KEY POINTS
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NDLEA arrests suspect selling fake “medicinal cannabis” in Lagos.
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16.4kg of synthetic cannabis recovered in Mushin operation.
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Agency warns youths against dangerous psychoactive products.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has warned Nigerians about the circulation of illicit drugs being sold as medicinal cannabis.
The agency said credible intelligence led to the arrest of a 28-year-old suspect, Afeez Salisu, also known as Malu, on November 1, 2025, at 2 Akala Street, Idi Oro, Mushin, Lagos.
In a statement issued Wednesday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said Salisu was allegedly packaging and distributing synthetic and high-potency cannabis strains in designer pouches and cups falsely labelled as medicinal products.
He said officers recovered about 16.4 kilograms of substances, including Colorado, Arizona, Canadian Loud, and Ghana Loud, from the suspect’s base.
Babafemi warned that the seized products, marketed as medicinal cannabis, were instead dangerous psychoactive substances with high potency and addictive potential.
Agency warns youths against illicit drug packaging trend
Babafemi warned Nigerians, especially youths, to avoid the so-called medicinal products, saying they contain adulterated and highly potent psychoactive substances.
He noted that investigations confirmed the seized items contained dangerously high concentrations of illicit cannabis variants, including Loud, Arizona, and Colorado — all linked to severe mental health risks such as psychosis, paranoia, and cognitive impairment.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), said the syndicate was exploiting public interest in medicinal cannabis to sell illegal drugs.
“The criminal elements behind this deceit are only exploiting the global conversation around medicinal cannabis to push their illicit and life-destroying products into our communities,” Marwa said. “Cannabis remains prohibited in Nigeria, and any product sold locally as ‘medicinal cannabis’ is fake, dangerous, and illegal.”
He urged Nigerians, especially young people, to ignore health claims and flashy packaging and report anyone involved in the illicit trade to the nearest NDLEA office.
The agency’s latest warning follows several arrests involving products falsely marketed as wellness or therapeutic cannabis. Nigeria has not approved any medicinal cannabis product for sale or use.
