By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister last night urged Bahamians to voice their opinions on the draft legislation to legalise and regulate medical marijuana because "that's what it takes to get it right".

Jomo Campbell, minister of agriculture, and marine resources, told a Caribbean Week of Agriculture discussion on marijuana that the consultation period remains open. “It's still ongoing; it's a very fluid process. You know, the windows and the doors of the input have not been closed. We are still taking suggestions. We are encouraging the public to please feel free to give their comments," he said.

“It doesn't have to be supportive of the actual legislation. We still want to get all views because that's what it takes to actually get it right.” The Bahamas hosted the Caribbean Week of Agriculture this week, and Mr Campbell said the number of young persons who attended the conference and shared ideas on how to grow domestic food production was "refreshing and encouraging".

He added: “We know we actually have a long way to go, but what is encouraging is the fact that we can see that we have so many young persons interested in securing our food future.

“The amount of new ideas and innovative technology that can be added to this sector is also really refreshing and encouraging. And so you know, we have a lot to wrap our minds around, because the main goal is to see how quickly we can accelerate our vision 25 by the year 2025.” That involves slashing food imports by 25 percent Caribbean-wide come that year.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources last night hosted a roundtable discussion on marijuana and its legalisation, with Caribbean specialists discussing the legislation implemented in their countries and taking suggestions from the public.

Deon Gibson, consultant agriculturist in the Department of Agriculture, explained that there are seven types of licences that will be made available in The Bahamas. Four will be exclusively for Bahamians, and the others allowed to have up to 70 percent foreign partnership.

He explained that elements such as analytical testing, manufacturing and research will be permitted to have foreign ownership due to the high costs and expertise associated with it. Mr Gibson said: “There are seven different licences - cultivation, retail, transport, and religious use. Those are four of the seven. Those are exclusively for Bahamians.

“The other three are analytical testing, manufacturing and research. Those are permitted to have up to 70 percent foreign partnership, so it has to be a minimum of 30 percent Bahamian ownership for analytical testing, manufacturing and research. So that is there because we know that those elements are very, very costly. But the cultivation and retail is exclusively for Bahamians, so that is more Bahamian ownership of the industry. “

Mr Gibson added that Bahamian farmers may benefit from forming co-operatives to obtain funding for the cultivation of marijuana, and indicated that some people are already pooling resources to enter the potential new industry.

He said: “How do they get funding when the time comes? I think at this point we have to look at groups who are coming together. I've been approached by many different groups of people who are slowly trying to gather their resources.

“It's not tomorrow that this is happening, so I think persons should come together in groups. We promote co-operatives in agriculture, and maybe look at different groupings of people and the ways to start it.”

Mr Gibson explained that the Rastafarian community could serve as a "blueprint", since it has experience in marijuana farming and would like to enter the cultivation industry as a unit.

He said: “They spoke about knowing how to do it… So they know what it takes to upgrade and increase capacity for their purposes. They also want a part of the greater industry; to be cultivators not only for themselves.

“So, I think as a community, they may almost be a bit of a blueprint as to how to come together as a collective to crowd source amongst yourselves. And I think that may be one of the first ways until we get the legislation passed, where the banks can now say, 'okay, I can have a conversation with you'.”

Mr Gibson added that traditional financiers such as commercial banks will not discuss funding marijuana farming at present because the practice is still illegal until the legislation is passed.

He said: “I don't think, at this point, in The Bahamas we are able to have that conversation on funding, because nobody's going to have a conversation about funding something that is not legal. You may be able to have it in closed doors with your banker, but that's not a public conversation at this point."