Bermuda’s governor blocks cannabis licensing on UK instructions

Bermuda’s plan for a licensed cannabis market was blocked in September 2022 when the UK instructed governor Rena Lalgie not to assent to the bill as drafted. The UK said its adult-use provisions conflicted with international drug-treaty obligations. The existing seven-gram possession exemption remained in place, with supply and unauthorised cultivation still offences.

A medical proposal grew into a wider plan

In December 2019, Attorney-General Kathy Lynn Simmons presented a draft scheme for prescribed cannabis used by inhalation, with licensed local growing and manufacturing.

After consultation, she announced a broader approach in February 2020. Respondents had questioned the medical proposal’s complexity and cost, and asked why the government was not considering wider regulation.

The expanded policy envisaged personal and commercial cultivation, retail activity and other licensed parts of a cannabis industry. It brought economic opportunities and adult use into a debate that had initially centred on patients.

The bill reached the governor after parliamentary disagreement

The House of Assembly passed the reintroduced bill on 25 March 2022 by eighteen votes to six. The Senate’s vote on 30 March was tied, rejecting the bill for a second time.

The bill was nevertheless presented to the governor for assent under Bermuda’s constitutional process. In May, Lalgie said she had reserved assent and referred the matter to the UK’s foreign secretary because of concerns about international obligations.

Assent was the remaining constitutional step needed for the bill to become law.

The UK drew a line at the adult-use market

In her statement dated 6 September, Lalgie said she had received an instruction not to assent. The UK concluded that the bill was inconsistent with obligations under the 1961 Single Convention and the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

The governor’s explanation distinguished medical, scientific and certain industrial uses, which the UK considered possible with appropriate oversight, from the broader purposes covered by the bill. She relayed the UK’s willingness to work with Bermuda on reforms within its interpretation of those obligations.

Medical and hemp reforms remained priorities

The blocked bill left the 2017 possession reform as the main adult-use change: simple possession of seven grams or less was exempt from the offence, while other activities remained controlled.

In July 2026, Bermuda’s national security minister prioritised hemp and medical access, saying broader adult-use regulation would take longer. The constitutional relationship with the UK continued to shape the reform path for Bermuda.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}