The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder said he hopes marijuana legislation will be tabled in the House of Assembly in January.

He had previously said the legislation would be debated in Parliament before the end of the year.

But yesterday, he said officials want to hold one more public consultation.

“We have some feedback that we’re taking into account now for some modifications to the regime,” he said during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, describing the considerations as very limited.

“Some have written in with some good points that we’re considering, so we’re going to be adjusting that a little bit and then looking at probably, hopefully, in January to table in the House of Assembly.”

The administration has missed its previous timelines related to the legislation.

In 2022, Mr Pinder said legislation would be advanced within the first six months of the new year, but that did not happen.

Draft legislation was released in August. It is unclear whether the Davis administration will adopt recommendations from the Rastafarian community to broaden the bills’ religious exemptions.

According to the legislation, Rastafarian organisations could get a religious use licence to distribute cannabis to members as a sacrament, but the substance could only be used on the premises for which the licence or exempt event permit is issued.

People with a religious use license could permit the smoking or other use of cannabis to members of that place of worship as a sacrament within the place of worship. But Rastafarian leaders say these rules are too restrictive, noting most local practitioners do not use cannabis in tabernacles.