Belize: Church and hemp industry put brakes on cannabis legalization

It’s like mixing apples and oranges. In Belize, the bill to legalize cannabis is in trouble. On the one hand, because it’s having a hard time passing in the Senate. On the other hand, because it’s being opposed by part of civil society, notably… The Christian Church and the Hemp Industry.

In this small Central American country bordering the Caribbean, cannabis is decriminalized since 2017. But the government wants to go further and fully legalize it by allowing it to be sold in stores. «Ten years from now, we will remember this moment clearly, and we will applaud our courage and our honesty, and we will forget that dogmatic, sectarian approach embodied by the previous law.», says Minister Kareem Musa.

The Council of Churches—which represents Catholics, Protestants, and the traditional Mayan religion—opposes it for conservative reasons. According to this organization, as well as the Association of Evangelical Churches, legalizing cannabis will lead to increased consumption. A line of reasoning contradicted by the statistics other countries that have taken the plunge, such as Canada.

It comes as no surprise that a conservative faction within the Church is opposed to legalization. We’ve already seen in the United States, with the Mormons. But it’s more surprising that the hemp industry is following suit. Hemp growers got started in 2018, after a legal framework was put in place. Today, they seem to be struggling to obtain all the necessary licenses. And they don’t want the government to have its mind on other things.

Mexico could serve as an inspiration for Belize

«Our main problem is having to wait for the government to tell us to go ahead. We don't want them to change their mind after we've secured all our funding!», fears Giovanni Alamilla, the head of a hemp cooperative, attached by Cannabis Wire. In particular, he complains about the time it took to get his license, which he has just received.

The battle will also be fought on the political front. The government had no trouble getting its bill to legalize cannabis passed in the House of Representatives. The United People’s Party (PPU, center-left) holds 25 of the 30 seats in the House.

In the Senate, things will be a bit more complicated. There, the government does not have a majority, but only 6 of the 13 senators. The United Democratic Party (center-right) holds 3 seats and has already expressed reservations about the legalization of cannabis. The other four seats in the Senate are reserved for civil society organizations… including one for the Church.

An external factor could advance the cause of cannabis in Belize: its neighbor. Indeed, Mexico may be both the problem and the solution. Belizean drug cartels import most of their cannabis from Mexico. But Mexico is also legalizing cannabis. If it succeeds, Belize might well follow suit.