The Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has emphasised that recreational cannabis use remains a criminal offence in Ghana, despite the recent legalisation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes.

Speaking at the launch of the Medicinal Cannabis Regulatory Programme, the minister clarified that the Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2023 (Act 1100) and its accompanying regulations (L.I. 2475) provide a regulated framework for cultivating and managing cannabis strictly for approved industrial and medicinal use.

He stressed that recreational cannabis, commonly known as weed, remains illegal under Section 45 of Act 1019, and that the sale, possession, purchase, or use of cannabis without authorisation continues to be a criminal offence.

The minister explained that the new framework is designed to be tightly controlled, transparent, and fully Ghanaian-owned, allowing only cannabis varieties with negligible psychoactive effects to be used for approved purposes.

He assured that enforcement agencies will continue to uphold the law while regulators supervise the programme’s compliance with national legislation.