Bermuda’s government has “no intention” of tailoring its laws licensing cannabis production to fit with the UK’s conventions allowing the drug for medicinal use only. David Burt, the Premier, reiterated that legislation for legal cannabis in Bermuda is set to go before the legislature in the current session of Parliament.
The statement came after the Premier’s return from the Joint Ministerial Council in London between the UK Government and elected heads of the Overseas Territories. A question mark hung over the cannabis legislation, passed by the House of Assembly but turned back by the Senate in the last parliamentary session, as to whether it would receive Royal Assent.
The Government conceded in February that Bermuda’s plans for legalized cannabis went beyond the limits of international conventions on the drug, which Britain upholds. The legislation does not conform to the UK international obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs of 1961.
Mr. Burt: “It was critical to make it clear that there is no intention by the Government of Bermuda to amend the current legislation to conform to the 60-year-old convention that allows cannabis supply for medicinal purposes only. Many countries, such as Canada, that allow a regulated supply of cannabis for adult-use purposes, are signatories to that convention. The overall intent of the legislation is clear, and it enjoys the support of the Bermuda electorate, which was confirmed at the last General Election."
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