The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

BAHAMAS National Commission on Marijuana co-chair Quinn McCartney yesterday said there is no guarantee the body will be able to submit their findings to the government on schedule.

Mr McCartney said while commission members are “pushing” to meet the August deadline they did not want to compromise the integrity of their report.

The commission was initially expected to present a comprehensive report on the public’s perception of cannabis by April, but requested a six-month extension to carry out more research.

To date, Mr McCartney said the BMC has not started its national public survey, but plans to meet today to finalise the procedure.

“We are still in the process of gathering information so we are trying to push but I can’t guarantee,” Mr McCartney told The Tribune.

“But we’re certainly trying to make sure that we have a comprehensive review and we look at the holistic approach to this.”

Mr McCartney said while the Cabinet-appointed body is making every effort to meet the deadline, they do not want to risk “compromising the integrity value” of the survey due to “time constraints”.

BMC’s commission’s report will address the medical, economic, industrial and religious use of cannabis.

It will also cover the recreational use of cannabis and regulatory issues related to cannabis regarding age restrictions, legislative framework and other issues.