BELMOPAN, Fri. Feb. 18, 2022– The amended Misuse of Drugs Act, to which adjustments were made in order to provide the necessary legislation for the regulation of marijuana cultivation and distribution, has been further revised since being sent back for amendment by the Senate recently. The revised bill is set to be tabled at the next sitting of the House of Representatives in March, taking the country one step closer to achieving a fully legal cannabis industry. Now known as the Cannabis Control and Licensing Bill, 2022, the restructured bill was taken to Cabinet for approval, and according to Minister of New Growth Industries and Home Affairs, Hon. Kareem Musa, it will hopefully receive the same amount of support that the previous version of the amended bill was given by the House. Musa spoke with local media this past week and explained why the bill had to be revised.

“As you would recall, the amendments that we had made to the Misuse of Drugs Act had been passed in the House of Representatives. It was entirely supported by our side of the House, and I believe three out of the four parliamentarians on the Opposition had supported it, including the Leader of the Opposition. But when it got to the Senate, concerns were raised in terms of the structure of the bill. They preferred to see it as a standalone bill. And so, what we did, we just extracted what was contained in the Misuse of Drugs Act and created a Cannabis Regulation and Licensing Bill, and so that was taken back before Cabinet for approval as a standalone bill, which we’ll now start the process over,” he said.

The historic amendment, which provides for the legalization of marijuana in Belize, as some may remember, was first introduced to the House of Representatives back in early July 2021. It has been hailed as an improvement in comparison to the contradictory marijuana policy that currently exists, which allows for the decriminalization of up to 10 grams of marijuana and usage in private quarters but still subjects those transporting and selling the product to the risk of prosecution for drug trafficking.

According to reports, several companies are already clamoring to register their cannabis-based businesses, ahead of the approval of the bill. To those companies and individuals, Hon. Kareem Musa says “hold tight”.

“I’d like to advise those companies and individuals, because it’s really an exciting time for a new industry for Belize. I try to encourage them to let us wait until the legislation is passed before we incorporate these companies,” he stated, noting that while the level of excitement surrounding the introduction of the new industry is encouraging, the law is still the law.

“We still have to be very mindful that the law is what it is at this time. Even though the Leader of the Opposition is saying that we legalized weed, that is not the case. We have not gotten there yet,” he added, referencing Hon. Shyne Barrow’s appearance on the popular conversation show Drink Champs last month, during which he incorrectly stated that Belize has already legalized weed.

When the amendment was first introduced, Hon. Kareem Musa had expressed his hopes that in a few years the legislation would have gotten rid of the stigma and stereotypes that have justified the harassment and imprisonment of many at-risk and poor black males in the country. And while Hon. Shyne Barrow did misspeak in claiming that he had already legalized marijuana in Belize, it is indeed a fact that back in 2021, the Leader of the Opposition stood in agreement with Hon. Musa, expressing the need for the new legislation to be all-encompassing.

“We have to make sure that those lower-class working people who have had to engage in the marijuana trade in order to survive are not boxed out by the big men …,” he had stated.

The proposed legislation, if approved, will lay the groundwork for the establishment of a Cannabis Commission, which will oversee the issuing of Cannabis Program ID cards for those seeking to purchase marijuana for personal use along with various licenses for those who wish to cultivate, dispense, or deliver cannabis. While the Commission will ensure strict management of the marijuana industry, however, the rigorous application process and requirements might further marginalize those “small players” in the marijuana trade who will most certainly have a harder time meeting those requirements.