Marijuana Petition: Once Threshold is Met, G.G. to Issue Writ of Referendum

On Wednesday, you heard Minister of New Growth Industries Kareem Musa give an update on the petition signatures by the churches to trigger a referendum on the cannabis bill.  Ten percent of the voting population or eighteen thousand, six hundred verified signatures are needed for a writ of referendum. The Chief Elections Officer with the help of additional public officers is vetting the signatures during the sixty-day period that is afforded for the process. As that date quickly approaches, Minister of Constitutional Reform Henry Charles Usher explains what is expected to happen.

Henry Charles Usher

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional Reform

“The chief elections officer did request from the Ministry of Public Service some additional help to vet the signatures; we provided those with some public officers going over there and assisting her because well they were conducting village council elections at the same time so they needed the extra hands. So that has been done. I am not sure where they are with it, but I do know that the two months have not yet expired. When they do complete their exercise, they will then inform the Governor-General. And if the threshold was met, which means it is ten percent of the total voting population so around eighteen thousand six hundred or so. If the threshold was met, then the governor-general by law would need to issue a writ of referendum.”