The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has decried the increasing number of cannabis smokers in the country, warning that it could have a dire consequence for the country. Chairman of the agency, Col. Muhammad Abdallah (retd.) gave the warning at a virtual news briefing to commemorate the 2020 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking in Abuja. “In the light of the prevailing atmosphere of COVID-19, drug-dependent persons are more acutely at risk because of their usually attendant underlying health issues, social stigmatization, and the dearth of access to health care.
“Making matters worse is the fact that the front burner currently is the exclusive pressure of COVID-19, other matters less so. That is why there has never been time much worse for drug-dependent persons. The lockdown merely accentuated the dilemma,” he said.
The NDLEA is not alone with this concern as health workers have also warned that cannabis smokers are more susceptible to getting infected with COVID-19.
Cannabis smoking is the inhalation of smoke or vapours released by heating the flowers, leaves, or extracts of cannabis and releasing the main psychoactive chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol, which is absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs.
Since the Federal Government’s pronouncement of lockdown in states affected by COVID-19, there has been heightened report of how local cannabis sellers are embracing trading on the dark web, online vending of cannabis and other psychotropic substances online.
