The House of Representatives, on Thursday, stepped down a bill seeking to legalise the cultivation, sale and use of cannabis, also known as marijuana, for commercial purposes.
Apart from the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the sponsors, all those who spoke at the second reading criticised the bill.
The criticisms against the proposal forced the sponsors to demand that it should be stepped down for review, a prayer that the lawmakers unanimously granted.
The sponsors had clashed on Wednesday over the proposed legislation.
Two members of the House, Benjamin Kalu and Olumide Osoba, had sponsored separate bills seeking to amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, to expand the scope of the anti-narcotics agency to issue licences for the cultivation, sale and use of weed.
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The proposed pieces of legislation were harmonised and titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Confer Additional Responsibility of the Power to Grant and Revoke Licences for the Cultivation of Cannabis (or Any of Its Three Species, Namely Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indicia and Cannabis Ruderalis) Plant for Medicinal Purposes; and for Related Matters.’
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However, when the bill was up for second reading at the plenary on Wednesday, another member of the House, Miriam Onuoha, protested that the content of the bill was the same as hers.
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