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Historic day for St Vincent Parliament with medical marijuana debate
Source: Caribbean News Now
Historic day for St Vincent Parliament with medical marijuana debate
December 11, 2018
By Robertson S. Henry
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — The St Vincent and the Grenadines Parliament met in session on Monday, with top of the order paper for debate, being The Medicinal Cannabis Industry Bill 2018, and the Cannabis Cultivation (Amnesty) Bill 2018.
A third bill – the Permitted Use of Cannabis for Religious Purpose Bill 2018 – was shelved because, according to prime minister and leader of government business, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the Rastafarian community had made pertinent representations on the use of cannabis for religious purposes.
In presenting the Bills, minister for agriculture, Saboto Caesar, told the House that the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries has been grappling with agriculture production for many years.
He noted that cannabis cultivation, as an addition to the list of agricultural products from St Vincent and the Grenadines, is a positive expansion of the country’s agricultural sector and that there is an opening for a modern medicinal cannabis industry.
There was plenty of cross talk, especially when opposition parliamentarian Patel Mathews took to the microphone. He reiterated an earlier statement that it was a historic day for St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the day’s sitting presented a unique opportunity to fashion an industry where the traditional cultivators would be major players.
-snip-
December 11, 2018
By Robertson S. Henry
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — The St Vincent and the Grenadines Parliament met in session on Monday, with top of the order paper for debate, being The Medicinal Cannabis Industry Bill 2018, and the Cannabis Cultivation (Amnesty) Bill 2018.
A third bill – the Permitted Use of Cannabis for Religious Purpose Bill 2018 – was shelved because, according to prime minister and leader of government business, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the Rastafarian community had made pertinent representations on the use of cannabis for religious purposes.
In presenting the Bills, minister for agriculture, Saboto Caesar, told the House that the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries has been grappling with agriculture production for many years.
He noted that cannabis cultivation, as an addition to the list of agricultural products from St Vincent and the Grenadines, is a positive expansion of the country’s agricultural sector and that there is an opening for a modern medicinal cannabis industry.
There was plenty of cross talk, especially when opposition parliamentarian Patel Mathews took to the microphone. He reiterated an earlier statement that it was a historic day for St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the day’s sitting presented a unique opportunity to fashion an industry where the traditional cultivators would be major players.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/2018/12/11/historic-day-for-st-vincent-parliament-with-medical-marijuana-debate/