The Tribune Limited

Has government given up on deadlines?

HERE at The Tribune, we know our fair share about deadlines. We have to meet them every day – so that you can read the newspaper in your hands.

It doesn’t seem that way so much in government.

There’s an old quote from the author Douglas Adams, who wrote the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, about the subject. He said: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”

Over at Village Road, there have been so many deadlines missed it seems that the place must sound like Lynden Pindling International Airport with all that whooshing.

The end of January had been mentioned as the last government had seen fit to tell anyone. There has been progress – asphalt has been laid along a sizeable stretch of the road – but it is still not complete.

Then in today’s Tribune we see mention again from Attorney General Ryan Pinder of marijuana legislation.

The government promised that one would be presented to Parliament by the end of 2022, so yesterday surely Mr Pinder was excited to announce the legislation being enacted?

Alas, not so. The legislation is “nearly” completed. However, at the start of December, he said that legislation was “coming along well. Just some technical aspects we have to work through” so it appears to have taken two months to get those technical aspects resolved. Or not quite resolved, because nearly completed isn’t completed, and close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Of course, once the legislation is done, there will likely be public comment on it – Rastafarian priest Rithmond McKinney said in December he had received no contact from the government on the issue, for example.

So what’s the new deadline? Mr Pinder cannot say. He notes it will be up to the Cabinet to decide when it will be presented to Parliament.

Mr Pinder is also dealing with the matter of the fuel spill in Exuma last July – although again, there is no word as to when that will be concluded.

He says that the company responsible for the spill will face penalties. A total of 35,000 gallons of diesel spilled on that occasion as a vessel contracted by Sun Oil was offloading fuel to BPL at George Town.

Mr Pinder said: “They will absolutely see penalties. We prepared our litigation materials, we’ve conducted all of the interviews, and received all of the reports. We are prepared to file a civil action.”

It will be interesting to note whether that “civil action” is under the Environmental Planning and Protection Act 2019 and the Ministry of Environment Act 2019, which FNM leader Michael Pintard said last month empowered fines of up to $30m to be levied for both the incident in Exuma, and the sinking of the cargo ship Onego Traveller in December. At the time, Mr Pinder warned Mr Pintard “not to make reckless forecasts”.

Whenever that matter resolves, we shall see what compensation The Bahamas receives for a spill that despoiled our waters enough for Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper to raise the matter in Parliament before leading an urgent delegation to begin the clean-up.

As for forecasts, with no word on when Village Road will be completed, no word on when marijuana legislation will be tabled, no word on when the civil action will begin, it seems as if the government has given up on deadlines entirely - whooshing sound or not.

Faded flags need replacing

EDITOR, The Tribune.

HONOURING

Our National Flag - nowhere should there be a faded or tattered flag flying - please.

The writer last week is correct - passed the Office of the Prime Minister

(OPM) last week the flag out to West Bay is faded, especially the aqua marine. We will be front stage in a few days with the opening of Heads of CARICOM - let’s hope OPM can buy a new flag so we will be saluting the true rising sun and emblem of our flag.

Driving around Nassau you see so many faded flags - Please correct them.

JEROME SMITH

Nassau, February 1, 2023

EDITOR, The Tribune. MARIJUANA/CANNABIS policy in both Germany as in The Bahamas plans are in the works toward its legalisation. Of the 28 EU states, Malta has legalised cannabis use, but with hefty fines for smoking in the presence of children, minors and public smoking.

Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland all plan to establish State Legality Regulations. The RAND Corporation finalised an exhaustive, global, evidenced based report on all aspects of cannabis. It is extremely informative.

Uruguay first, and then Canada of the America nations have both legalised cannabis. Thailand has also legalised cannabis. Their policies and approaches reflect before and after data on youth drug use, quality control, education, research, recreational laws, medical use, taxes and black-market crime. The Bahamas, as in The EU, faces the very endemic prominent sub culture of sustained decades old cannabis popular culture.

On December 2, 2020, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs re-classified cannabis and cannabis resin to Schedule ‘I’ to recognise its medical value away from Schedule ‘IV’. However, the UN convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 still holds cannabis and cannabis resin within Schedule ‘IV’ which makes it illegal to cross borders. The Netherlands liberalised cannabis to allow use, but collects billions in taxes.

In the United States of America, cannabis is legal in 37 states for medicinal use, and legal for recreational use in 21 States. Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the use and possession of cannabis is illegal under Federal Law which is Constitutional Primacy over individual State Laws.

According to MJBizDaily (23/6/22) 22.2 million Europeans consumed cannabis in the past year. Statista.com lists 3.43 million recreational cannabis users in USA in 2020, set to almost double by 2025. Washington Post, Economic policy April 19, 2017 lists 55 million adults. YouGovAmerica, April 7 2022 gives a realistic breakdown.

Jamaica amended its Dangerous Drugs Act in 2015 and decriminalised the possession of cannabis for personal use under two ounces or less. Public consumption is forbidden by law. Caribbean-council.org highlights Jamaica ganja Tourism as well as tax benefits to USA and EU where cannabis is legal.

Also, Terrence Nelson, a member of the USVI legislature, advocated that the region “should adopt and adapt cannabis as a Caribbean commodity” and called for the creation of a Caribbean cannabis trade organisation “to market Caribbean marijuana tourism”.

In 1988, the search within the brain for the “where” humans experience cannabis THC’s pleasure, high and relaxation lead to the discovery that we also produce similar chemicals called Endocannabinoids in that very location. Anandamide and 2AG play a role in feelings of happiness.

There is scientific and established evidence-based approach with results on the trajectory age groups and the impacts cannabis will have on mode, memory and stress levels. Without cannabis regulation the prenatal care will never be able to warn mothers who smoke. The impact of developing adolescent behaviour and education success which directly impacts literacy and adult maturity is a cause of concern. The trajectory and spectrum of effects upon different types of pains caused by cancers and injuries have all been researched as safe remedies, especially those in palliative survival only.

The University of Mississippi Research, Canadian Public Health Authority (CPHA), along with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)are global leaders in cannabis facts.

The PAHO after reviewing all data should also give some regional guidelines and safety advise. The safest way to treat cannabis is to not try it at all, and find peace and tranquility from God within us. We live in multi-generational homes and communities.

The Government of The Bahamas is not alone in the quest to make the best decision based on available evidence-based research data and the continued monitoring of those results in line with other responsible global stakeholders in governments and respective communities.

CARLTON L ROBINSON

Nassau, February 2, 2023

EDITOR, The Tribune.

MY HEALTH insurance group has just been advised by Doctors Hospital that they will be discontinuing the traditional “discounts” given to Health Insurers for treatment at DHS.

It was not so long ago that DHS was crowing about a fifty-million-dollar WINDFALL profit that they had made from Bahamas residents for COVID-19 related services. You have to wonder if the people making such decisions live inside a silkworm’s cocoon with no knowledge of the outside world. Such as Florida and the many upscale hospitals there. And our little rinkydink Healthcare insurers are able to obtain for their clients what I would call obscene discounts on medical services depending on the plan’s USA Healthcare alliance.

One line item on my Explanation of Benefits last year. Provider Billed 82,598.70

Discount 69,895.65 Member

Coinsurance 335.08

Provider Paid 12,369.97.

Now I have no doubt that the USA Tax System gets involved and I am sure Aetna has it all worked out, but why would anyone with Health Insurance be hospitalized here with benefits like that and nothing even remotely comparable. And then the Government wants to slip in some VAT now too.