The newly-formed Regulated Substances Authority (RSA) is meeting with citizens as stakeholder consultations on the Regulated Substances Bill is ongoing. At a town hall meeting at the Gros Islet HRDC on Tuesday night, Chief Executive Officer of the RSA, Dylan Norbert-Inglis, stressed the importance of public engagement as a means of improving and understanding the implications of the bill.
The Regulated Substances Bill will standardise the use, sale and commercialisation of drugs like cannabis, tobacco and alcohol in the country. Norbert-Inglis encourages citizens to attend and provide feedback as the legislation will affect all aspects of everyday life in Saint Lucia.
“The industry will touch, concern and impact every St. Lucian. So it is wise in my mind to ensure that you understand what the Bill provides for, so that if you have any concerns, any queries, any comments, you can submit it so we can consider it and incorporate it into the Bill,” he explained on the sidelines of the stakeholder meeting in Gros Islet.
Norbert-Inglis reminds citizens that the draft copy of the legislation is available on the Ministry of Commerce’s website for perusal and that the RSA is open to comments and feedback. Citizens can also express their views on the Bill at the RSA’s office at the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards Headquarters in Bisee, Castries.
According to the RSA CEO, feedback from citizens has been helpful in allowing the Authority to explain and clarify many aspects of the Bill. “The legislation speaks to an amnesty for traditional cultivators and a recognition for individuals who have been in the industry. We have received quite a bit of feedback on those components of the Bill. Persons have a serious interest in what would allow them to be deemed traditional cultivators and how they can access the benefits of that amnesty,” he explained.
The dates for the remaining consultations are:
Mar 5 – Vieux Fort (Ministry of Commerce)
Mar 6 – Babonneau (Human Resource Center)
Mar 11 – Anse La Raye (Parish Hall)
Mar 12 – Castries (Castries City Council
