NAN
Newly appointed Commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Ekiti State command, Gaura Shedow, on Wednesday said that the era of planting cannabis in the state was over.
Shedow said in Ado-Ekiti that he was going to build on the successes of his successors.
He explained that his mission was to reduce the cultivation of cannabis sativa in farms and also get rid of its farmers.
“Ekiti state has been known as a state where farmers plant cannabis, so I am prepared to destroy those farms and reduce the selling and cultivation of cannabis to the minimum level.
“I also want to assure residents of this state that the era of planting cannabis on farms by indigenes and non indigenes of Ekiti is over,” he said.
The NDLEA commander, assured residents of the state that his officers would employ a lot of strategies and measures to curb the selling of the narcotic weed.
Shedow explained that the agency had a duty to arrest and prosecute drug dealers and cannabis sellers, adding that the agency also established a Drug Demand Reduction Unit to counsel drug addicts.
He said that officers assigned to the unit would counsel the affected persons to ensure that they were free from the adverse effect of the harmful drugs.
“I wish to advise parents and individuals who have drug addicted persons in their families to bring them to our office for maximum counseling and treatment.
“Some of the popular drugs that people often abuse include Codeine with cough syrup, Tramadol and Cocaine which are prohibited for us to use or sell without medical prescription from the doctors.
“Anyone who is addicted to drugs cannot be productive or useful for himself or herself and the society as a whole.
“We do not arrest people who are addicted to drugs but we often counsel them with the support of medical practitioners to ensure that they are free from the adverse effect of those drugs,” he said.
The NDLEA boss, however, warned youths who still indulged in cannabis business to desist because anyone caught would be prosecuted.
Shedow assumed office on May 5.