A miracle, that's what the Council of Churches is calling the 13,000-plus signatures it has gotten so far for their petition to take the Marijuana Bill to a referendum. They've garnered 70% of the signatures needed in only six days and are hoping to get another 5,000 signatures in the next five days. Their press release today was celebratory as they're confident they can get to the 19,000 or so signatures that they will need to trigger the referendum.
But today, the Minister of New Growth Industries burst their bubble with an executive spear; he said that 19,000 signatures doesn't necessarily mean a referendum will automatically follow - especially since the bill has already passed. Rather, once the churches present the petition, then it's the government who gets to decide what happens next.
Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industry
"The church has all right, and I keep saying this, to utilize whatever is in the law to their favor. What I have said already is that we have consulted with the churches even though I am hearing now that they are saying they were not consulted. They were consulted in October of last year; we have minutes of that meeting. At no point did they ask for a referendum. Let's make that very clear and I am not gonna call anybody anything, but there was no request for a referendum. There was NEAB who did not attend that meeting, for whatever reason, we invited the Council of Churches, NEAB did not come. I understand that Pastor Wade has been clamouring for a referendum, that's one voice. There now seems to be this unity at this very late hour when the bill has passed. So we made corrections, time and time again. No other bill has ever been revised the amount of time that this particular bill has because of the amount of consultation that we've had. So it's not just the churches, we're talking about the Belize Medical and Dental Association, we're talking about the Chamber of Commerce, we're talking about the social partner senators. All of them had input in this bill to what it is today and they are changes that I feel were better for the bill. So I am totally happy with the progress that we've made with the bill, but the bill has passed."
Reporter
"Its a mute exercise essentially?"
Hon. Kareem Musa
"I'm not saying that just yet. I am saying that they have all right to do that, to exercise their right to garner a petition for ten percent."
Reporter
"The churches believe that once they get this 1,900 or however many signatures that it's written in stone - it automatically triggers this referendum, but you are saying it's not like that."
Hon. Kareem Musa
"We are a country of laws. Again, we have to look at the rule of law and what the law says as it relates to a petition coming at this hour and so we have to look at that and so its not my decision, it is up to cabinet to decide on what we do if it is that they come with a petition like that."
Government had earlier indicated that it plans to sign the Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Control and License Bill next week.
