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It’s no secret that for a while now, Nigerians have clamoured for the legalisation of Cannabis, also called marijuana or weed, and it seems like federal lawmakers are finally considering it.
What happened?
According to the current National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, if you’re caught in possession of marijuana, you’re liable to a minimum of 12 years in prison and, in cases of trafficking, life imprisonment.
But a bill co-sponsored by Benjamin Kalu, Olumide Osoba and Miriam Onuoha seeks to amend the NDLEA Act to instead allow and regulate the growth and cultivation of Cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. This bill proposes establishing a system for the NDLEA to register, issue and revoke licences of Cannabis producers and users.
However, at the second reading of this bill on March 23, 2023, several members of the House of Representatives opposed and criticised it, which led to the House stepping down the bill for further legislative action.
An argument from many people in support of legalising weed in Nigeria is that it’s a lesser evil. For instance, it’s presumably “safer” than cigarettes and alcohol. Here are some perceived benefits of legalising Cannabis in Nigeria.
Medicinal benefits
Over the years, marijuana’s medicinal properties have been one of its major selling points. Studies have shown that it helps with cancer treatments and pain relief. In 2018, the Federal and Drug Administration Agency (FDA) approved using a medication containing Cannabis to treat epilepsy.
Another Source of Revenue
Although Cannabis is illegal in Nigeria, the NDLEA disclosed that nearly 10.6 million Nigerians used it in 2022. Legalising it would mean it can be taxed, and we can join the likes of Malawi and Zambia and make millions in revenue from the global marijuana market.
Reduced police brutality
The Nigerian police have unfortunately used the excuse of “finding” weed on young people for harassment and assault. Cannabis legalisation would hopefully reduce these occurrences, and the police could spend time tracking down offenders of serious crimes.
One of the reasons why members of the House of Representatives opposed this bill is concerns of abuse and addiction. These concerns are legitimate; with this, we’ll break down some cons of legalising Cannabis in Nigeria.
Drug abuse
Nigeria is battling a drug abuse problem, for instance, crystal meth in the South-East. Cannabis can be a gateway drug leading people to more severe drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Psychological side effects
Although marijuana is repeatedly termed “harmless”, we shouldn’t forget that it has hallucinogenic properties. And if abused, it can cause delusions and hallucinations, anxiety, panic attacks and reduced muscle control. There are records from hospitals in Benin, Edo state which showed that between 1999 to 2022, 70 per cent of 849 first-time psychiatric hospital visits were caused by Cannabis abuse.
It can end up with children
Although an age limit will be placed for cannabis use, it will likely end up in children’s hands, which can lead them to drug abuse and addiction from an early age.
It’s just as dangerous as a cigarette
Another point to dispel the belief that marijuana is harmless is that just like a regular cigarette, it’s also dangerous to your lungs and maybe even worse. A journal revealed that one joint of marijuana is equivalent to five cigarettes.
We don’t know yet if the House of Representatives will succeed in legalising Cannabis, but there is a lot to think about.
I stumbled on a tweet two weeks ago about adulting and coping mechanisms, so I took a screenshot and posted it on my WhatsApp status. Of all the replies I got, Jerry’s* stood out because he’d gone from smoking every day to not smoking for a year. And he told me how it happened.
Source: Unsplash
The first time I tried weed was in 2016. I was home in Kaduna because I’d just graduated from university and was awaiting service. So when my friend suggested we run a printing business in Katsina, I was interested.
We were supposed to help university freshers print and photocopy their documents, so easy money. Unfortunately for us, the school had made free printing provisions for students that year, so the business flopped.
This made me really sad. That night my friends offered me weed, and I couldn’t turn it down. I needed something to take the edge off, and it did. I didn’t feel anything until time slowed down. I began to have memory lapses, and I remember praying not to run mad.
I stayed away from weed until mid-2020. This time, I’d moved to Abuja and was a teacher at a school. But with the lockdown, everyone was home, so I decided to try weed again because I was bored. It made me feel happier, lighter and energised.
By the end of the year, smoking weed had become routine. Even though I never bought it, it was always available. I lived with my brother, and we were never low on weed.
I was very unhappy with myself and my progress in life. I didn’t feel like I had an immediate solution, so I relied on weed as an escape. I’d wake up an hour earlier than I had to just so I could smoke before getting ready for my teaching job. For the longest time, I never went to school without being high. And because of how bubbly I would feel, my classes were always so interesting.
My girlfriend at the time hated that I’d become heavily reliant on weed, but I felt more eloquent, laid back and sexier when I was high, so I stayed lit. I just preferred to go through life in that state. I remember one day I went to the market, and I was so high, I could’ve sworn the Hausa guy was speaking Chinese.
On August 28, 2021, something happened that made me completely uninterested in weed. I’m still unsure what triggered it, but I know I was watching a Chelsea vs Liverpool match one minute, and the next, I was hysterical and hyperventilating.
The only thing I could think about was death. It was like I was losing my senses. I fell asleep thinking I’d die, only to wake up with a fever, worsening things. My brother had to give me sedatives to help me calm down.
After I went to the hospital, I got directed to a psychotherapist who confirmed I’d had a panic attack, and the weed in my system didn’t help. He went on to diagnose me with anxiety disorder. He prescribed some drugs that were supposed to make me feel better. But they did the opposite, so I stopped taking them. I decided to try meditation and yoga. Nothing worked. Eventually, I just stuck to praying. I felt like I was sinking, and it gave me something to hold on to.
Within the six months that followed, I was scared of being alone at home but equally scared of leaving my house. Ultimately, I chose the latter because I still had a job and bills to pay. But imagine balancing a job with my mental health at minus 10. I’d quit my job in December 2021 and was taking up design gigs to make money. Also, I started exercising. I was in an all-around better space.
Even though I’ve been sober for a year now, I still miss the “high”, just not so much. In April, I started a new job as a brand designer, which I actually enjoy. I no longer feel drained and exhausted all the time, so I guess life’s good.
*Subject’s name has been changed to protect his identity.
Weed is a huge part of Nigerian pop culture despite it being illegal within the country. In this article, five Nigerian women talk about the first time they smoked weed.
Bimbo, 22
The first time I smoked weed was in January 2021. I had just broken up with my boyfriend and was looking for experiences that would take my mind away from the pain. I told my friend I wanted to smoke, and he invited me to his house. He made sure I had eaten when I got there, then offered me alcohol while he rolled me the joint. I didn’t feel anything after I’d smoked the first joint, so he rolled me another. After a while, I became hyperactive, and then I dozed off. The fact that I didn’t feel sick after smoking unlike drinking made me stick with it. Since then, I have been smoking on and off.
Chinyere, 20
In 2020, I was seeing this guy who smokes weed. That day at his place, he rolled a joint. Watching him roll it turned me on. I asked him to pass it because I felt like trying it in that moment. We smoked the joint till it finished. It didn’t hit immediately, but when it did, I was just laughing. I also couldn’t keep my hands to myself. We had sex and afterwards, I had a class group meeting I couldn’t afford to miss at school, and I don’t remember how I got there. I laughed a lot at this meeting too. It was a 10/10 experience — 100% recommend for dick appointments.
Blessing, 20
In 2018, I didn’t get admitted to any of the universities I wanted. The federal school my dad chose for me raised their cutoff mark that year so I didn’t qualify anymore and the private school I wanted, my dad thought it was subpar. My dad wanted me to retake JAMB again and enrolled me in a tutorials centre. One day, when my dad dropped me off at the tutorial centre, I saw some of my girlfriend’s friends drinking and smoking in the bar close to the centre. They asked if I wanted to join, and I thought, “Why not?”
When one of them gave me the joint, he said, “Drag am small, make you no choke.” I did as he said. The effect was immediate — I felt like I was floating. I asked to smoke some more, and they ordered booze for me. After the second joint, I don’t remember what happened, but my mum came to pick me up at 3 PM. I slept on the way home. The next day, I couldn’t attend tutorials because I woke up by 10 AM. I continued smoking for two years after that day, but I don’t smoke anymore because it affected my grades. I went from being an A student to getting Ds. I had to stop.
Tosin, 24
I am asthmatic and I have always wanted to try smoking weed. In 2018, I went to a friend’s party. The guys at the party were smoking, and they asked if I wanted to join them. I had always wanted to try it, so I took a puff. I was about to take another when they cautioned me that it might be too much for me, but did I listen? Later on, I noticed I had become more carefree. I drank and danced a lot and played card games. It was a great experience and I didn’t get an attack as I had expected from smoking. I’d like to try it again.
Sophie, 21
During my fourth year in university, I went to see one of my friends. His roommates were around, and they wanted to smoke. Smoking weed had always been on my bucket list, so I asked for the joint. I had a painful tonsil infection, so inhaling the smoke was hard for me. My friend had to teach me to inhale properly. I took a few drags and after a while, I started laughing. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I was going to die. I wanted to call my mum and tell her I loved her. At some point, I felt like my friend and his roommates were plotting against me. There was this voice in my head telling me what to do; it told me that I had two personalities because of my Zodiac sign. I am not even into astrology. I started hallucinating — I saw people who had already left the room sitting on the chair. After a while, I felt sad, and I hated myself. I was also really horny.
I had to google how to stop a high. It was such a frightening experience. I know now that weed isn’t for me. The high lasted for about two hours, after which, I slept for the rest of the day.
“A Week In The Life” is a weekly Zikoko series that explores the working-class struggles of Nigerians. It captures the very spirit of what it means to hustle in Nigeria and puts you in the shoes of the subject for a week.
The subject of today’s “A Week In The Life” is a drug dealer. He talks to us about his process for baking edibles, how he almost lost a knee cap, and his plans to set up a cartel if his japa plans fail.
Editor’s note: The views expressed are those of the subject and in no way represent the views of Zikoko.
MONDAY:
Even though I spent the whole night getting high, I’m up early. I work as a baker-drug dealer, and I start my day on the “legal” side of my business — baking edibles. I sell almost everything that gets people high: brownie cookies, cupcakes, gummy bears, puff puff. The beauty is that I can publicly advertise these products as “happy brownies” or call them by another name because it’s an “if you know, you know” business. It’s through this front-facing part that customers looking to buy loud, LSD,molly — I draw the line at crystal meth and heroin because I can’t deal with crackheads — and shrooms contact me. I take pride in my baking skills, and I’m always tweaking and challenging my recipes.
Today, I’m making cannabutter. I heat up my flowers for 30 minutes to “wake” the weed up, then I crush it into fine particles. The next step is to melt the butter. I mix the fine particles with the melted butter under low heat for another 30 minutes until it changes colour. I’m confident that the liquid butter has absorbed all of the weed, so I strain it in a sieve. Once it cools, food is ready to be served. My plan is to use one portion of the butter to bake and to sell the other part. I take a quick glance at my phone and realise that I’ve gotten orders for cannabutter already. I thought I’d get a chance to lie down, but there’s work to be done. I’m going to have a quick shower, make plans for delivery and label my butter “prescription” keep out of reach of children. Eat with bread or fry with eggs.
TUESDAY:
I once tried to grow my own batch of weed but it wasn’t cost-effective. The quality and potency of made in Nigeria weed significantly differ from the imported stuff — this country doesn’t support growth in any form. I have different plugs depending on what drug I’m looking for. I have one plug linked to a smuggler and another plug that’s the plug of all plugs. Because of the tendency for violence in this business, and the fact that I’m always looking over my shoulder, my plugs are people I’ve known for a while. One is a childhood friend while the other is someone I’ve also known for a fairly long time. My business model is simple: I collect an advance of drugs, sell and remit an agreed-upon sum at a due date. I also try to distance myself as much as possible from the product, and my business is mostly cash-based. There’s also a covert distribution system in place that I can’t reveal.
I spent today thinking about how you can’t be too careful in this business because if trouble comes, people will cut off your head. I don’t blame anyone for snitching — they’re not Jesus so they can’t die for me. Worrying doesn’t help anything, that’s why I’m going to distract myself by watching a movie. All I can really control is my being careful and to constantly remind the people I work with to be careful.
WEDNESDAY:
I’ve gotten into all kinds of trouble from selling drugs. Police trouble. Customer trouble. And failing to meet my repayment schedule, which almost led to me losing a knee cap. It all started when I collected a batch of molly and agreed to deliver the profit in a week. Things were going smoothly until my village people looked into my matter. A few days before repayment was due, I got into an accident while making a large delivery. And I lost almost half of my stock. I panicked and went underground. When my supplier didn’t see his money, he came to my house to look for me. It was interesting because he brought a gun and was prepared to bear the loss and leave a bullet in my knee. I quickly took responsibility and explained what had happened. Let’s just say that I’m glad that I still have two functional knees.
Thankfully, all of that is in the past now.
I’ve had a long day of fulfilling customer orders, and I’m looking forward to this evening. My girlfriend is coming over, and we’re going to chill and relax. Her support is one of the things that keeps me going. Not a lot of people would openly associate with a drug dealer but she’s different. In fact, one of the reasons she’s dating me is because I’m a bad boy. I guess we’re both addicted to the thrill of life.
THURSDAY:
I got fucked up last night, and I wake up late today. The first thing I do is check my phone, and I see a message from one of my friends whining me about how cool my job is. I guess it’s easy to glamorise what I do because of how pop culture has white-washed drug dealing. This business is profitable enough that I can pay my school fees in millions per semester, and you can make fortunes in a year of dealing drugs because you have a repeat customer base addicted to your product. But the truth remains that it’s still a very dangerous job. I started dealing drugs because I couldn’t afford to pay school fees after transferring schools. Every day I make a sale, I keep asking myself: what if someone snitches and I get locked up forever? That’s my education down the drain. But what if I somehow see my education through? That means I’ll be set for life. These thoughts are why I’m constantly risking the odds.
The most difficult part for me as a drug user is the discipline to not get high on my own supply, and the grit to constantly keep my eye on the target. I pay for my drugs in full without any discount. I give myself achievement points to reach before I allow myself to buy drugs. And I never remove money without being accountable.
FRIDAY:
Policemen are your friend as long you settle them. I’ve had instances where policemen have stopped me, extorted me and tried to befriend me. Someone once gave me his number to call him anytime I got into trouble along a particular route. Another time, while being searched on suspicion of dealing drugs, a police officer was telling me he knew a plug for where to buy loud at wholesale price. It’s crazy thinking about the fact that these are the people meant to protect us. I can’t help but think that outside of drug dealers, policemen are liaising with other criminals. I’m fairly certain that kidnappers and ritualists are having a field day with the system.
It’s easy to judge me and say I’m ruining my life, but the system failed me. In my old university, I was told that the entry-level for graduates studying my course was ₦20,000. That’s not even enough to cover half of the cost of the professional exams I had to write. In a society where people only respect your pocket, I had to fall in line and jazz up. In a year of dealing, I’ve gone from being scorned at home to being respected. I’m now the person who takes care of utilities and stocks the house without asking anyone for nada.
The only reason I’m selling drugs is that I’m still in Nigeria. I’m currently working my way through school to become a full stack developer. The next step is to find my way out of this hell hole. 2022 must not meet me here. If, for some useless reason, I’ve still not escaped, I’m just going to set up my own cartel.
Check back every Tuesday by 9 am for more “A Week In The Life ” goodness, and if you would like to be featured or you know anyone who fits the profile, fill this form.
It’s no secret that drugs and alcohol affect the human body and mind in many different ways, so it’s expected that having sex under the influence would be a vastly different experience from having sex sober.
So, I decided to ask a bunch of Nigerians to share what sex is like when they decide to get high, drunk or, in most cases, both beforehand. The answers were all very intriguing.
N.B:Do not use this article as an excuse to go drug-hopping. Be safe and responsible.
Ada, 30/Female/Bisexual
It was a night out in Lagos. I took my friend’s babe with me, and we went for pre-drinks at my fuck buddy’s house. From there, we all went to a club and ended up smoking weed laced with molly.
That night, the three of us got back to his place and just started fucking. Then he invited another babe over, and it turned into a mad foursome. It was great. Everyone there made me come at least once.
The outcome of that insane experience wasn’t as great. I got tested when I returned to London and found out that I had contracted chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Luckily for me, both are treatable.
John, 25/Male/Gay
I was very apprehensive about getting high, but all my friends swore that it would make sex so much better. I decided to try it with a guy I really liked, but it ended up being a horrifyingly embarrassing experience.
I had what I now know is called a bad trip. The weed made me very paranoid. I was convinced that I had shit myself and that made me start crying. This dude had to baby me until I eventually fell asleep.
He was really sweet about the whole thing, but the shame didn’t allow me to see him again. I’ve also sworn to never get high. My friends say it was just one bad experience, but that one is their own business.
Esther, 22/Female/Bisexual
I take weed with wine. It’s not a regular thing for me, but it probably should be because sex is always incredible. I’m way more sensitive than I am during sober sex.
Foreplay is so much more intense, and my orgasms feel like my soul is leaving my body. With sober sex, it’s just my legs that shake, but when I’m high, my entire body vibrates.
I also can’t ride for long when I’m sober, but I don’t get tired when I’m high. I don’t even recognise myself sometimes. It’s like it turns up my sexiness from 100 to 1000. Amazing.
Tolu, 27/Male/Straight
This babe I was hooking up with brought a strain of weed called Marley for us to try. The thing is, sex with her was already pretty great, but this day was on a totally different level.
The intensity was out of this world. We kept on mumbling shit to each other all through. It was as if we were possessed. It’s easily one of the top three sexual experiences of my entire life.
Sarah, 20/Female/Pansexual
I smoke weed before and during sex. I also drink beer right in the middle of sex. Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but I get dehydrated a lot, so I always have to stop for a drink.
The sex is usually mind-blowing when I’m high, so it’s now a regular thing. I almost cannot have sex if I’m not high. I get distracted so easily during sober sex. Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I tried it.
Folarin, 26/Male/Straight
I have two friends that I typically get high with, and one day they came over with roofies. While we were smoking, they wanted to put the pills in my mouth and I let them.
It was mostly a blur, but we ended up having a threesome. Even though I was technically cheating on my girlfriend, it was still fucking great. One of the babes squirted so much I had to dump my bedsheet.
Tolani, 24/Female/Bisexual
I’ve been smoking weed regularly for a couple of years now, so I’d never hook up with someone I couldn’t smoke with before and after sex. That’s just one of my rules.
That being said, my most amazing experience was actually molly-induced. It was like an out-of-body experience. The molly kicked in for both of us at the same time, and that just made it way more passionate.
We were both on such a high that we cried after. That was probably the best sexual experience of my life, and I’ll never forget it. Haven’t done it since then though.
One year ago, we left Nigeria for an 80-day adventure across West Africa. Something is coming. Unshared stories. New perspectives. Limited series. 10 episodes.
If you’ve been reading this every Monday, you know the drill at this point. If you haven’t, now you know that Zikoko talks to anonymous people every week about their relationship with the Naira.
Sometimes, it will be boujee, other times, it will be struggle-ish. But all the time–it’ll be revealing.
What you should know about the guy in this story: He’s a 23-year-old Youth Corps member working at a decent place of primary assignment in Lagos.
When was the first time you made money?
I was in SS1, and a day student too, so I used to sell noodles. This is how it worked; boarding students were getting served horrible food, so selling a better alternative to them meant an instant hit.
I’d wake up early – like 5am – prepare the noodles based on orders I’d received. Then take everything to school. I was fulfilling a real need, so it wasn’t hard to charge them ₦500 per plate.
In SS2, PTDF – that Petroleum Technology Development Fund thing – they donated computers to my school, about 100 of them. Bu you know what was crazy? The school wasn’t allowing us use them, something about us not being tech-savvy or so we don’t spoil them. They literally just locked them up like they were furniture.
So imagine that one day, we’re all just chilling in the hostel, me and my friends, and someone just said, “what if we took these parts of the computers from the lab, you know, the ones easy to replace. And then we sold them?”
And that’s how we started, we managed to get the key from the prefect in charge of where the computers were kept, then we’d sneak in, take a couple of things, a hard drive here, a mouse there, etc. Then we’d sell them at the side of town where everyone went for the computer parts and Tokunbo phones. There were about four of us, but any time we sold anything we used to get over ₦30k, then we’d split it.
In typical fashion, the others boys found out in the hostel, and it became an absolute mess. They were moving entire computer monitors and stuff.
That is absolutely crazy.
You know what was even crazier? The school had external visitors, and in typical fashion, they wanted to “show off the computers to being used to prepare for our digital future.” A madness. Then they just opened the lab, and bam, missing computers here and there.
We never got found out.
What would have happened if they caught you guys?
Expulsion, most likely. There was always the fear of getting caught, but the money kinda balanced out that fear. That time, I’d just jump the school fence and go deposit it in my Kiddies Bank Account – I already had a bank account then.
How old were you?
16 – a proper Juvenile Delinquent.
Anyway, it was a mostly dry patch after that. I tried out buying and selling stuff, like clothes. That’s when I realised that this version of buying and selling, where I didn’t create the product, sucked.
I started writing, and learning graphics, and getting paid to do them, but the gigs were far too few and far in between for it to be called a real gig.
Then my allowance from home got sparser and sparser – my folks were having money struggles – and I had to do something about it. So I had this friend who was cashing out like mad selling weed – Loud specifically.
I invested ₦35k that should get you a quarter ounce, and you know how much I got back in 2 weeks? ₦50k – that’s a 43% return on investment. I threw more money in, and that’s how I survived my final year in school, mostly feeding off dividends.
You were trafficking drugs?
Basically. I mean, I dunno what the constitution says about that, but I know if you get caught, you’re going to pay.
I wasn’t directly in contact with any clientele, because I really was just an investor, but the market was mostly working class people and anyone who could pay. Students couldn’t afford to pay ₦5k for a bag.
When I was leaving school, I exited at ₦200k. But in total, I think I made up to half a million in like 11 months. The money never came in chunks, except for when I exited.
Then post-school, I reconnected with a previously distant relative, who kind of stepped up, and the random cash boosts were helpful. But it wasn’t consistent, and you don’t want to depend on that kind of money.
What was your solution?
Finding multiple streams of income. I even tried to secure posting to some company that was willing to pay ₦80k, but it didn’t work out.
Currently, money just comes from NYSC and my place of primary assignment. I’m trying to figure shit out while trying not to get screwed over with the law or something.
How much do you get in a month currently?
I get up to 55k now every month – enough for a few Uber trips, transport and food.
What’s the most interesting NYSC season has taught you about money?
Everybody lies about money. Parents lie about money. Friends lie about money. NYSC people lie about money – a corper told me he was getting ₦100k. It’s not impossible to earn that, but I found out that it was a lie. Like, he had no reason to lie, yet he did. Guys at work will never tell you how much they earn. Also, everyone seems to be living beyond their means.
Looking at your skillset, how much do you feel like you should be earning right now?
I feel like I should be earning between 100 and ₦150k. But getting good money right now, that would be about ₦3 million a year. Still, this number will not help me pay rent where I’d like to live. I won’t be able to consistently handle family emergencies when they come up, because they will come up.
What’s your unpopular opinion about money?
Money is amoral. I understand the importance of money – don’t get me wrong – but people try to moralise money. Like, this is how you should earn etc, and I don’t get it. As long as I’m not hurting anybody, I don’t see a problem with the method.
It’s why I never dabbled into Internet fraud – I was surrounded by it in school – but you literally had to take money from someone who wasn’t willing to give you by manipulation. That’s fraud.
Also, I now realise that money really is the biggest motivator. If you pay people, they just tend to act right.
How much do you imagine you’ll be earning in like 5 years?
I was on Complex.com the other day and they pay about $2,500 monthly to their writers. So if I’m earning that, using today’s estimates, I’ll say I’ve done pretty well with the piece-of-shit degree that means nothing to me.
Forget the 5-year question, where do you imagine you’ll be financially in 30 years.
30 years might be too much for me, my imagination tends to run wild. But 10 years, I feel like I would have figured out a lot of it, not all of it. Wherever I’m at, I’m just going to try to be content. Because it’s not about how much you earn, but how happy you are with it – or some shit like that.
If you can’t think about 30 years now, then you clearly haven’t thought about a pension.
Nope. I’ve never really seen myself as someone that would need a pension. I just feel like if in 30 years, I can’t afford the life I need, maybe I didn’t do life right.
What’s something you really want right now but can’t afford?
A very long list of tech that keeps getting longer. Mainly a good Mac, a Sony mirrorless camera, GoPros, etc.
What’s the last you paid for that required serious planning?
A website. Setting it up cost me roughly ₦50k.
What about the most annoying miscellaneous you’ve had to pay for?
Apple Music. Paying for music. Like, I miss 2006. You download music now and everybody thinks you’re archaic. But that’s just the way things are now.
Do you have an emergency plan for when you fall sick and –
– I’m fucked. That’s probably why I never fall sick. Life is very much in limbo right now. But I’m working on plans to prepare an emergency fund. Maybe in a small buying and selling-ish business.
Do you feel like NYSC is a financial hindrance for you or…?
Not really. I needed time off. I was burned out after University. Even if there was no NYSC, I might have had a gap year or something. I just needed a break from chasing and all of that.
Sometimes, I wish I didn’t even get a job, but then I can’t complain. I have job experience – valuable business development experience.
NYSC is ending in less than a year, what’s the money thing looking like?
I’ve not even really planned everything to the letter, to be honest. But the best case scenario is that I get retained at my current place of primary assignment. That might give me up to 150k for a starting salary. Do that for a year or two, then I go back to school to get another degree.
The goal is to attempt to grow my income enough to cater for two people at the minimum. Not because I intend to become the sole provider or anything, but as a personal target. I just want to be able to help out. I’ll consider it a successful three years if I can go to school and juggle work.
Worst case scenario, none of this happens, and I end up looking for a job. Or find a small gig, while doing stuff I truly give a shit about on my own time.
Despite all of this, how would you rate your happiness levels?
I’ve never really been the happiest person. But I’m alive sha, I don’t worry a lot.
I’m trying to enjoy the impermanence of my situation, and not think too much about it.
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Women are trying oh. Apart from loosing blood monthly, most of us have to deal with period cramps!
Really terrible ones that can be so bad that some of us actually pass out from the pain have to be admitted into the hospital.
We’ve tried everything from taking hot drinks to pain killers to visiting the hospital for injections to drinking Yoyo bitters or ogogoro or dry gin.
But now, there’s something else that might just do the trick.
Legendary American actress, Whoopi Goldberg, has a cure for menstrual pain. Medical Marijuana!
The business which is based in San Francisco in the U.S of A is called Whoopi and Maya and is founded by the veteran actress and Maya Elisabeth, the founder of Om Edibles, a company that’s been treating marijuana as a superfood since 2008.
The Whoopi & Maya line will be in four forms.
• A raw sipping chocolate infused with either CBD* or THC*, which can be mixed in liquids (such as warm milk) or eaten.
• THC-infused tincture.
• A THC-infused bath soak described as “profoundly relaxing.”
• A topical rub.
THC means “tetrahydrocannabinol” and CBD means “cannabidiol”.
Whoopi hopes her products will provide “an alternative for relieving the pain and discomfort associated with menstruation.”
The weed line was inspired by her experience from a lifetime of difficult periods and cannabis literally being the only thing that gave her relief.
According to Whoopi this line will allow women to control the pain and still go about their business.
She says that, “Smoking a joint is fine, but most people can’t smoke a joint and go to work. This, you can put it in your purse. You can put the rub on your lower stomach and lower back at work, and then when you get home you can get in the tub for a soak or make tea, and it allows you to continue to work throughout the day.”
The products will be available in U.S from April in select dispensaries.
We can’t wait for this product to be available in Nigeria. If not, it’s online shopping to the rescue!
Has it ever happened that you were going about your business, when an opportunity to make some dough practically fell into your lap? Then you wondered whether or not you should actually take it, but it looked like trouble waiting to happen?
@Sedaaat had this exact experience and shared what he did on Twitter.
