Legendary highlife musician, Amakye Dede, has thrown his support for the legalization of marijuana because it boosts the stamina of musicians during a performance.
According to him, smoking marijuana should not be associated with evil but embraced by all.
“I have tried it before, but I didn’t like it. In America and parts of Germany and Amsterdam, they’ve legalized it. They are earning money from it. So, in fact, if somebody tells you Ghanaians should legalize weed, I don’t think it’s a problem,” he explained.
According to him, other countries benefit from selling the drug for psychoactive use, and it was about time Ghana considered that as a source of revenue.
Cannabis, also known as weed, has long been used as a recreational and entheogenic drug. For centuries, it has also been used in various traditional medicines.
The singer addressed the impression that drug use causes people to act awkwardly. He mentioned that some musicians use it before performing to increase their endurance.
“If you smoke weed, you are not a bad person. It makes one extra energetic,” he told GHOne TV in an interview.
The call for the legalization of the substance has been ongoing in most African countries.
Ace broadcaster and host of Peace FM’s morning show, Kwami Sefa Kayi, questioned why the country had not legalized the drug to benefit fully.
“I am an advocate for it. So that’s my bias; I am for it…We have what they call social and recreational, that is, one leg. I am not for that. There’s research and medicine. I am for that,” he said on his show in 2018.
Nigerian Afrobeats artiste, Burna Boy, has also recently waded into conversations surrounding the legalization of the drug.
According to the Grammy award winner, marijuana is used in many parts of Nigeria, yet its legalization has not seen the light of day.
“It’s not a zero-tolerance. It’s like everybody does it, but no one wants to be the one that is seen with it. It’s just kind of hypocritical out there. Everybody smokes weed,” he said.
He stressed that the misconception around the Class A drug is another reason for its delayed legalization.