Thursday, November 6, 2025 - The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has alerted the Nigerian public about the circulation of dangerous illicit substances being falsely packaged and marketed to the public as medicinal cannabis.
The public alert comes on the heels of credible
intelligence, which led to the arrest of a 28-year-old drug kingpin Afeez
Salisu (a.k.a Malu) on Saturday 1st November 2025 at his 2 Akala Street, off
Umoru Street, Idi Oro, Mushin-Lagos enclave from where he was packaging and
distributing the fake medicinal cannabis in designer pouches and cups.
A statement from NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, says a
total of 16.4 kilograms of dangerous and synthetic strains of cannabis
including Colorado, Arizona, Canadian Loud and Ghana Loud packaged in designer
pouches and cups labelled as medicinal cannabis, were recovered from his store.
The Agency warned Nigerians especially the youth that these
so-called medicinal products are, in reality, adulterated and highly potent
strains of dangerous psychoactive substances, and are not the regulated, safe
pharmaceutical preparations they are purported to be.
Babafemi said iInvestigations by the Agency have confirmed
that the seized and recovered products being peddled under the guise of
therapeutic cannabis contain dangerously high concentrations of illicit and
harmful strains of cannabis, including Loud, known for its extreme potency and
severe psychological effects; Arizona, a highly concentrated and destructive
variant of cannabis; and Colorado, a potent, often synthetic, strain with
devastating consequences on the user's mental and physical health.
‘’Rather
than the purported medicinal cannabis in the designer pouches and cups, the
strains are highly addictive and pose a significant, immediate threat to public
health and safety because they are associated with severe mental health issues,
including psychosis, acute anxiety, paranoia, and other long-term cognitive
impairments, especially among young people''
Speaking on the development, NDLEA boss, Brig Gen Mohamed
Buba Marwa (rtd) stated that “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. Cannabis remains a
prohibited substance in Nigeria and as such any product being sold locally
under the guise of 'medicinal cannabis' is not only fake, and dangerous but
also illegal.”
The NDLEA boss urged the public to be vigilant and not be
deceived by misleading labels, fancy packaging, or false health claims.
“Please do
not consume it, report any person or group involved in the illicit trade of
these dangerous substances to the nearest NDLEA office", he added
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