During a recent community meeting leader of the Opposition Honourable Julian Fraser addressed expressions of concern surrounding legislators “dragging their feet” with seeing through the Cannabis Licensing Act.
Fraser sought to remind members of the public that the House of Assembly is not at direct fault for the hold-up with the legislation.
He said, “The legislation for cannabis is something that has to be assented to by the Governor, as all legislation has to be assented to… If it’s not in keeping with the United Kingdom norms, which you would have seen something similar in Bermuda… we can’t have it. So it’s not a matter of your local legislators dragging their feet on the matters. That bill was passed by us, right?… It’s not assented to yet”, he said.
The landmark legislation, which could open the doors for a medical cannabis industry in the British Virgin Islands, has been awaiting assent for over 2 years after being passed through the House of Assembly with a unanimous vote in June 2020.
At the time, the then Governor Augustus Jaspert said that he did not assent to the bill because of various concerns with the contents of the legislation.
Since then, very few developments have unfolded outside of Premier Dr the Honourable Natalio Wheatley indicating that talks on the act have taken somewhat of a backseat as the government handles its newfound responsibilities in the fallout which followed the arrest of former Premier Andrew Fahie and the release of the Commission of Inquiry report.
Notwithstanding the unprecedented circumstances facing the territory’s political landscape, Fraser noted that, given what unfolded in Bermuda, their legislators are restrained in making decisions that oppose the ideals of the crown.
“One of the things we have to keep in mind… These Virgin Islands are a colony of the United Kingdom and I know better than most people because where we sit we get a chance to see it upfront and unless we tell you that it took place, you wouldn’t understand”, he said.