Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville.
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said he does not anticipate any amendments to the compendium of cannabis bills scheduled to be debated on Monday despite the outcry from the Rastafarian community.
He said on Friday the government has consulted extensively and feels confident that the debate will proceed next week.
Dr Darville said: “Like I said in the media, there are some people who believe medical cannabis shouldn't come and it's okay to agree to disagree, but for us in healthcare services, we are going to move Indian hemp from the Dangerous Drug Act, and that will be classified with a THC concentration under point 3 per cent and we're going to implement our medical cannabis to treat real diseases in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”
He explained parliamentary colleagues met ahead of the debate and a meeting is scheduled on Friday with members of the opposition to make sure everyone is familiar with the legislation.
The administration consulted on the bills for almost eight months when it was tabled in the House of Assembly in May but many interest groups still have complaints about the bills.
The Rastafarian community is unhappy about paying for organisation or individual use licenses. Advocates for the recreational use of marijuana note that the bill does not facilitate this.
The bills legalise cannabis for religious purposes by allowing organisations to obtain an organisation licence and letting people get an individual use licence.
However, the initial cost of a religious use licence is $1000, and the non-refundable annual fee is $1000 for organisations and $500 for individuals.
Although Rastafarian priest Rithmond McKinney said the bills are a step forward for his community, he said: “I don’t think we should be able to pay a fee for any of those licences, especially for individual and the organisation.”
“Once they could prove and know they themselves as Rastafarian, especially the elder rasta who would’ve been through all of the atrocities, then I don’t think they should pay.”
Dr Darville has previously defended the bills, insisting it was a “good start” and that further consultation is possible.
Comments
carltonr61 5 months, 1 week ago
It is great that the Advanced Medical Research Fields of UK, Canada, Germany, across the USA but especially at The University of Mississippi have delved into areas of persons suffering year long pains, where Opioids were causing side effects and death. The Bahamas Medical Association also see the need to follow The Medical Evidence that has shown great results across the globe.
It is just so difficult to explain that Cannabis mimics two chemicals produced by our brain, 2AG and Anandamide (Israeli Doctor 1995, Raphael Mechoulam) after tracing where THC landed in the brain. 2AG with An (endo - (within the brain) - cannabinoids) are responsible for a host of responses including: mood, appetite,Muscle control, pain response, blood pressure, sexual arousal, thirst, inflammation, memory, sleep, body temperature etc,
THC and CBD (phyto - (from plants) - cannabinoids) from the Cannabis plant produces all the human responses above. So Doctors have a wide window spectra of conditions that could be addressed.
.cannabahamas@gmail,com. Cannabis Consultant
ExposedU2C 5 months, 1 week ago
Your head seems to be clouded by the very same stink smelling and most harmful genetically engineered pot that you are hoping to somehow make a living off of as a consultant.. And you clearly are not the least bit concerned about the proven damage to throat, lung and brain cells caused by THC ingested in smoke form without the supervision of an appropriately qualified physician.
Any medical doctor worth their oats will tell you that the real science long ago proved THC should only be used in non-smoke form for the treatment of pain. Only THC produced in liquid or vapor form in a properly controlled medical laboratory should be administered or ingested in dosages prescribed by a qualified medical doctor in order to mitigate possible harmful side-effects.
carltonr61 5 months, 1 week ago
It is a matter of preference. THC has been approved at a molecular purity by FDA. however, Cannabis works best when its full spectrum is used which includes terpens natural flavoroids that impact the moods. What is important is the ratio of THC to CBD and the percentage of either. To add to that, tolerance. 1970s THC was at 3%. 2024 THC is at plus 18% per single shallow inhale for one second. Effects within 45 seconds beginning with cranial nerve #2 the eye, which begins to close and possibly release pressure. Ingesting THC takes a longer time to bioactivity depending on what else is ingested along with digesting time. For persons who have long long chill time 3 to 1 THC/CBD or a full load 4/4. For inflammation 4/4 CBD, zero THC psychoactive. Tritation is important whereby always test first with low and slow.
ExposedU2C 5 months, 1 week ago
Yup, you're enraptured by all of the available misinformation out there that feeds into your aspirations to be a so called "cannabis consultant". By the way, practicing medicine without being a licensed MD is a criminal offense. LMAO
carltonr61 5 months, 1 week ago
Cannabis is still listed as illegal according to USA Federal law. It is impossible to become a MD of Csnnabis use. The license just does not exist. I have license to assist Prinary Care Specialist in Cannabis. Canada CAMH. Center for Adduction and Mentsl Health.
ThisIsOurs 5 months, 1 week ago
I was shocked last week when out 9f Darvilles own mouth came the statement, "the rise of COVID cases is likely due to increase in tourist travel". Say what???! For 3 years the ministry 9f health denied up and down that there was any link to tourism and went out of their way to blame "locals", "who cant behave". I recall one host who was all in on the vaccinate everybody campaign when presented with the periodic patterns in tourist travel and like rise in COVID cases saying, "you cant know that"
Ive come to realize that in this country any and everything is justified as long as some political interest is making lots of money. Years later when the ill effects bombard society, as in illegal gaming theres a big show to demonstrate how concerned they are. Let's watch the trend in escalating high school overdoses, rise in sandilands addiction referrals and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence. Lung cancer will take a longer period to manifest
Emac 5 months, 1 week ago
You do realize that a large percentage of our population smoke weed now even though it's illegal right? What make you think anything will change?
ThisIsOurs 5 months, 1 week ago
Yes I realize that, but I think people do not adequately account for the behaviour of law abiding citizens. The persons who would not have touched the substance because it's illegal but feel free to try once legal. This will include a good number of children. This is ed exactly what happened with illegal gaming. It wasnt the people who were buying numbers illegally for decades that became the addicts, it was the new users.
carltonr61 5 months, 1 week ago
For the past 50 years a large percentage of our population has been self medicating for sure, and especially our professional students who return from USA and Canadian Colleges. What the UN Office of Crime and Drugs is requesting that efforts must be made at intervention in Adolescent Cannabis use that is no longer a free for all black market item but regulated. Cannabis de-energizes the Adolescent brain at the most potent production phase of development and potential bringing on a too relaxed state of being reserved for aftet the rigors and stresses of adult life.
JackArawak 5 months, 1 week ago
lol. How many of y’all who comment on cannabis have actually smoked it? I would guess that most of you haven’t.
ExposedU2C 5 months, 1 week ago
We can only hope you are right about that. The cannabis grown today from genetically engineered seeds is not the less harmful weed our grandparents may have smoked.
ThisIsOurs 5 months, 1 week ago
"and that further consultation is possible."
Scrap that this has already moved to the standard line, "we've consulted extensively" meaning: people have been screaming for answers to questions for months with no info coming from govt and govt says, ok, it's been long enough, let's do what we wanted to do from the start.
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