The Nassau Guardian writes
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville said the government is in the process of assembling the Cannabis Authority, the first step toward getting the country’s marijuana industry up and running.
In July, Parliament passed legislation that paves the way for the creation of a controlled system for cannabis use for medical and religious purposes.
However, Darville noted that the Cannabis Authority has to be in place and a digital platform needs to be rolled out before cannabis can be legally dispensed in The Bahamas.
“So the authority is in the process of being put together, and I think we will begin to talk a little bit more about it at the end of next month,” Darville told The Nassau Guardian in a recent interview.
The Cannabis Authority will develop policies, procedures and guidelines to establish and regulate cannabis for medical, scientific and religious use.
The authority will have a board of nine members and will include representatives from the religious community, civil society, and one person each from the fields of banking, law, agriculture, scientific research, pharmacy, and medicine.
“We want to make sure that we have in place the appropriate digital platform in order to do it because it’s our responsibility from the authority, along with law enforcement, to monitor from seedling to destruction, and that means cultivation, manufacturing, analytics, research, transportation and also the cannabis dispensary as well as the therapeutic facilities,” Darville said.
“So it has to be monitored and controlled by a digital platform, and so once the authority is completely put together we will begin making the final decision on which digital platform we will go with, implement it … and then start the training for the doctors who will diagnose as well as the pharmacies that will dispense, working along with the Pharmacy Council for the necessary training to make sure that we launch effectively and make sure that the industry is well regulated.”
The new legislation removes cannabis from the list of dangerous drugs and allows for the expungement of records for individuals convicted of the possession of 30 grams or less of Indian hemp.
The legislation will allow the prescription of cannabis for medicinal use to provide relief for individuals suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism, sickle cell anemia, anxiety, depression and other conditions.
The legislation will also allow for the use of cannabis as a sacrament by followers of the Rastafarian faith when handled under a religious use license.
Under the legislation, only Bahamian citizens, 21 or older, or a legal entity that is at least 100 percent owned by Bahamians would be able to apply for a license to handle cannabis.
Licenses for research, manufacturing and analytical testing can be issued to legal entities that are at least 30 percent Bahamian owned.
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