Caye Caulker to Make History with First Cannabis Referendum

Caye Caulker residents are getting ready to vote in what will be Belize’s first-ever cannabis referendum. The question is whether to legalize the sale and use of marijuana on the island. It’s not only about lighting up; it can also boost the local economy. The aim is to build a regulated, taxable cannabis industry, with a slice of that revenue going straight back into Caye Caulker’s development. And yes, it’s causing quite a stir. The buzz around the referendum has reached national levels, even prompting the government to take a fresh look at Belize’s National Referendum Act. So, what could this mean for the island, and for Belize as a whole? To get some answers, we spoke with government officials and the man who sparked the movement. News Five’s Britney Gordon has that story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

In just one month, the island village of Caye Caulker will make history by hosting the first-ever cannabis referendum in Belize. It’s an issue that has been discussed across the country for years, but now, through a movement started by one man, the referendum has been approved. Village Councilor Ilya Rosdado gathered over three hundred signatures on a petition to take the issue to a vote. He says, the idea was sparked by his desire to help the residents in his community.

 

Ilya Rosado, Councilor, Caye Caulker Village Council

“My community has many needs and most of that are things like infrastructure. I have people in my community living without water, electricity. We need proper streets. Our schools need help in terms of their own facilities, their own infrastructure, and we never have enough revenue to be able to render the assistance that I’d like to help. And one of the things that I came up with as a possibility was seeing if we can use this as a way to get additional revenue for our community.”

 

Rosado’s vision is to create a regulated, taxable industry, so that a portion of the revenue can be invested back into the island. He also foresees that this industry will help eliminate the amount of black-market cannabis available in Belize.

 

Ilya Rosado

“I definitely don’t want to see this out in the open all over the streets or anything like that. As a matter of fact, I think that’s the issue right now. It’s a problem that we have and if with proper regulation. Just like there are laws against public drinking, we can have strict laws against having this out in the open in public.”

 

The movement for the legalization of cannabis on the island has received support from Minister of New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa. He says that law enforcement will be able to better track the movement of the drug from seed to dispensary to consumer.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of New Growth Industries

“What is a concern to me is the illegal trade of cannabis coming from Mexico every single day, endangering the lives of our young men, especially in Belize City, causing all of these rivals, causing all of these conflicts. And so in my opinion, I view the Caye Caulker Referendum as a bold initiative by a tourist destination that’s saying, Hey, tourism is great, but we want to compliment it with something. We want to compliment it with a regulated industry that keeps cannabis away from young people.”

 

Musa says the industry could boost tourism and curb drug crimes, but not everyone in government agrees. On Thursday, PM John Briceño announced plans to review the Referendum Act to prevent local votes from triggering national consequences. Minister Louis Zabaneh echoed the concern.

 

Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Constitutional Affairs

“I believe they have heard that process will need to go through, but that the law is being revised and we will be looking at that at the next house meeting.”

 

Reporter

“For you, does it have any constitutional implications?”

 

Louis Zabaneh

“Yes, in the sense that, as Prime Minister had mentioned it has national implications being decided upon by a small community. And I don’t think that was the purpose that was trying to be achieved by the act. And I think then now we have to improve it so that small communities can deal with issues related to their communities. But then national issues have to be dealt with at the national level.”

 

While Rosado acknowledges the concern of several members of the government, he maintains that the referendum is in the best interest of Caye Caulker residents. He says that it’s not about voting yes, it’s about having a choice.

 

Ilya Rosado

“They are leaders of this country. I’m just at a local level and they will need to make the decisions that they believe is right for the entire country. I’m focused on my own community because this is the community that chose me as one of their leaders. So my loyalty lies with the people who chose me, and I am very humbled by that fact.”

 

Musa further stressed that if implemented, the island would establish special zones for the consumption of cannabis. He said that he does not believe the industry would make policing the movement of cannabis more difficult on the mainland.

 

Ilya Rosado

“There are special zones and special areas created all the time across Belize, whether it’s the Corozal, Free zone, whether it’s Harvest Caye, whether it’s different EPZs or DPAs throughout the country. Caye Caulker would be a cannabis destination designated as such, sort of like a little Amsterdam, if you will. And so the cannabis that is produced there will be sold there, small quantities. So you cannot expect that it will then get across the country. And if it does, like I said, there is an illegal trade that has tons more illegal cannabis, which we don’t know the safety of that. And so that’s another added bonus to this is that we’ll get safe products tested products as opposed to what is coming in from Mexico right now.”

 

Whether the vote is yes or no is yet to be determined, but the island has already made history for the entirety of Belize. Britney Gordon for News Five.