Bermuda fails to legalize cannabis

Bermuda's ambitious cannabis legalization plan, published in June 2020, The bill was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 6 to 5. The implementation of this regulation would have positioned Bermuda as the leading adult-use cannabis market in the Caribbean, where the leaders of 19 countries agreed to «review the current status of cannabis with a view to reclassification, emphasizing the issues of «human and religious rights» arising from criminalization as well as «the economic benefits to be derived» from legalization.

The vote comes as a blow to the Progressive Labour Party (PLP), led by Prime Minister David Burt, who had recently declared that he was ready to cross swords with the UK if royal assent, normally imperative for such legislation in a Commonwealth country, was not forthcoming.

«If Her Majesty's representative in Bermuda does not give his assent to something that has been legally and lawfully adopted under this local government, it will destroy the relationship we have with the United Kingdom» he had declared.

All independent senators and the One Bermuda Alliance, the opposition party, voted against the text, which would also have facilitated access to medical cannabis for patients who, despite its legalization in 2016, still face administrative difficulties in gaining access to it.

«Let's be clear One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) is not opposed to cannabis consumption. Today, the Bermuda Senate rejected the PLP's cannabis licensing bill because the bill itself did not address the community's important concerns.» declared the three One Bermuda Alliance senators, Robin Tucker, Ben Smith and Marcus Jones. «It was positive that OBA senators and independent senators came together to vote against this deeply flawed bill. Cannabis is a complex issue that requires thoughtful solutions, something the bill sorely lacked.»

What happens next? Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Territory's Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, said the government would continue to pursue reforms.

«Public support for this progressive initiative cannot be ignored despite the rejection of the bill by opposition senators and gubernatorial appointees,» said Simmons, emphasizing the importance of the extensive public consultation which led to the development of the bill.

«The government will not be deterred from taking the bold steps necessary to ensure economic opportunities for marginalized groups, appropriate safeguards and effective prevention education associated with the regulated cannabis licensing regime,» she continued, before pointing out that another bill could be in the pipeline in the Senate of the House of Assembly where the PLP holds the majority.

The PLP, through a press release, deemed, «unfortunate that in the 21st century, jobs and opportunities, as well as the will of so many Bermudians, can be blocked by a politically rejected opposition and independent senators appointed by an unelected and irresponsible governor. The cannabis reform they opposed would have further reduced the criminalization of Bermudians and created jobs and opportunities for Bermudians.».