The Tribune

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder says legislation for marijuana legalisation should be concluded by the end of the summer.

He gave an update to reporters yesterday on the sidelines of a community legal aid project press conference.

“Our external council who’s been working with us on the legislation is working hand-in-hand with law reform. Now since the budget exercise is now concluding with respect to legislative events that’s back on stream and they have specific recommendations on how we should address it. Law reform is in the process of amending the legislation that was in place to address those concerns so that is back in process. There was a slight delay because of a shift in priorities but we’re certain, again by the end of the summer, that legislation should be concluded.”

The government said it would introduce a “regulatory framework” for the cannabis industry and to expunge the records of young people convicted of minor offences related to use of the drug as part of its five-year legislative agenda.

Communications director in the Office of the Prime Minister, Latrae Rahming, announced in January that the Davis administration is expected to bring legislation for a cannabis industry in the first quarter of this year.

In 2020, then Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis promised to have the relevant bill brought to Parliament by January 2021.

In May 2021, then-Attorney General Carl Bethel said once approved by Cabinet, marijuana legislation would be introduced to Parliament before the end of the budget year. Again, that did not happen.

Meanwhile, Mr Pinder noted that work continues on the nationalisation act to bring that to Cabinet by the end of the summer. Successive governments have sought to address the disparities between men and women passing on Bahamian citizenship to their children in two failed constitutional referendums.

“We should expect to see that this summer,” he said when asked about the draft citizenship legislation. “Certainly as you can appreciate law reform has been working feverishly with respect to the legislation for the budget and get that legislation in place so we can advance the budget in time, but we’re certainly working on the nationalisation act to bring that to Cabinet.”

Asked for a specific month in the summer for the legislation, he replied: “Well, it all depends on the demands of law reform, right. I think that we have advanced it before the budget before we had to shift to provide more focus on the bills that are being debated by the Prime Minister starting today, but I don’t see it taking more than a couple months to actually finalise.

“We are looking at what was done before, but as you would know that dealt with nationalisation, that dealt with asylum, that dealt with the Department of Immigration in general. So we’re pulling it apart then doing the reform to that so we do have the basis of the legislation in place... Within two to three months, we should be able to have that final before Cabinet.”

Successive governments have sought to address the disparities in men and women passing on Bahamian citizenship in two failed constitutional referendums. The Attorney General has previously said the Davis administration intends to address the issue through legislation instead of holding another referendum.