Contesting cannabis legalization in Nigeria: Hidden narratives of illicit farmers and traders

Ediomo-Ubong Nelson, Gernot Klantschnig*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

Abstract

This article examines narratives of cannabis legalization in Nigeria. While most existing research on cannabis legalization has concentrated on the global North, we focus on one of Africa's largest cannabis markets, as well as the views of actors heavily criminalized and excluded from policy debates. Based on in-depth interviews and long-time engagement with illicit cannabis farmers and traders, the article highlights the contestations in their hidden narratives, troubling extant views of cannabis legalization which uncritically laud its socioeconomic benefits, and revealing the potential downsides of legalization in the context of an exploitative legal neo-liberal economy rife with social inequities. The findings of this study also highlight a need for open policy debate that engages criminalized cannabis producing communities who have borne the brunt of both prohibition and economic marginalization to chart the way forward for more inclusive and meaningful cannabis policy reform.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)235-251
Number of pages17
JournalSociological Inquiry
Volume95
Issue number2
Early online date4 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 4 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Sociological Inquiry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alpha Kappa Delta: The International Sociology Honor Society.

Research Groups and Themes

  • SPS Centre for the Study of Poverty and Social Justice

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