BELIZE CITY, Mon. Mar. 14, 2022– The National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB) along with its associate churches has, once again, issued a press release expressing its opposition to the legalization of marijuana and the recently revised cannabis regulations (the Cannabis Control and Licensing Bill 2022) set to be presented in the House of Representatives this week.

In the release, the NEAB cites the potential for the involvement of drug cartels in the event that the proposed marijuana industry becomes a profitable business, stating, “We are sounding the warning that this is opening a door to influences that, once they are in, will be near impossible to remove from Belize.”

The NEAB also referenced the nearby Mexican Riviera Maya, where drug cartel conflicts have endangered the lives of locals and tourists alike.

“From when the previous Administration stepped forward to legalizing marijuana, here came the drug planes! As if Belize sent them a coded message!” the association added.

Of important note, however, is the fact that Belize has long been a transshipment point for the movement of drugs, particularly cocaine, from South America to the United States, and suspected drug planes have been landing in the country long before the decriminalization of marijuana, which occurred in November of 2017.

The NEAB previously criticized Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño in October of 2018 when he was Leader of the Opposition after he called for the full legalization of marijuana. Back then, the organization attributed the rise in crime and violence, specifically the murders of young men in Belize City, to the recent decriminalization of cannabis. And in October 2020, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, Hon. Kareem Musa, received backlash from the association for his comments regarding fully embracing the marijuana industry in Belize.

The NEAB has also previously stated that the legalization of weed could potentially further threaten the standing of the country’s banking sector, which already has experienced a destabilization of its linkages with international banks.

“If this bill passes, we can expect increasingly serious harm to come to our youth, business, tourism and international banking relationships. With all the human and natural resources God has given to Belize, we have great potential for recovery and prosperity without resorting to the inevitably demoralizing and corrupting marijuana business,” stated the press release, which then went on to say that, since the country’s economy is already on the rebound, the government should aim to take what the NEAB calls a “healthy and more beneficial course.”