Caye Caulker Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Cannabis Legalization Proposal

Last night, almost 80% of Caye Caulker voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposition that the Government of Belize should pass legislation to create a responsible, regulated and taxable legal cannabis industry on the island with a portion of the revenue going directly for the benefit of Caye Caulker and its residents. LOVE NEWS Richard Herbert spent the day covering the referendum on La Isla Carinosa.

Richard Herbert, Love FM Reporter: “Cheers erupted near the Caye Caulker-Roman Catholic School on Wednesday night, as a historic No vote was solidified in the Key Caulker cannabis referendum. Minutes before the celebration, silence filled the air as Islanders eagerly awaited Chief Elections Officer, Josephine Tamai’s certification of the results. 

Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer: “Of the votes counted for Yes, a total of 176, which is 20.54%. The votes counted for No, 678, which represents 79.11%. Rejected ballots, .35%. So I certify that the results show that majority of the voters in Caye Caulker Village have voted against the proposition that the government of Belize should pass legislation to create a responsible, regulated and taxable legal cannabis industry on the island of Caye Caulker with a portion of the revenue going directly for the benefit of Caye Caulker and its residents. I want to say thank you all very much for a smooth election day, a smooth referendum day. Without your participation, this would not have been possible. Thank you.”

Richard Herbert, Love FM Reporter: While the end of the night was filled with merriment from the Hope-Not-Dope team and supporters, the day started off on a go-slow, especially the first few hours, but by mid-morning, the hourly voter turnout became steady as islanders arrived to cast their vote, some via golf carts and bicycles and others on foot. Once the polls closed at 6pm, most of the crowds had dispersed. However, as the first set of scrutineers exited the compound a little over an hour later, the small crowd erupted in cheers, which then turned into a jubilant parade of people and carts, celebrating what was perceived for certain as a victory.  Selena Jimenez, the lead for the Hope Not Dope campaign, expressed optimism before the official results were announced.

Richard Herbert, Love FM Reporter: We know that it’s not official as yet but I am sure you have gotten good news so far. Tell us how the team is feeling.

Selena Jimenez, Hope for Dope Campaign Lead: “We are feeling over excited. It’s overwhelming with excitement.  Unofficial is 4 to 1, but we are expecting the official results  shortly. We were patiently waiting to have the unofficial results. We were waiting and when we got those results then we decided let’s come  and celebrate and wait for the official one. One major factor that contributed to the No decision was the involvement of the churches. There are four pastors on the island.“

Pastor Luis Wade: “These are the pastors.  There are four pastors on the island. And we also have sisters from the Roman Catholic Church that are here. And there are other denominations that were involved because the church took the lead in this matter on the island to help to preserve the moral issue on the island.”

“We the lay minister of our church keep our church going so when this all came together with the guidance of our pastor, our priest we were able to stand together with the other  pastors and we decided to come together and fight this.  Okay because of our future for our children here.  because together we are all stronger.“

Male Pastor: “Listen to this Caye Caulker,  no weapon has been formed that could destroy the people of God and Caye Caulker  they are God’s people. Amen. So let’s bring up Caye Caulker, come on! uh“

Richard Herbert, Love FM Reporter: Another contributing factor for the Hope Not Dope success is Jimenez’s experience in mobilizing the machinery. 

Selena Jimenez, Hope for Dope Campaign Lead : “I have had experience  in  the past with general elections  and village council. However, this  time I changed it.  I did not run it like how I did in the past elections because I found out I had missed one or two things that I put to test in effect. But as I go back and say, nothing is done by one man.  I got a lot of volunteer work. A lot of volunteer work. We just  put the plan on the table and we executed the plan. But we had enough time. We had enough time. We had a month and I feel like that is what helped us. It wasn’t like a crush  time and the plan was a little bit different but with the experience background I have, I implemented it.”

Richard Herbert, Love FM Reporter: The dust settled and the smell of weed disappeared following the historic referendum. With over half of the electorate making their voices heard, the verdict was a resounding No. Now, the focus shifts to moving forward and finding alternative sources of revenue for La Isla Cariñosa.

The referendum was championed by Councillor Ilya Rosado with strong support from the Minister of New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa