This Caribbean Country Will Begin Accepting Cannabis License Applications This Year

News Americas, New York, NY, February 3, 2025: Another government has announced plans to begin accepting license applications for cannabis operators by the end of the second quarter of this year.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder of The Bahamas has confirmed that the legislation, passed last year, regulates cannabis for medicinal, religious, and scientific purposes, establishing a structured licensing system for cultivation, retail, and research. The law also allows for the religious use of cannabis by Rastafarians.

“The Cannabis Authority’s board has been established and is working to implement the necessary controls, technology, and processes to issue and regulate licenses,” Pinder said. “This is a significant undertaking. While the law is comprehensive, its implementation and administration present challenges. We are currently drafting the initial guidelines for licensing requirements.”

Pinder revealed that he has already reviewed the first set of guidelines and will pass them on to the Cannabis Authority. “We aim to start accepting applications for licenses by the end of the second quarter of this year, which I believe is a reasonable timeline,” he stated during the University of The Bahamas’ Legal Week 2025.

He noted that The Bahamas is not the first country to implement such a system and has sought expert advice on technology and licensing portals used in other jurisdictions.

Under the new framework, cannabis-related business ownership will be heavily regulated. “If you are a legal entity applying for a cultivation, retail, transport, or religious use license, you must be 100 percent Bahamian-owned. However, for analytical testing, manufacturing, and research, there is more flexibility, with a minimum requirement of 30 percent Bahamian ownership,” Pinder explained.

Additionally, the government has included special provisions to accommodate the Rastafarian community. “The Cannabis Act ensures that the use of cannabis as a sacrament by Rastafarian parishioners, under a religious use license, will be lawful,” Pinder said. He added that this provision was modeled after similar approaches in Jamaica and Barbados, given their shared cultural, religious, and legal frameworks.

While acknowledging that the legislation may be viewed as controversial, particularly by some religious groups such as the Christian Council, Pinder emphasized that the regional legal developments suggest that Rastafarians’ religious use of cannabis could be considered a fundamental right.