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‘Wee’ has great potential for Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry – Akrasi Sarpong
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Ghana has the opportunity to embark on another journey of ‘industrialisation’ with cannabis ‘wee’ following its decriminalisation, former Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), now Narcotics Control Commission, Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, has proposed.
“Wee has great potentials for Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry. The seeds are used to make hemp creams used by women and it will help the economy, so the state should think about it,” he added.
Mr Sarpong made the suggestion when he spoke on the theme ‘Thinking outside the box, cannabis governance,-The international and national perspectives’ at day’s workshop organised by Perfector of Sentiments (POS) Foundation for law enforcement officers and prosecutors at Takoradi recently.
He said “Cannabis, (wee), can be used for industrial and medicinal purposes, it can be processed in bouquet machines. “Ghana Beyond Aid”, that’s what it means, Nkrumah spoke about neo- colonialism, we must grow the cannabis locally and give people right to use it.”
According to him, Americans funded the war chest during the Second World War with cannabis trade, producing their own papers, ropes and tents from the ‘wee’ plant, but Europeans rather banned Akpeteshie and cunningly promoted their whisky in Africa in the 1940s.
He told the participants that, the police and the military could establish agricultural branches to grow in commercial quantity to produce their own uniforms, but posed this question: “why do we use our scarce foreign exchange to import it?”
Mr. Akrasi Sarpong said, “America’s war effort was funded by industrial people using cannabis to make ropes, cables and building hempcrete and tents. People use the seeds to make cream. So, there are industrial purposes, people use it for medicinal purposes, and we can get medicines out of cannabis. Cannabis is older than the American state.”
Thailand, he said, had legislated recently that people could grow cannabis in their homes, while in South Africa, it is a recreational drug because they had decriminalised the drug (cannabis)
“We need to think outside the box. America used it for over 80 years for a good purpose but we are saying it’s a crime.
“The state of California, the sixth biggest economy, earns over $3 billion a year from cannabis. In Ghana, oh! its evil, it will be good we grow it here. Police should think about it, of course, it’s dangerous for children.” he stressed.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
