By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE government is nearing a decision on a technology platform to support the country’s cannabis licensing system, with Attorney General Ryan Pinder confirming yesterday that officials are still aiming to accept licence applications by July.

Mr Pinder said extensive research into regulatory platforms has been completed, and a shortlist of potential providers has been drawn up. The Cannabis Authority, which will regulate medical and religious cannabis use, is expected to make its final selection soon. Following that, the focus will shift to building the necessary human resources for the rollout.

The members of the Cannabis Authority were revealed yesterday. Dr Lynwood Brown will chair the institution, which consists of 11 members, including Bishop Simeon Hall, Priest Richmond McKinney, Dr Pearl McMillan, Dr Carolin Burnett-Garaway, Dr Tynell Cargill, Dr Tanya McCartney, attorney Donavan Gibson, Jerry Pinder, Beverley Laramore, and Gail Cartwright.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville confirmed that officials are also finalising a location for the Cannabis Authority’s office. “Once all of this is done and in place, then we’ll be ready to open for business,” he said. “I think we’re moving, and we’re about to pick up the pace.”

Last year, Parliament passed legislation legalising cannabis for medical and religious use. The regulatory system will offer multiple types of licences, including cultivation, transport, manufacturing, retail, religious, and analytical testing.

A cultivation licence will allow for the growing, harvesting, and packaging of cannabis, while a transport license will enable delivery within the country. A manufacturing licence will cover production and packaging, and a retail license will permit the sale of cannabis and accessories for medical, scientific, and religious purposes. A religious license will permit cannabis use in religious practices, and an analytical testing license will be for scientific testing of cannabis products.

Licenses for cultivation, transport, retail, and religious use will be reserved for Bahamian citizens or companies fully owned by Bahamians. Analytical testing, manufacturing, and research licenses may be obtained by entities with at least 30% Bahamian ownership.

Initial application fees range from $1,000 for cultivation, transport, and religious licenses, to $5,000 for analytical testing licenses.