The Cannabis Regulatory Programme was introduced in Ghana, creating a regulated framework for the production and handling of low-THC cannabis for industrial and medical uses.
At a news conference in Accra, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Minister of the Interior, announced that the program was now available for execution.
The Narcotics Control Commission (Amendment) Act, 2023 (Act 1100) and the Narcotics Control Commission (Cultivation and Management of Cannabis) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2475), which establish the legal basis for regulated operations, were passed prior to the implementation.
The Minister claims that only cannabis types with a dry weight percentage of no more than 0.3% THC are eligible for the program.
“This low-psychoactive hemp is the same type legally cultivated in countries like Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany for fibre, seeds, textiles, food products, and therapeutic applications,” he stated.
The Minister cited Canada’s legal cannabis industry, which brought in over 894.6 million Canadian dollars in the 2022–2023 fiscal year—more than the combined earnings from beer, wine, and tobacco—to highlight the industry’s economic potential.
He continued by saying that Ghana wants to reap comparable advantages with prudent regulation that protects national security and public health.
Hon. Muntaka emphasised that only Ghanaian citizens or permanent residents who are at least eighteen years old are eligible for licensure. Additionally, he clarified that corporate applicants must retain a majority of Ghanaian directors and at least 50% Ghanaian ownership.
The Minister listed the main expected results, which include thousands of jobs, especially for young people in rural areas, large state revenue from licensing fees and exports, a decrease in illegal high-THC production as farmers switch to legal alternatives, and major local and foreign investment.
He urged the media to make it clear that the goal of this project is to create a world-class, Ghanaian-led industrial hemp and therapeutic cannabis industry that can compete worldwide while putting health and security first, not to legalise recreational “wee.”
Source: newsthemegh.com