Ganja Bill In Parliament By Year End?

The push to establish a regulatory framework leading to the decriminalisation of Cannabis and the formation of a  Cannabis industry in Saint Lucia has been a long and slow grind for promoters. However, earlier this week the Minister for Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Emma Hippolyte said that the issue is far from dead. She addressed the pending cannabis bill when asked of its status by a reporter. “The whole issue of cannabis yes, for cannabis specifically, what we have now we have a draft bill, a final one we believe that within the next two months we will open it out for public consumption and conversation. And maybe by the end of the year we will present it to parliament,” Hippolyte said. “We really feel because of the nature of cannabis and the subject matter – we are giving birth to a new industry, that we need to have that conversation in the whole national space so that’s where we are, we have a draft bill,” she added. According to the Minister, the government has also introduced the Regulated Substances Authority (RSA) to deal with cannabis and other substances. “You may recall that I came to...