Belize House Approves Bill to Decriminalize Cannabis

Cannabis is already tolerated to some degree in Belize, but now the government is taking steps to make it official. On October 20, Belize’s House of Representatives approved an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act, which would decriminalize possession of personal amounts of cannabis. Still, a few leaders suggested that Belize could’ve gone even further and legalized cannabis.

The bill would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis and replace the penalties with a small fine. It would also legalize industrial hemp production. The bill was tabled in the House of Representatives last August and its second reading was presented in the House by Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington.

Belize’s leaders generally supported the bill, including Prime Minister Dean Barrow. “Clearly it is only a first step and a small step, and I know there will be the naysayers; I suspect we are going to hear from the churches. But I feel as a matter of conviction that it is something good to do, but also that the society as a whole will support it,” said Barrow.

Minister of State Elodio Aragon Junior pointed out that the amendment would remove barriers on industrial hemp by removing it from the country’s definition of cannabis. Doing so would open the floodgates to a potential industrial hemp industry in Belize.

Opposition Leader John Briceño suggested the country could go even further and legalize cannabis on a grander scale. “I believe that there are numerous benefits to legalizing the use of marijuana in small quantities,” he said.

Little will change, since 8.5 percent of all Belizians smoke cannabis, slightly lower than the percentage of all Americans who smoke cannabis (13.7), according to the 2011 World Drug Report. Before the bill can take effect, it must pass through the Senate and the Governor General Sir Colville Young.