Kofi Ampeah Woode
Author – Colonel EAK Akafia is the Chief Operations Officer of the 15 Armoured Brigade. He is a Board Certified Protection Professional of the ASIS International, a trained mediator and a student of Political Science
Hemp and marijuana have been one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. They belong to the cannabis family and highly identical. The striking difference is that hemp has low content cannabinoid, active ingredient in cannabis, and is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. The plant has been cultivated; used for centuries in the Middle East, China, Japan, the United States of America and Canada.
African countries that have recognized the potential of the crop to their economic development, have taken steps to grow, export and establish local industry for it, it is in this vein that Ghana has sought to legalize hemp for cultivation, industry and export.
Hemp besides many uses, is widely acclaimed for its high-quality fabrics, and it is believed the hemp fabric was first used in America to sail ships, while, others believe that the hemp plant was introduced in West Africa by soldiers returning form the World War II. Some countries, since the introduction of production, have delved into construction of hemp 3D print houses.
On 20 March 2020, Ghana’s Parliament passed the Narcotics Control Commission Bill for the purpose of the production of hemp. The bill was later overturned by the Judiciary for lack of due process. In the light of the economic impact of the crop, the legislature corrected itself and introduced the Bill in the proper manner and passed it into law. With this new development, steps have been taken to educate the Judiciary on the need for light sentences for “wee” (hemp) offences, as “wee smoking” has been classified as recreational (Daily Guide Network, 2023). The purpose of this paper is to highlight the likely security challenges of the cultivation of hemp in Ghana.
The call for the legalization of hemp for industrial purposes in Ghana, saw Mr. Nana Kwaku Agyemang – President of Hempire Association of Ghana and some persons worked with the Parliament of Ghana, alongside other national agencies to ensure the success of the passage of the Bill. It is no news in Ghana that cannabis is grown in various parts of the country, especially in mid Volta Region, where the crop in some cases, is naturally part of the environment. It is highly difficult for most people, including experts to easily differentiate between marijuana and hemp as they are look-alikes.
Hemp is believed to have varied uses, and about 25000 products can be made from the plant. It is possible that due to the high yielding nature of the crop and its potential benefits to the environment it is a sure cure to some of Ghana’s challenges. It is no news that hemp and, in some cases, marijuana is cultivated for industrial, medical and recreational use, in about 30 countries all over the world.
Hemp fibre is being used in textile, automotive, construction, cosmetics, pharmaceutical industries, animal husbandry and in the food industry, among others. To achieve the purpose of the introduction of hemp, Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) should put the structures in place to ensure that success of the industry is achieved.
Hemp has the potential to control weeds excellently and, therefore is good for crop rotation. Some residues of hemp can be used as botanical insecticides and repellants for pest management in farming. The plant has been singled out to have effective capacity for rejuvenating contaminated soil and therefore, could help to revive Ghana’s environmental devastation by illegal mining. The seeds of the plant are good sources of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, and is ideal for consumption of both animals and humans. The oil is good for production of several kinds of pomades and soaps, and is believed to reduce pain from cancer, among other diseases.
It is once again important to consider the economic benefits of hemp and legal marijuana. In 2019, the state of Colorado among the several states in the US earned more than $300 billion. Since federal laws on cannabis in the US are still in force the Federal Government spends about a billion dollars on enforcement costs. In 2013, a report by the American Civil Liberties Union found that the cost at a time was approximately $3.6 billion per year.
If marijuana was also legalized, the cost of dealing with cases involving recreational use would have reduced considerably. It is therefore, welcoming news that Ghana has taken steps to reduce the cost of expenditure on dealing with cases involving the use of cannabis. It is also a great step to reduce the number of youths in jail, to avail them for economic development.
Though Ghana’s economic fortunes are experiencing difficulties, the legalization of hemp would help improve the situation. Small scale and arguably illegal mining have helped to peak the production of gold for export, but this has direct negative repercussion on the cocoa industry, as most cocoa farms are being invaded in search of gold. The introduction of hemp could further help to improve the economy to offset the negative effects on the cocoa industry, and also help improve soil fertility as pointed out earlier. Hemp would also produce chains of industry and jobs for the teaming youth of the country, to avert future social fallouts from the current economic challenges of the country. It is possible that enough public education has not been done on the dangers of marijuana use.
Although the hemp industry looks attractive, it could come with several challenges: It is possible that farmers would not be able to find resources to meet the legal requirements for cultivation. The situation would force some farmers to illegally grow the crop. This has the propensity to increase law enforcement costs.
The enforcement actions adopted in some countries include the use of chemicals to destroy the crops, which kill farm animals and, arrest and incarceration of farmers. It is therefore important to set registration fees within the barest minimum cost to farmers. Destruction of the crops would further impoverish farmers and lead to higher costs in law enforcement. High registration costs would take local growers out of business, setting in foreign control of the industry.
Hemp farming is lucrative and attractive; hence it is no surprise for black markets to emerge. The operators of the black market would include individuals who would steal hemp from farms for sale. Vehicles carrying hemp might be attacked and the goods taken away for sale at the black market. The black market also serves as an avenue for the sale of illegally grown hemp. It should therefore be urgent for government and farmers groups to work together to put in place stringent security measures, which would help to forestall the situation.
Farmers should also consider employing their own security and collaborate with government and law enforcement agencies. The ASIS International Ghana Chapter has qualified resource persons who could assist government to frame excellent security policies for the industry and also provide qualified personnel to provide security services to the industry.
It is glaring that several criminal gangs would target shops, processing factories and warehouses to steal, especially expensive products and money. The cost of some hemp products may be high and some users would not be able to afford over time. Shoplifting of products may be common. Currently, hemp products are being sold in Ghana and it is likely that the appetite for the products would rise by the time government take steps to implement the law, therefore, all parties must be brought together now to create structures for security in the industry.
One other problem that technical persons and law enforcement agencies are likely to encounter is the capacity to differentiate hemp from marijuana. Members of law enforcement agencies may harass transporters and, in some cases, seize products. Some unscrupulous members of the law enforcement agencies may intentionally feign their inability to identify the product to harass people in the industry.
In some cases, hemp farms would be destroyed since they may be classified as marijuana farms. Continuous training and consistent collaboration between the farmers and the government agencies on the other hand should be key in alleviating the situation.
Further, the security regulations for hemp products and sales are daunting for not only agencies that oversee production activities, but also farmers and companies. The requirements for security in place including gadgets are expensive. For example, in Colorado, the state has regulations to describing the types of cameras, digital recorders and other security equipment on site. Growers must be able to account for their plants, how they processed them into usable products and finally sold to customers along with tracking devices. Regulations in the industry are likely to be numerous and that will take a toll on operations.
Government must also undertake serious public education not only on the law but also educate the youth, who could use ingenuity to produce substances on their own for recreational use.
Conclusion
Hemp holds the key to awesome economic prospects for several countries including Ghana. Though Ghana has passed the law for legalization of hemp, Parliament is yet to pass the legislative instrument for cultivation, processing, sale and export of hemp and its products. It is significant for the legislative instrument to be passed quickly to avoid Ghana being one of the laggards.
Hemp as an agricultural product is nothing new, but hemp as a modern agricultural industry has evolved quickly and dominates the conversations today. The biggest threat to hemp continues to be its similarity to marijuana. It will be commonplace for small farmers and companies that will enter the hemp industry to fail, in view of likely security challenges. There would be the need to educate the Ghanaian populace on hemp, to enable the economic benefits to be achieved when finally introduced.
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