NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As the government is said to be in the final stages of drafting the Cannabis Bill before tabling it in parliament, the President of the Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association, Dr Marvin Smith, is roundly rejecting the notion of establishing dispensaries for medicinal marijuana distribution.
He, however, stressed that he and the association do support the medicinal use of marijuana, which is currently illegal under Bahamian law.
“When we looked at the draft, we saw a number of things that don’t gel with a medical regimen. We believe that it should be prescribed by a licensed physician or a licensed professional in the country and dispensed by a pharmacist. That’s how all medicines throughout the world are handled,” Smith argued. “This idea to have persons who are only doing training for a couple of months to issue or dispense .. that’s a problem.”
Smith said that the association has presented its recommendations to the government. At the last report, the government was said to be making a number of amendments; however, it is unclear if the association’s concerns were taken into consideration.
