Bermuda House of Assembly passes cannabis legalization once again

The Bermuda House of Assembly has once again passed a bill legalizing the commercial cultivation and sale of cannabis in Bermuda. The governor must grant royal assent before the bill becomes law.

A year ago, The legislation had been blocked in the Senate, but the Senate can no longer block the bill. The bill had been criticized, in particular, for its exclusively «business-oriented» focus, which did not grant more advanced rights to individuals.

The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 will establish a regulated framework for the cultivation and sale of cannabis. A range of licenses will be available through a regulatory body, allowing businesses to cultivate, harvest, sell, and export cannabis or cannabis-containing products.

This time, the bill was introduced by Interior Minister Walter Roban, who was standing in for Attorney General Kathy Lynn Simmons.

Echoing the speech Ms. Simmons delivered before the House a year ago, Walter Roban stated that the criminalization of cannabis was «an unjust colonial legacy» and evidence of «systemic and racial disparities,» the Black people are being criminalized by a white oligarchy. He added that the changes to the law were «long overdue.».

«We need a radical new way of thinking—increasingly, legalization isn’t really that radical,» said Walter Roban, adding that the public consultation had demonstrated «an overwhelming appetite for changes to our cannabis laws—the public accepts that there will be changes to the system.».

Currently, it is It is illegal to possess more than seven grams cannabis. If legalized, smoking cannabis in public will still be prohibited, except in authorized locations, and sales will be permitted to individuals over the age of 21.

«The proposed legislation as a whole enables more effective regulatory oversight to displace the illicit market and provides full economic access at a time when families are struggling and seeking new economic opportunities. It will bring the greatest good to the greatest number,» he said.

The bill was approved last Friday by a vote of 18 to 6, with all opposition members of the House One Bermuda Alliance who voted against it.

Several Caribbean countries have begun to reform cannabis laws. In 2018, the leaders of 19 Caribbean countries «to review the current status of cannabis with a view to reclassifying it, emphasizing the «human and religious rights» issues arising from criminalization as well as the «economic benefits» to be gained from legalization.".