St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew has recently participated in the Sitting of the National Assembly held on Wednesday, February 08, 2023, where he addressed the government officials and ministers regarding the Criminal Record (Rehabilitation of Offenders) (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
As per the reports, Prime Minister presented the bill to amend the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023. He cited that the amendment bill will assist in expanding the crimes by which the convicted fellows can be expunged to incorporate cultivation of Five or fewer cannabis plants as the convicted person was sentenced or fined to imprisonment for less than three years.
During the National Assembly citing, Minister of National Security Terrance Drew emphasized the importance of the legislation piece. Most St Kitts and Nevis youth could not aspire anymore after being convicted of minor cannabis-related offences.
In his remarks, he further added that this affected the youth of the Two-Island Federation to pursue their careers in medicine and other. “This bill, the administration of the country is fulfilling the constitutional rights which were declared in the 2019 May landmark step of the High Court in Ras Sankofa Maccabee v the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General,” PM Drew asserted.
Minister Drew further shared the details of the bill and stressed that the cultivation and possession of cannabis were punishable and illegal by imprisonment or fines before the announcement of the High Court’s decision in the case of Ras Sankofa Maccabee in May 2019.
Furthermore, the High Court declared that (a) section 6.2 of the Drugs Act is not regular, violating constitutional privacy rights. In addition, the PM noted that “The freedom of religion and conscience to the extent to which it provides no exception for possession by an adult in a private place of any cannabis for his or her individual use in private and religious use in the Rastafari religion by adults.”
“The former government of St Kitts and Nevis have failed to implement successful amendments to the Criminal Records Act in February 2020 due to the concerns stated in the decision of the Ras Sankofa Maccabee case,” said Prime Minister.
Moreover, the amendments to the Criminal Records Act bill will be made in February to provide all convicted persons of an offence involving 56 grams of cannabis and 15 grams of resin less shall be spent along with expunged criminal records, the PM noted.
However, the amendments made by the previous administration of the nation were unsuccessful. They did not work properly, which inspired the government of St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party to present a new bill to support the latest medical cannabis industry where farmers can be licensed to cultivate cannabis by selling such cannabis for medical uses.
The reports have confirmed that Dr Garfield Alexander has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Medicinal Cannabis Management by the administration led by Prime Minister Terrance Drew.
Additionally, St Kitts and Nevis government called the first sitting of the National Assembly on February 8, 2023, and represented the piece of legislation which read as follows:
First Readings:
• Caribbean Community and Africa Export-Import Bank (Agreement for
the Establishment of a Partnership) Bill, 2023
• Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) (Amendment) Bill, 2023
• Integrity in Public Life (Amendment) Bill, 2023
• Anti-Corruption Bill, 2023
•Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, 2023 Official Gazette Bill, 2023
Second Readings:
– Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) (Amendment) Bill, 2023 Official Gazette Bill, 2023
The National Assembly sitting was broadcasted live on ZIZ Radio Channel (96-1 FM) along with participating radio stations. The sitting can also be viewed live on St Kitts TV Channel 5 and Channel 98 in Nevis, with live streaming on the official website.