By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder said marijuana legislation would be debated in Parliament before the end of the year.

Speaking to reporters at the House of Assembly on Saturday after Commissioner Clayton Fernander read Governor-General CA Smith’s proclamation proroguing Parliament, Mr Pinder said consultation on marijuana is ongoing.

“So we are proceeding on our consultation, initially with some private sessions with some interested parties,” he said. “Those should kick off. Within two weeks, we look to launch public consultation and townhall meetings through September.

 “We have the legislative regime prepared. We have all of the ancillary pieces, the regulations, the rules, the respective orders all prepared. We have a communication plan that has been drawn up that we look to initiate.

 “We certainly look to be in a position after the consultation and after we get feedback from important constituencies in the country to be able to proceed with tabling that legislation in the new legislative session. My goal is certainly to have it tabled and debated before the end of the calendar year.”

 The administration has missed its previous timelines related to the legislation.

 Mr Pinder had said the bills would be released after the July 10th independence anniversary celebrations, but that did not happen.

 In 2022, Mr Pinder said cannabis legislation would be advanced within the first six months of the new year.

 Earlier this month, Supreme Court Justice Lorien Klein rejected an application from a Rastafarian that challenged legal provisions prohibiting marijuana possession.

 Justice Klein ruled that legislators were within their right to pass a law that does not include a religious exemption for marijuana use.

 In 2020, former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis tabled the Bahamas National Commission’s report on marijuana in the House of Assembly.

 The commission recommended no limits on cannabis use for medical purposes.

 The commission recommended that possession of up to one ounce of marijuana be decriminalised for people 21 and over and that the amount decriminalised be reviewed every two years after comprehensive analysis and impact studies.