Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said a draft bill paving the way for a regulated marijuana industry will be presented to parliament in the coming weeks.
“The Government will forge ahead on the matter of developing a revenue stream, and foreign exchange earnings from a marijuana industry,” Skerrit said when delivering the country’s latest national budget.
Skerrit said the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) (Amendment) Bill 2020 is currently being drafted.
It will be presented to parliament at the next sitting, he said.
Most details of the proposal remain under wraps, but part of the proposed law would decriminalize the possession of up to 28 grams of marijuana.
“There has been a global thrust in recent times to decriminalize certain aspects of marijuana possession, growth and ownership in recent years,” the prime minister said.
Skerrit also reiterated a pledge to expunge the criminal records of convictions for small quantities of marijuana and cease prosecutions involving the possession of one ounce or less of cannabis for personal use.
Read the budget speech here.
