Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) President John Pinder has urged The Bahamas to consider getting a "jumpstart" on local marijuana cultivation for export, stating that The Bahamas has an opportunity to capitalize on the United States' growing demand for the product as many states thaw their laws prohibiting medicinal and recreational pot use. Although Pinder suggested that Bahamians should not hold their breath for decriminalization of local sale and recreational use of marijuana, he believes that the volume of illicit product seized in the country presented lucrative export opportunities to bolster The Bahamas' traditional lack of exports with the noticeable exception of crawfish.
"Based on the amount of marijuana plants that have confiscated in The Bahamas, it appears that we have soil conducive to cultivating marijuana. Marijuana is a used a medicine in some countries and is decriminalized in others so maybe that's something that we should explore. "We need to see if there's an opportunity for us to make money off of that ... I don't know how big the market is, and I think it's something that we need to explore, but certainly if persons are trying to cultivate that amount of marijuana around The Bahamas there must be a market for it," said Pinder.
Four U.S. states - Colorado, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon - have legalized recreational and medicinal use of marijuana, while 12 additional states have decriminalization laws in place. "How do we tap into that market? We need to look at these things from a regional perspective and even globally. Various countries are beginning to legalize or decriminalize small quantities of marijuana, which means there could be more demand than supply. We can get a jumpstart," Pinder stated. Last month, a team from the Royal Bahamas Police Force's Drug Enforcement Unit seized a $4.6 million marijuana haul off the coast of South Andros. Earlier this month, police discovered three large marijuana fields in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, requiring drug enforcement officers to uproot more than 4,000 marijuana plants.
In 2014 alone, the police force seized over 20,000 lbs of marijuana. While Pinder noted the likely swift and harsh response from the U.S.' resulting from any sanctioned local cultivation and distribution of marijuana, he felt that The Bahamas needed to boost its export profile as it strengthens its ties with regional bodies including the Caribbean Congress of Labour and Caribbean Employers Confederation.
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