By Belize Live News Staff: Prime Minister John Briceño says the upcoming October 8th referendum in Caye Caulker on marijuana legalization has exposed glaring loopholes in Belize’s Referendum Act.
The referendum, triggered by a local petition, will allow residents of the island to vote on whether marijuana should be legalized in their community. But Briceño says the case reveals how poorly the law defines who can call a referendum and under what circumstances.
“There are weaknesses in the Referendum Act,” Briceño explained. “It doesn’t clearly define geographic areas like districts or constituencies, so now we have a village saying they want a referendum and legally, we could not stop it.”
The Prime Minister warned that without changes, any small community could push for a referendum on any issue, from limiting golf carts to cannabis legalization. He said amendments will be taken to the National Assembly next week to ensure referendums are reserved for matters of national importance.
“Cannabis has national implications,” Briceño stressed. “We need to clearly define when you could have a referendum, whether it should be national or just local.”
The October 8th vote in Caye Caulker will still proceed, but the government says it will move swiftly to tighten the law and prevent similar gaps from being exploited in the future.
