“Weed Is Not Going Anywhere”, Minister Musa

Weed, says Minister Musa, is a normal part of life, and it is not going anywhere. In his justification for the legalization of the industry, he pointed to the economic and social pros of the bill. Minister Musa says Cabinet has agreed that the industry will bring economic benefits, as well as help to decrease the number of violent crimes directly linked to the drug trade. 

Kareem Musa

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries

“We absolutely had consultations with the Council of Churches, not NEAB, the Council of Churches. That was a good process, but it was never out for public debate and consumption. I think now that it is we are seeing very positive discourse on this issue. I think at the end of the day, no matter how you cut it, this particular industry, this part substance, was made legal in 2019. It was decriminalized. There is a lot of unpacking we must do now to see where this particular bill benefits a situation where weed is not going anywhere, weed is a normal part of life. The question is, can we get economic benefits from it? Can we see medicinal benefit from it, can we get societal benefit from it, meaning including young men as an official part of it so that they don’t have to continue killing one another, and dodging the police and living that particular life. Then we look at the concerns the churches have raised saying it is now going to be used by minors. Absolutely not. We have changed the law to say you have to be twenty one years old to qualify to get a card.”