cannabisnews.com: Cameroon To Import Cannabis Cameroon To Import Cannabis Posted by FoM on January 08, 2001 at 09:00:38 PT By Omer Songwe in Bamenda, North-West Cameroon Source: BBC Cameroon, a major cannabis grower, is to allow people suffering from HIV/Aids and cancer to use the drug as a form of pain relief. Local growers are very angry about the government's decision. The move comes as a shock to many people, especially unemployed young. Dzeka Edwin Fon, a young graduate who is spearheading a group fighting for the legalisation of cannabis cultivation in north-west province, says the growing of the plant could be a lucrative business for unemployed young people. "Cannabis is already being grown in Cameroon - though illegally - so it is unwise for the government to import it," he says. He suggests that officials at the Health Ministry should supervise the cultivation of the drug in Cameroon - and so control the amount grown and provided to the hospitals. Crime Fears: Many people in the north-west of the country know and accept that cannabis is grown there. It is already being used in the production of a hair lotion popular with Cameroonian women. According to one doctor there is no special medicinal trace element in the Canadian-grown plant that is not found in the Cameroonian variety. He said that if the government adopted controlled cultivation it could easily supply all provincial and divisional hospitals in the country. But law enforcement officers believe the cultivation of cannabis promotes uncontrolled consumption, which leads to an increase in crime. Last year, hundreds of young people were arrested and jailed in the north-west when police and gendarmes destroyed their cannabis farms. Note: The drug is grown illegally in north-west Cameroon. But the drug is to be imported, in large quantities, from Canada. World: Africa Source: BBC News (UK Web)Author: Omer Songwe in Bamenda, North-West Cameroon Published: Monday, January 8, 2001Copyright: 2001 BBCWebsite: http://news.bbc.co.uk/Feedback: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/Forum: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/forum/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by Smokeless in Seattle on January 08, 2001 at 15:55:19 PT MADNESS!!! NFM [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on January 08, 2001 at 15:18:47 PT Cruel and Unusual It has been said that to have denied access to cannabis for so long in these poor AIDS-ravaged countries is tantamount to genocide.>>But law enforcement officers believe the cultivation of cannabis promotes uncontrolled consumption, which leads to an increase in crime. "Uncontrolled consumption"... ummm... Y'know, we all know if the law is changed suddenly and drastically, the streets of the world would be filled with happy hempy people and the planet would become one gigantic pot party. And I'd party a little, I admit. But it wouldn't last. Are we still celebrating the 21st Amendment? Enjoying it in our own way, perhaps... but hardly celebrating. But that phrase is rife with so many levels of DUMB that it's hard to know what to say to it. What kind of controlled consumption do we have now? Do we have a better control over alcohol now or in the 1930s? True, there are still a lot of people abusing alcohol, for whatever reason, but a minority of drinkers to be sure. And at least we're not all risking going blind over a brewski. We've legalized corporate control over the prisons, and that has yet to become anything but uncontrolled consumption... The Revolution (yes, even the revolution has a web site!) [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on January 08, 2001 at 10:35:10 PT: A Modest Proposal I am very pleased that one African nation is blazing a trail to allow cannabis usage to treat HIV/AIDS. I was about to propose this same thing in the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics as an alternative in all countries, but most particularly as a treatment in poor countries that cannot afford the incredibly expensive protease inhibitors and other AIDS therapies. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: