Cannabis in the Bahamas
Cannabis in The Bahamas is illegal. Law. On February 27, 1929, the government passed the "Dangerous Drugs Act" which dealt with drug offences in the Bahamas, including cannabis. In 1962, Act 26 amended the "Act", providing a new definition of Indian hemp which, "includes all parts of the plant "Cannabis Sativa" whether growing or not from which the resin has not been extracted; the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt derivative, mixture or preparation of such plant or resin. Possession. Offence. Section 29(6) of the "Dangerous Drugs Act" deals  with simple possession of cannabis: Sentence. Anyone convicted of possession of cannabis, is liable: Under Section 29(2) of the "Act", the individual must also forfeit to the Crown all real or personal property in respect of which the offence was committed. Possession with intent to supply. Offence. Section 22(1) of the "Dangerous Drugs Act" states that, "It is an offence for a person to have a dangerous drug in his possession, whether lawfully or not, with intent to supply it to another in contravention of the provisions of this "Act". If a person is found with two or more packets  containing cannabis, they will be presumed to be possessing that drug with the intent to supply it to others, unless they can prove the contrary under Section 22(3) of the "Act". Sentence. Anyone convicted of possessing cannabis with the intent to supply it to another, is liable: Anyone convicted on information to possessing cannabis with the intent to supply it to a child or young person, is liable: Economy. The Bahamas role as a transit country for cannabis is noted as beginning in 1968, when 300 pounds of cannabis were flown from Jamaica to Bimini. As recently as 2010 the  country was noted as a midpoint for Jamaican cannabis being smuggled to the United States. Historically the Bahamas was a drug trafficking country, but not a drug producing one, until a 1991 seizure of 40,000 cannabis seedlings and 1,000 adult plants on Andros Island called that assumption into question. Present-day status. In January 2018, the Caribbean Community Regional Commission held a town hall meeting in Nassau on the issue of decriminalizing cannabis. CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana published a report recommending the declassification of marijuana as a dangerous drug in all legislation and the reclassification of the drug as  a controlled substance, similarly to tobacco and alcohol. The report stated that the Bahamas could see a financial benefit of around $5 million from the legalization of the substance and regulation of its sale. The Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana has been tasked with exploring and making recommendations to the government on the issue of cannabis. It is expected to deliver its first draft to the government by August 2019, after receiving a three-month extension to present its findings.