WILLEMSTAD - Opposition parties MAN and KEM want the bill for the export of medicinal cannabis to be approved. The parties have been waiting for an answer for two years.  

The last time the proposal was discussed, a majority of parliament would be in favor of the proposal. At the moment there is insufficient support for the bill, according to a survey by the Caribbean Network. Only MAN, PAR and KEM are outspoken supporters.  

Former minister Suzanne Camelia-Römer of the PIN party proposed the idea of legalizing cannabis in 2018. “The climate of Curaçao is very suitable for the production of medicinal cannabis. That industry can generate a lot of jobs and money,” she suggested at the time. It resulted in a bill that was debated twice. Since the change of government, the bill has not been discussed.  

KEM Member of Parliament Michelangelo Martines says that the parliament of Curaçao is ready. According to him, all investigations surrounding the bill to legalize medical cannabis have been completed. MAN MP Giselle McWilliam also wants an answer, but above all hopes that Javier Silvania, the Minister of Finance, will recognize the economic boost of the bill.  

Objections to the cannabis industry, according to McWilliam, would come mainly from a religious point of view.