Belize GG assents to legislation allowing for decriminalisation of marijuana
Political parties gave it bi-partisan support
Saturday, November 4, 2017
One week after the Belize Senate gave the green light to the passage of legislation decriminalising 10 grams or less of marijuana, Governor General Sir Colville Young has assented to the bill. The Dean Barrow government had successfully piloted the amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act that also provides for monetary and non-recordable penalties for possession on school premises and in specified circumstances make smoking on private premises no longer an offence. Despite opposition from the churches, legislators voted in favour of the measures but Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte is warning that it is still very much a crime to grow and retail marijuana. (See also: The politics and business of marijuana)