Supreme Court’s ruling on cannabis cultivation a grievous error – Govt

The government has said that the Supreme Court’s ruling striking out provisions in the Narcotic Control Commission Act that allowed for the cultivation of certain kinds of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes is a serious error.

While making a submission for an amendment of the Narcotic Control Commission Act, the Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery, argued that the amendment bill does not seek to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, but to provide an avenue for the issuance of special licenses for cannabis production.

“To therefore say that Section 43 is unconstitutional, was in my humble opinion a grievous error.

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, described the ruling of the Supreme Court as improper and referred the Narcotics Control Commission amendment bill to the Defense and Interior Committee for consideration, tasking them to report in the next 7 days.

I hope that the three arms of government will work together and respect each other

“I don’t think that it is proper for the judiciary, without knowing how we conduct our business here, to really go into how we conduct our business and make such an important decision without consulting the House

That is improper,” the Speaker of Parliament said.