Looking from outside, as a typical foreign "Legalizer", I pray Ghana and all nations re-legalise cannabis (wee, indian hemp, dagga, marijuana, hashish, m'bane etc.)
And I urge ... read full comment
Wow! Well and eloquently put, Dr. Sarfo.
Looking from outside, as a typical foreign "Legalizer", I pray Ghana and all nations re-legalise cannabis (wee, indian hemp, dagga, marijuana, hashish, m'bane etc.)
And I urge all people everywhere to preserve their native strains of cannabis, which have grown there (in this case, Ghana) for thousands of years. These are unique strains of cannabis with unique profiles of medicinal activity. Please, please save them, preserve their unique medicinal qualities.
But above and beyond that: all adults everywhere should be free to use natural plants. That includes the cannabis plant. Using people's desire to use cannabis as excuse to police and jail them, is the problem. We have a wee prohibition problem - not a problem with wee itself. Wee is a natural medicine, and has been for a long time.
gha 10 years ago
Maybe then we can utilize the land in volta region where marijuana plants seem to grow well. Let's legalize marijuana to create jobs for Voltarians.
Maybe then we can utilize the land in volta region where marijuana plants seem to grow well. Let's legalize marijuana to create jobs for Voltarians.
Antiochus - London 10 years ago
What benefits will legalisation of marijuana bring to our society. Our mental hospitals are full to its capacity and under funded. Think again, this is Ghana and not Texas(USA).
What benefits will legalisation of marijuana bring to our society. Our mental hospitals are full to its capacity and under funded. Think again, this is Ghana and not Texas(USA).
insight to the bone 10 years ago
better have have our mental hospitals full to the brim instead of incontinence due to sodomy that we are seeing all around today starting from afari gyan during the petition . are we not all madmen already looking at the ndc ... read full comment
better have have our mental hospitals full to the brim instead of incontinence due to sodomy that we are seeing all around today starting from afari gyan during the petition . are we not all madmen already looking at the ndc looting and robbing our country blind
ELINAM 10 years ago
I'm disappointed on your take on marijuana without touching on it's other 99% benefits that can revolutionise our industries. To limit the legalization of hemp to treat of high by smoking is already defeating the overall ... read full comment
I'm disappointed on your take on marijuana without touching on it's other 99% benefits that can revolutionise our industries. To limit the legalization of hemp to treat of high by smoking is already defeating the overall purpose.
Hemp has been one of the leading raw materials that propelled the industrial revolution in America until Mr.Dupont of Dupont chemicals lobbied congress to have it banned in favor of petrol-chemical alternative and from there on, everything you wrote about ( the propaganda, the lies in the US media,movies ect,ect) took over to make money for jailers, created jobs for white males and made "powerful" judges and kept lousy police chiefs in office in big cities.
But as the economies of most Western nations taking a nose dive, industrial hemp is becoming more and more appealing. The legalization for recreational and medicinal purposes are just smoke screen for a bigger and larger future benefits.
In Sen. Rand Paul's speech at Howard University, he mentioned how his state is changing the law to allow Industrialization of hemp. Yes, he's targeting the real meat and not some feel high stuff.
I do not have the space and time to list the things that can be derived from hemp, but the easiest way to know is everything that petrol-chemical can do, hemp does it cheaper with no damage to the environment.
The first holy bible was written on hemp paper made possible by the Chinese over three thousand years ago. Ancient sailors couldn't have gone any far without the hemp material for their sail and the strongest rope to anchor their boats were that of hemp rope. And the word canvas derived from cannabis, and the very first Levis jeans were made with hemp, a cheaper alternative to cotton that heavily depends on dangerous herbicide. From Australia to England to Canada and many other places, folks are even using it as durable building material-HEMP BLOCK, and the list goes on.
In my opinion, the wonderful things that hemp could do by saving our forests as an alternative to paper should not be hidden from Africans who never knew any of these thing about a plant that got so much bad rap before most educated men were born.
To limit its legalization to smoke, to me is not the right way to sell it to a naive and uninformed society such as ours.
Google for DVDs on hemp revolution.
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago
A Jamaican walks into a bank with a 25kg bag of marijuana and hands it over to the cashier... Shocked, the cashier asks..'What's this for?' The Rastafarian replies..'Me here to open a joint account '
DENVER COLORADO MADE ... read full comment
A Jamaican walks into a bank with a 25kg bag of marijuana and hands it over to the cashier... Shocked, the cashier asks..'What's this for?' The Rastafarian replies..'Me here to open a joint account '
DENVER COLORADO MADE 14 MILLION DOLLARS WITHIN FOUR MONTHS BY SELLING MARIJUANA.
LAS VEGAS NEVADA IS PLANNING TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA TO GENERATE REVENUE FOR THE STATE.
GHANA SHOULD BE THE FIRST NATION TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN AFRICA.
confucious 10 years ago
hey Prince i like that,very funny, you really have great sense of humour,keep posting, you have a future in stand up comedy, keep it real bro, cheers.
hey Prince i like that,very funny, you really have great sense of humour,keep posting, you have a future in stand up comedy, keep it real bro, cheers.
Asonaba 10 years ago
Ghana is a deprived NATION, not by choice but by our so called politicians. What they now wish to do is legalise DRUGS so that our youth would wake up almost DRUNK everyday , in order that they (the political men and women) w ... read full comment
Ghana is a deprived NATION, not by choice but by our so called politicians. What they now wish to do is legalise DRUGS so that our youth would wake up almost DRUNK everyday , in order that they (the political men and women) would continue to loot the NATION. Why don't they just buy Machine guns and shoot every citizen?
Jt 10 years ago
Why do peaple go in looking for problems for us? Drug issue is just like the gay thing we have an innovative prolem that making peaple poor and poorer with our science and tech. We can't even come out with a design of a meani ... read full comment
Why do peaple go in looking for problems for us? Drug issue is just like the gay thing we have an innovative prolem that making peaple poor and poorer with our science and tech. We can't even come out with a design of a meaningful spoon why not talking and thinking about a way forward?
Santana 10 years ago
This SAS guy makes a lot of noise but hardly any sense at all. Can you imagine what would happen if marijuana was legalized in Ghana? Already, Ghanaians are treading on thin ice and yet some screwballs like ''Dr'' SAS are as ... read full comment
This SAS guy makes a lot of noise but hardly any sense at all. Can you imagine what would happen if marijuana was legalized in Ghana? Already, Ghanaians are treading on thin ice and yet some screwballs like ''Dr'' SAS are asking the government to legalize insanity. The fact that the Whiteman has legalized it in some states does not mean it's good for Africans. SAS, emancipate yourself from mental slavery.
Tussey 10 years ago
I think this is a very fair assessment of this proposals. It is a fact that, there haven´t been and will never be anything positive about the so called war on drugs. Just imagine how much of the tax payers money that is bei ... read full comment
I think this is a very fair assessment of this proposals. It is a fact that, there haven´t been and will never be anything positive about the so called war on drugs. Just imagine how much of the tax payers money that is being used to fight this loose battle!
I think the suggestion of the NACOB boss should be given attentions. As to certain people who have made it their duties to condemn anything that comes out from the mouth anyone who they perceived to be part of this government,I say a big shame to them. They should continue to be in the darkness for thier selfish and tribal bigotry. Legalization and prudent management and control is the best answer. Many South America countries have adopted such measures and so far, it is yielding good results economically.
OKATAKYIE 10 years ago
Why is that every time "something" is decriminalised or legalised in the USA and Europe, we Ghanaians try to do the same or push the same idea? Are we increasingly misguided or irresponsible copy cats?
Yes, marijuana has m ... read full comment
Why is that every time "something" is decriminalised or legalised in the USA and Europe, we Ghanaians try to do the same or push the same idea? Are we increasingly misguided or irresponsible copy cats?
Yes, marijuana has medicinal use. Yes, commercial production of marijuana could generate revenue for the government. But we should also consider the health risks linked to marijuana use, especially the mental health problems and the unintended consequences of its use. Has Ghana got the health facilities to cater for the potential addicts and mental health issues primarily linked with marijuana use?
The arguments that legalisation of marijuana could stop the black market operation and generate revenue to the government is laughable. Legalisation doesn't necessarily stop illicit activities. More so, there's no way our incompetent government[s] can regulate the market. Has Ghana's Small-Scale Mining Enterprise stopped "galamsey" activities? And why do you think the legalisation of marijuana will all of a sudden improve our inefficient tax collection system? Has the Government been efficient in collecting taxes from the timber and mining industries?
The idea of freeing up the police to focus on 'real' crimes and generating new tax revenues for the Government is misguided nonsense based on America's experience.
By the way, SAS, please excuse my terrible grammar, since you're a 'Grammar Police'.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 10 years ago
Your grammar is good enough. Your logic is not.
Your grammar is good enough. Your logic is not.
abra kuma 10 years ago
Whoa, Okatakyie! You've got another think coming! It's not about Ghana's economic welfare, or our mental health,and facilities why they are talking legalization of maryjane; it's about the New World Order; yep, the order come ... read full comment
Whoa, Okatakyie! You've got another think coming! It's not about Ghana's economic welfare, or our mental health,and facilities why they are talking legalization of maryjane; it's about the New World Order; yep, the order comes from high above, of a much higher status than any Ghanaian/African entity's allowed to ever reach. Do some research, and you'll probably find a good number of countries talking the same jargon right about now.The legalization of marijuana seems to be a current issue entering our social order as fast and unbridled as did the gay issue, right? Copycat - nothing!It's all about control of the masses: food, mind, and numbers control game.And while at gunpoint they're seizing our lands, mines,minds,and all other valuable resources, we're busy tribal and partisan bitching! Go figure!
Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D. 10 years ago
You can't even spell "bootlegger," and you want to draw me into your brain-addled cocaine-popping fringe of disappointed Ghanaians?
By the way, I am not a public figure and could sue you for defamation, I hope they taught ... read full comment
You can't even spell "bootlegger," and you want to draw me into your brain-addled cocaine-popping fringe of disappointed Ghanaians?
By the way, I am not a public figure and could sue you for defamation, I hope they taught this in whatever law school it is that you claim to have attended.
So don't push your luck, okay?
Tommy 10 years ago
If he wrote "boot-legers at one place and wrote "boot-legging" at another place, then one of the instances may just be a minor oversight. This is nothing to raise any issue about. It doesn't affect the message in the sentence ... read full comment
If he wrote "boot-legers at one place and wrote "boot-legging" at another place, then one of the instances may just be a minor oversight. This is nothing to raise any issue about. It doesn't affect the message in the sentence in any way. Any serious newpaper would have easily corrected that before going to press so that the author does not need to worry about such minor issues.
But SAS's word processor should have prompted him to the loss of a g in one of the spellings. Perhaps he was too lazy to follow that up.
SAS's real fault or mistake is to bring up Akadu and Okoampa in this discussion. It is completely uncalled for. This is the second time he is bringing in these guys in his argument. Regular readers of ghanaweb know there is a certain animus which SAS and Okoampa feel towards each other. Giving vent to it on these pages shows a lack of maturity on the part of the two. At least, Akadu doesn't respond to such things, which is the mature thing to do.
As for SAS's argument for legalizing marijuana in Ghana, he does seem to make a logical case for the position but I feel he has not adequately examined the adverse effects in a country like Ghana. I also wish he had said more about the nature of the legalization he would want. If we see good to legalize marijuana, the more important qustion will then be what kind of legalization we must adopt. He said too little on that.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 10 years ago
Truth is a defense in a defamation suit and it is true that you are a drug addict.
You have me on "bootlegger" though.
Truth is a defense in a defamation suit and it is true that you are a drug addict.
You have me on "bootlegger" though.
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
Sammy,
As a criminologist with access to the extant empirical literature on drugs, as well as the war on drugs, I can assure you that decriminalizing/legalizing marijuana cannot be said to be a good idea until we have had ... read full comment
Sammy,
As a criminologist with access to the extant empirical literature on drugs, as well as the war on drugs, I can assure you that decriminalizing/legalizing marijuana cannot be said to be a good idea until we have had the chance to empirically evaluate what is now taking place in the states of Colorado and Washington.
The two aforementioned states, as you well know, have decided to legalize marijuana for recreational use, going further than several other states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes only.
While taxation of the product will bring revenue to the two aforementioned state governments, we do not yet know the full implications of using marijuana recreationally. Interestingly, the weak process of taxation in Ghana means that, were marijuana to become legal, the Ghana Government would be unable to obtain the maximum taxation for the product. We know that many people in Ghana do not pay taxes at all, so what would change with making marijuana use legal? I argue that current revenue from taxes will barely record an upward tick should marijuana be added to the list of taxable goods/items.
More importantly, let us wait three to five years from now to ascertain the benefits of recreational marijuana use. I can assure you that criminologists are going to empirically evaluate the effects of recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington, after which we would be able to report on the benefits and drawbacks, and whether or not the former outweigh the latter. For example, researchers will examine such questions as: (1) Has the legalization of marijuana increased accident rates? (2) Has it increased mental health complaints at medical facilities? (3) Has it increased rates of violence in society? (4) Has it raised child abuse/neglect rates in homes? These are just a few of the questions that researchers are going to evaluate empirically in the next few years.
Finally, it would have been great if you had differentiated between the two types of use in your article, as different arguments have been proffered for medical or recreational use. Most people believe that medical marijuana makes sense, as some scientific evidence exists to support its efficacy. Recreational marijuana use is a different issue altogether, one that has divided society along ideological lines.
Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D. 10 years ago
Be prepared to provide your evidence, for you will get what you have asked for!
Be prepared to provide your evidence, for you will get what you have asked for!
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
Kwame, you are on the wrong thread.
Kwame, you are on the wrong thread.
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
Sammy and Kwame, please do not escalate this "feud"; it is completely unnecessary. Sammy, please apologize to Okoampa for calling him a drug addict, unless you have incontrovertible proof.
Sammy and Kwame, please do not escalate this "feud"; it is completely unnecessary. Sammy, please apologize to Okoampa for calling him a drug addict, unless you have incontrovertible proof.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 10 years ago
I know for a fact that Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe is a drug addict, if not a trafficker, and I dare him, if he is a man, to take me to court. If he does not take me to court, he should be called an arrant coward!
I know for a fact that Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe is a drug addict, if not a trafficker, and I dare him, if he is a man, to take me to court. If he does not take me to court, he should be called an arrant coward!
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 10 years ago
Dr. Pryce,
If up to date, the issues you describe have not been studied and resolved, then any further excuse to delay the legalization of drugs is a ploy to deny people their inherent right to go high.
Furthermore, the fat ... read full comment
Dr. Pryce,
If up to date, the issues you describe have not been studied and resolved, then any further excuse to delay the legalization of drugs is a ploy to deny people their inherent right to go high.
Furthermore, the fate of our rights is not to be hinged on the vagaries of academic studies or spurious laws. They are to be circumscribed on account of very compelling reasons. Thus the question of whether to legalize drugs ought to be debated as to whether there is a compelling reason to criminalize it in the first place. As I have opined in my article above, there is none.
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
Sammy, I have about 6 more weeks before I officially earn my doctorate, so I am still Mr. Pryce-- at least for now!
Sammy, I have about 6 more weeks before I officially earn my doctorate, so I am still Mr. Pryce-- at least for now!
Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D. 10 years ago
My brother, don't worry, my accuser will be hearing from a real attorney very soon. I have taken down his bar number and other particulars. I am going to make a teachable example of him for habitual and prospective Ghanaweb d ... read full comment
My brother, don't worry, my accuser will be hearing from a real attorney very soon. I have taken down his bar number and other particulars. I am going to make a teachable example of him for habitual and prospective Ghanaweb defamers and other mudslingers.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 10 years ago
My bar number is 24071897 (Texas).
If I don't hear from your lawyer within six months, I will be running you out of town.
Fool, you think I speak without foundation?
My bar number is 24071897 (Texas).
If I don't hear from your lawyer within six months, I will be running you out of town.
Fool, you think I speak without foundation?
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 10 years ago
For a junky like Okoampa-Ahoofe who failed seven times in his attempt to enter Law School to suggest that he has the balls to take an accomplished lawyer like me to court is laughable indeed. And I am going to squeeze his bal ... read full comment
For a junky like Okoampa-Ahoofe who failed seven times in his attempt to enter Law School to suggest that he has the balls to take an accomplished lawyer like me to court is laughable indeed. And I am going to squeeze his balls until he realizes his impotence!
abra kuma 10 years ago
If our professors and lawyers, so-called professionals, cannot muster up enough dignity and self-respect to avoid intimidating other commentators, do we wonder why progress in Ghana is so slow? You have each other's email add ... read full comment
If our professors and lawyers, so-called professionals, cannot muster up enough dignity and self-respect to avoid intimidating other commentators, do we wonder why progress in Ghana is so slow? You have each other's email addresses. Please, sort things out harmoniously and privately. I wish you both peace and love, not war - "War is a waste of flesh, and conflict a waste of words!" says Damian Marley. Makes huge sense. One love!
MARCUS AMPADU 10 years ago
To support the legalization of marihuana in Ghana, SAS, I would first conduct a critical cost-benefit analysis, to examine the pros & cons of the legalization.
I think that would persuade policy-makers in Africa to take ac ... read full comment
To support the legalization of marihuana in Ghana, SAS, I would first conduct a critical cost-benefit analysis, to examine the pros & cons of the legalization.
I think that would persuade policy-makers in Africa to take action one way or the other.
jahman highuphighlight 9 years ago
feeling high high healing feeling feeling
feeling high high healing feeling feeling
jahman highuphighlight 9 years ago
give thanks fi love the i them ways white and blakk
give thanks fi love the i them ways white and blakk
Wow! Well and eloquently put, Dr. Sarfo.
Looking from outside, as a typical foreign "Legalizer", I pray Ghana and all nations re-legalise cannabis (wee, indian hemp, dagga, marijuana, hashish, m'bane etc.)
And I urge ...
read full comment
Maybe then we can utilize the land in volta region where marijuana plants seem to grow well. Let's legalize marijuana to create jobs for Voltarians.
What benefits will legalisation of marijuana bring to our society. Our mental hospitals are full to its capacity and under funded. Think again, this is Ghana and not Texas(USA).
better have have our mental hospitals full to the brim instead of incontinence due to sodomy that we are seeing all around today starting from afari gyan during the petition . are we not all madmen already looking at the ndc ...
read full comment
I'm disappointed on your take on marijuana without touching on it's other 99% benefits that can revolutionise our industries. To limit the legalization of hemp to treat of high by smoking is already defeating the overall ...
read full comment
A Jamaican walks into a bank with a 25kg bag of marijuana and hands it over to the cashier... Shocked, the cashier asks..'What's this for?' The Rastafarian replies..'Me here to open a joint account '
DENVER COLORADO MADE ...
read full comment
hey Prince i like that,very funny, you really have great sense of humour,keep posting, you have a future in stand up comedy, keep it real bro, cheers.
Ghana is a deprived NATION, not by choice but by our so called politicians. What they now wish to do is legalise DRUGS so that our youth would wake up almost DRUNK everyday , in order that they (the political men and women) w ...
read full comment
Why do peaple go in looking for problems for us? Drug issue is just like the gay thing we have an innovative prolem that making peaple poor and poorer with our science and tech. We can't even come out with a design of a meani ...
read full comment
This SAS guy makes a lot of noise but hardly any sense at all. Can you imagine what would happen if marijuana was legalized in Ghana? Already, Ghanaians are treading on thin ice and yet some screwballs like ''Dr'' SAS are as ...
read full comment
I think this is a very fair assessment of this proposals. It is a fact that, there haven´t been and will never be anything positive about the so called war on drugs. Just imagine how much of the tax payers money that is bei ...
read full comment
Why is that every time "something" is decriminalised or legalised in the USA and Europe, we Ghanaians try to do the same or push the same idea? Are we increasingly misguided or irresponsible copy cats?
Yes, marijuana has m ...
read full comment
Your grammar is good enough. Your logic is not.
Whoa, Okatakyie! You've got another think coming! It's not about Ghana's economic welfare, or our mental health,and facilities why they are talking legalization of maryjane; it's about the New World Order; yep, the order come ...
read full comment
You can't even spell "bootlegger," and you want to draw me into your brain-addled cocaine-popping fringe of disappointed Ghanaians?
By the way, I am not a public figure and could sue you for defamation, I hope they taught ...
read full comment
If he wrote "boot-legers at one place and wrote "boot-legging" at another place, then one of the instances may just be a minor oversight. This is nothing to raise any issue about. It doesn't affect the message in the sentence ...
read full comment
Truth is a defense in a defamation suit and it is true that you are a drug addict.
You have me on "bootlegger" though.
Sammy,
As a criminologist with access to the extant empirical literature on drugs, as well as the war on drugs, I can assure you that decriminalizing/legalizing marijuana cannot be said to be a good idea until we have had ...
read full comment
Be prepared to provide your evidence, for you will get what you have asked for!
Kwame, you are on the wrong thread.
Sammy and Kwame, please do not escalate this "feud"; it is completely unnecessary. Sammy, please apologize to Okoampa for calling him a drug addict, unless you have incontrovertible proof.
I know for a fact that Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe is a drug addict, if not a trafficker, and I dare him, if he is a man, to take me to court. If he does not take me to court, he should be called an arrant coward!
Dr. Pryce,
If up to date, the issues you describe have not been studied and resolved, then any further excuse to delay the legalization of drugs is a ploy to deny people their inherent right to go high.
Furthermore, the fat ...
read full comment
Sammy, I have about 6 more weeks before I officially earn my doctorate, so I am still Mr. Pryce-- at least for now!
My brother, don't worry, my accuser will be hearing from a real attorney very soon. I have taken down his bar number and other particulars. I am going to make a teachable example of him for habitual and prospective Ghanaweb d ...
read full comment
My bar number is 24071897 (Texas).
If I don't hear from your lawyer within six months, I will be running you out of town.
Fool, you think I speak without foundation?
For a junky like Okoampa-Ahoofe who failed seven times in his attempt to enter Law School to suggest that he has the balls to take an accomplished lawyer like me to court is laughable indeed. And I am going to squeeze his bal ...
read full comment
If our professors and lawyers, so-called professionals, cannot muster up enough dignity and self-respect to avoid intimidating other commentators, do we wonder why progress in Ghana is so slow? You have each other's email add ...
read full comment
To support the legalization of marihuana in Ghana, SAS, I would first conduct a critical cost-benefit analysis, to examine the pros & cons of the legalization.
I think that would persuade policy-makers in Africa to take ac ...
read full comment
feeling high high healing feeling feeling
give thanks fi love the i them ways white and blakk