals, calms one down and also help with insomnia. There is no reason that it must be illegal, it is our way of life as African people.
Stolla De Klerk
Cannabis has already destroyed so many lives so why should they legalise it. If there are those that use it for medical and industrial purpose, how about those that use it for wrong purposes? If you go into schools, there are already learners that uses it anyways, so if the government legalise it, they are going to destroy our children.
Fredrick Letty
I am totally against it, I think cannabis is a dangerous drug and when it is in the hands of people that are mentally disturbed, it is going to be worse. Obviously, if the government legalise it, it is not only going to be for industrial or medical purpose, it is also going to be used to destroy lives like alcohol.
Jekonia Kangwe
I am strongly against cannabis. Doesn’t matter for which reason it is going to be legalised, I am just not for it. Not everyone is going to use it for medical or industrial purpose. Let us not even think of cannabis, it is wrong to legalise it.
Mushe Muyapwekwa
The government should give it a try if it helps people medical and industrial-wise. We are in an economic crisis and I think creating business out of cannabis would be a great idea because there are a lot of people that use cannabis anyways. It would also be beneficial to pharmacies; they might find cures for some diseases by using cannabis. I don’t really have a problem with it being legalised for beneficial purposes.
Andrew Nuunyango
I think for the mentioned reasons, it should be legalised, firstly for economic benefits because currently there is a big market for cannabis internationally and Namibia cannot afford to keep it illegal while other countries that have legalised it are benefiting economically. Cannabis should be taken seriously especially in this economic situation that we are in.
Abel Alexander
Why is cannabis still illegal while almost 80 percent of the nation is using it anyways? Industrial-wise, cannabis is already growing despite its illegalisation. There are a lot of people that make a good living out of cannabis sales. If Namibia legalises cannabis and it starts to compete in the business market, just imagine the number of people that are going to be employed. However, alcohol also destroys lives but it is legal, what makes it different from cannabis? In my opinion, cannabis is not a drug, it is a herb, people should educate themselves on it.
Cecilia Naule
I don’t really know much about cannabis and what it does to people but all I know is that it is illegal in Namibia and I have read and also heard that it destroys people’s lives, so why should it be legalised ? I am against it anyways.