Despite the naysayers, interest in Barbados’ medicinal cannabis industry is high and the island’s first therapeutic facility is on course to open in the coming year, the head of the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) has disclosed.
The BMCLA’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Senator Shanika Roberts-Odle said on Tuesday that additional training will also be made available to Barbadians who want in on the industry.
She was speaking on the Appropriation Bill, 2023 in the Upper House when she highlighted the progress made in issuing licences in an industry that she said the Government is pursuing as an economic contributor and also to provide medicine that can bring relief to the suffering of Barbadians.
In addition to the initial two licensees representing nine approved and eight issued licences, an additional six licensees and 10 licences have been approved.
“That is progress in this country in an industry where they said no one would be interested; in an industry where they said we would never be able to make inroads. We are making them,” the BMCLA boss said. “2023-2024 will see us having our first therapeutic facility opened in this country. We already have our first working medicinal cannabis farm up and running.”
She said the BMCLA has also made progress in training, research and development, and reported that the agency’s free, three-term cannabis crash course programme, which is now in its second term, has been well received.
“I am happy to say that it has not just been well subscribed, it has been oversubscribed,” she said.
“And term three of that programme, we are working with the University of the West Indies who, in fact, has one of their own training programmes as it relates to training doctors on the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of their patients.”
The Government Senator disclosed that the BMCLA has created a training programme “that would give the best opportunity to Barbadians who want to be involved in that industry”.
“I’m happy to say that we have finally reached an agreement with one of the major educational institutions in this country – which will be announced in the coming two months – to carry out that training for Barbadians to allow them to be able to understand where the international requirements lie and to be able to give them a qualification that they can’t just use in Barbados, they can’t just use in the region, that they can go internationally and be able to present themselves as well studied, well learned and qualified,” she added.
In her contribution which focused on the work of the Ministry of Agriculture, Senator Roberts-Odle sought to dispel the notion that licences to get a foot in the industry are not affordable.
The BMCLA issues licences across several categories and types, under which licensees can cultivate, transport, process, sell, import, export, research and develop medicinal cannabis and medicinal cannabis products.
The authority’s CEO pointed out that licences are valid for five years – which she suggested is longer than in other parts of the world – and payment plans were offered.
“I would argue that I have not seen anywhere else that will allow you to pay on a payment plan. We allow our licensees to give us 60 per cent of the cost of their licence upfront and to pay the remainder over the next three years,” she explained.
For example, Senator Roberts-Odle said, for a tier one licence which costs $29 700, a payment of $17 820 is made up front and the remainder is due over three years.
“You can pay that on a yearly basis which is $3 960, or you can pay that on a monthly basis which is $330. That’s a Courts bill,” she asserted.
(DP)

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By Anesta Henry

Pharmacies have recorded an increase in the sale of products to treat upper respiratory issues as Barbadians contend with smoke and ash from cane and grass fires that have been occurring across the country.
President of the Barbados Pharmaceutical Society (BPS) Yolan Pantin told Barbados TODAY on Tuesday that in recent weeks, there has been an increase in the number of people going to pharmacies to purchase over-the-counter medications and have prescriptions filled, as they seek relief from sinus issues and allergic reactions.
“Obviously, because of the situation we have been seeing more people passing through. It depends on what the doctor has written on the prescription and if they are looking for simple things like Histal, antihistamines, and maybe some nasal sprays, depending on how severely they are being affected by the present conditions.
“They are coming with allergies, depending on how long they leave their symptoms, and some persons will receive courses of antibiotics because respiratory tract infection has occurred and that is something that only the doctor deals with,” Pantin said.
She warned Barbadians experiencing respiratory tract infections to treat their symptoms as soon as they show up.
Additionally, Pantin said, individuals should seek medical attention if they do not get relief using over-the-counter medication after three days.
She said the Otrivin nasal spray, in particular, should not be used longer than three days, as doing so could cause “rebound rhinitis where they would actually be hooked on having to use it continuously”.
“If after three days and they find that their symptoms really haven’t dissipated they really should see a physician,” the pharmacist recommended.
Pantin said pharmacies currently have adequate stock to meet the present demand.
While some pharmacies are out of allergy and sinus tablets, people battling with sinusitis can also use the multi-symptom tablets for the time being, since they are basically the same medication, just slightly different strengths.
“Right now, as far as the oral preparations and the nasal sprays that are over-the-counter are concerned, we do have adequate stock on the island,” she said.
Pantin advised those known to suffer from sinusitis, allergies, or asthma who are working in areas affected by the smoke and ash, to resume wearing masks.
“A couple of my customers that have passed through have actually purchased masks because they work in areas close to the smoke and the ash and so on. So, because they do suffer from respiratory problems – some are asthmatics as well – they have chosen to resume wearing masks in order to help with not getting as much smoke inhaled into their lungs and their upper respiratory tract,” she said.
“So, for safety and for your own health, for persons who are compromised with respiratory illnesses of any form, I would advise them until this really dissipates in another two weeks, or unless we get a heavy rainfall, they should resume wearing the masks.”
On Monday, during an interview with Barbados TODAY, Chief Medical Officer Dr The Most Honourable Kenneth George urged asthmatics and people who suffer from allergies and sinus complications to take all precautionary measures to protect themselves amid an increase in cane and grass fires.
While indicating that he had not received reports from polyclinics or the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) regarding an alarming increase in persons reporting to those facilities complaining of health issues due to the environmental hazard, Dr George supported the Ministry of Education’s decision to closely monitor affected schools to protect students and teachers from potentially harmful effects.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The St Stephen’s Nursery School will remain closed for the remainder of the week after the Ministry of Education’s plan to temporarily relocate students to the nearby Anglican Church failed.
Issues including poor lighting and inadequate lunch arrangements at the church were among the challenges identified by parents and by teachers who tried to facilitate classes there.
Arrangements are to be made for students to engage in classwork online and materials will be distributed to parents to keep the children engaged.
On Tuesday following meetings at the St Stephen’s Anglican Church with executive members of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), teachers, president of the Association of Public Primary School Principals Ivan Clarke, staff and parents, Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw said the ministry did not have adequate time to ensure the church was a conducive learning environment.

Teachers and parents also complained of the fact students had to walk through the church’s graveyard to access the bathrooms, inadequate ventilation and difficulty conducting five classes in a confined area. The situation was further aggravated when workers came to dig a grave in the cemetery using a drilling machine. They were later instructed by the funeral director to complete the job when classes were dismissed.
There are 145 students enrolled at the school in four nursery and five reception classes. Only the reception classes could be accommodated at the church.
Meanwhile, due to the environmental issues that caused the school to officially close twice last week and on Monday, Archer-Bradshaw said a plan of action “was quickly put in place so that children would not lose additional teaching time” and the ministry had instructed the principal to contact the priest to use the church.
“On Monday we were told that the situation had not been rectified as had been expected on Friday so we decided to take quick action with regard to getting the children in the space . . . Sometimes things don’t always work out,” said Archer-Bradshaw.
“If we had three or four days to come and inspect and so on, I could understand that, but we decided that we would come and we would try with the space and I want to thank the teachers and principal for actually coming and trying,” she added.
Last week, the BUT reported that the Ministry of Education was working with environmental health officers to address the problem. A neighbour who raised chickens had promised to have the pens cleaned by last Friday. The environmental problem was first raised last Monday when the school closed early and two days later, parents were given the option to collect their children from the school. However, the school remained open.
(SZB)

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Doctors María Arias Peña, Raymundo Hernández, and Plutarco Arias indicated that difficulties in falling asleep also cause poor work performance, increase the chances of suffering strokes and create greater obesity.

Medical professionals said that most road accidents happen because drivers and conductors fall asleep. They indicated that the sleep disorder causes apathy toward sex and that on several occasions it ends in divorce between couples. They explained that sleep apnea, which manifests itself in snoring at night, is more common in people aged 40 and older.

Doctors highlighted that the ARS provides coverage to people who suffer from this health problem. Dr. Plutarco Arias, president of the National Sleep Apnea Institute (INAPS), stressed that this entity continues to advance in the development of its specialized personnel to treat patients suffering from sleep disorders.

GRASS FIRES STRETCHING RESOURCES OF FIRE SERVICE

By Sheria Brathwaite

The recent uptick in grass fires has been putting the Barbados Fire Service under strain and Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard is pleading with Barbadians to avoid starting fires.
Meanwhile, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) is urging the Ministry of Education to act more promptly in closing schools impacted by heavy smoke.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY on Monday after 8 p.m., at which time crews were still out fighting fires, Maynard expressed concern that many of the grass fires were caused by people, intentionally or otherwise.
“We are definitely extremely concerned because the fires are stretching our resources beyond limit. Just today, we had in excess of 14 fires up to 7 p.m. and now we are still having fires. They are stretching our resources to the limits, [to the point that] the admin staff, the senior officers, everybody had to come out today,” he said.
Maynard said crews were out from as early as 9 a.m. on Monday in Colleton and Greenidges in St Lucy, Pool in St John, Padmore Village and Farm Road in St Philip, and Callenders and Coral Ridge in Christ Church.
So far this year, there have been 176 grass fires, 20 more than during the January to March period last year.
“All are not due to combustion. Some have to deal with human intervention, accidental or otherwise,” Maynard said about the cause of the fires. “So we are encouraging all persons to avoid burning. Those who are doing it intentionally should stop it and those [doing it] unintentionally should avoid burning; because of the dry conditions and high winds, you will lose control of these fires.”
For the past few weeks, classes at several schools have been affected by billowing smoke.
While saying he was concerned about the disruption, president of the BUT Rudy Lovell said the health of those being impacted by the smoke was more important.
He said he was also concerned about how long it took the Ministry of Education to give the directive to close schools in these circumstances.
“Complaints from our members suggest that in some instances, schools remain open for a prolonged period, waiting for official notice from the Ministry of Education to close, and we would want the ministry to establish a protocol which gives the principal of the school the leeway to make decisions in the best interest of the occupants of the school compound,” Lovell said, noting that while principals wait for the green light from the ministry, students and staff “are suffering from smoke inhalation”.
“We know there are a lot of asthmatics and people with other respiratory ailments and we do not want to expose these people unnecessarily to these environmental issues that can be avoided,” the BUT president added.
In a press release, the Ministry of Education advised parents and guardians to ensure their wards walk with medication if they have respiratory illnesses, noting that they should also have a plan to ensure they can collect their children in a timely manner.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb

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By Anesta Henry

Asthmatics and persons who suffer from allergies and sinus complications have been advised to take all precautionary measures to protect themselves as the country continues to experience a series of cane and grass fires.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. The Most Honourable Kenneth George is also supporting the decision of the Ministry of Education to close affected schools to protect students and teachers from the potentially harmful inhalations.
However, Dr George told Barbados TODAY that he had received no reports from polyclinics or the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) regarding an alarming increase in persons reporting to the facilities complaining of health issues due to the environmental hazard.
“The major persons who would be affected are persons who have some form of allergy. And we know that asthma and sinusitis and sinus headaches and so forth fall into the allergy category and those are the people who should try to protect themselves the most.
“The best way to protect yourself is to leave the area that is close to a site that is burning. We know that that may not always be easy, or it may be easier said than done. Therefore, individuals who can’t get out of the situation, many of you may have masks in your houses because you would have used masks during the COVID pandemic. If you can’t put on a mask, you have to try to lock your houses so that the influx of smoke will not affect you,” he said.
Dr George noted that smoke comprises chemicals which can lead to acute respiratory injury or a reaction that produces bronchial spasms, runny nose and itchy skin.
In recent weeks, the Ministry of Education has had to summon parents and guardians to collect their children after the institutions had to be closed prematurely.
Dr George said even though it may appear to the public that schools are being closed too frequently because of fires, “from a public health perspective, we need to make sure that people are protected.
“We know that asthma kills one or two individuals every year. So it is better to be safe than sorry. I am supportive of the Ministry of Education deciding to close schools, particularly if staff and students are reporting that the environmental conditions are affecting their health. I haven’t received any reports, but the polyclinics are always willing and able to provide any acute care,” Dr George said.
Meanwhile, the CMO recommended that schools establish a treatment plan to guide what measures should be taken to manage students or staff who may experience asthma attacks.
“I think schools should invest in some form of treatment plan for asthma because asthma is so common. Schools should have some area identified as an asthma bay so that they can give some form of acute treatment to persons who are in distress,” he said.
Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services (BMS) Sabu Best explained that there has been a significant reduction in rainfall in recent weeks, particularly in the St Philip, Christ Church, St Lucy areas and this has led to an increase in grass and cane fires due to the dry topsoil.
Best said that while the grass and cane fires usually last for a few hours, the smoke is likely to travel for many miles.
“This is going to make life a bit complex for residents in Barbados, particularly those living in St Michael and working in the Bridgetown area. We expect that these kinds of conditions are going to continue into April where grass and cane fires will be sparking off because of the dry conditions.
“There is not going to be any rainfall coming in anytime soon and I just want Barbadians to be aware that they can expect to see more fires in days to come and just be prepared. This is not an uncommon thing to be actually happening during the dry season,” Best said.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) is reporting an increase in the illegal use of its facilities by people burning materials to get copper in order to cash in on the growing trade in that metal.
At a media briefing on Friday, public relations officer (PRO) Carl Alff Padmore said the use of the Mangrove, St Thomas landfill for that purpose was extremely dangerous and put residents in the nearby communities at serious risk.
“The landfill area is dry because, naturally, we are not getting any rain. Why is that a problem for us? We have persons who are trespassing on the compound and they are creating a nuisance because what they are doing is burning copper. There is a trade for copper in Barbados [and so] they are trying to get the rubber off of the copper,” he complained, explaining that these fires were happening in an area near the old Central Cricket Club pavilion.
Saying that no permission had been granted by either the SSA or the Barbados Fire Service to start these fires, Padmore warned: “A simple flame can ignite the grass around the landfill and once the landfill catches, we know it will cause serious strain on our resources because we have to get crews to out it; it will cause strain on the fire service because they will have to deploy trucks; and environmental officers from the Ministry of Health would have to come and do air quality testing.”
“So one simple act . . . has the potential to be a nuisance at a bigger scale,” he added, noting that residents living downwind, in areas such as Arch Hall, Bennetts and Bucks, would be impacted if a fire started at the landfill.
The SSA spokesperson said the culprits tend to start the fires early in the morning and while some people had been spotted leaving the dump, no one had been caught.
He reminded that anyone found engaging in the illegal practice could be slapped with a fine of $5 000 or be jailed for creating a public nuisance.
During the briefing, Padmore also reminded Barbadians not to commingle old mattresses they take to the dump with other waste.
He said there was a programme in place for the SSA to dispose of those kinds of items which come from households, businesses such as nursing homes, and government facilities like the Geriatric Hospital.
Padmore said the SSA would engage in a controlled burn and those were the only fires that were conducted and considered safe at the Mangrove Landfill.
(SZB)

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CTUSAB RECOMMENDS EARLIER TERM’S LEAVE FOR TEACHERS TO AVOID FATIGUE

By Jenique Belgrave

Teachers must once again be allowed a term’s leave after five years’ of service.
General Secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados Dennis DePeiza made this clear on Friday as he insisted that educators have to be protected from the very real threat of burnout.
Saying some believed that the three school breaks per year provided enough time for teachers to rest, he suggested that for many of those days, they are still occupied with work.
“When schools are on recess, teachers are at seminars, summer school, preparation meetings and they get burnout. They were supposed to be given a term’s leave after every five years and someone determined that this should be moved to 15 years. I think there needs to be a rethink and teachers should be given a term’s leave after five years,” he said, noting that such a job needed to be incentivised to draw a higher level of interest.
Speaking to the media at the Barbados Union of Teachers’ Merryhill headquarters on Friday, he also expressed concerns over the number of school disruptions being experienced in recent times due to environmental issues and instances of violence.
“When we see disruption that is continuous like this it says something about how we are managing the system…As soon as something happens, somebody pops up, makes a statement and then disappears, but there seems to be no direction coming from the Ministry of Education, none whatsoever to deal with these ongoing issues,” he charged.
Depeiza noted that such stoppages have an impact on the island’s productivity and he suggested that a broad discussion with all stakeholders is necessary if issues affecting the education sector are to be addressed.
“We need to get something done where we engage all stakeholders because this disruption is having an impact on the country’s economic development. You may say only the schools are closed but when the schools are closed, parents have to go for children all during the day, they lose income and some jobs may be on the line because they are not at work.
“There are other social factors that are affected as people who have a little money are spending it on someone to keep their children and on meals as the children are, in some cases, missing out on the school lunches provided.
“We have to look at this broadly and find out what are the problems right across the system, have some serious discussions and look for solutions,” Depeiza added.
jeniquebelgrave@barbadostoday.bb

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Among young people, what seems like a game has repercussions for them and future generations that procreate, because poverty also increases, due to the expenses that it implies having children with health complications. Of 7,976 early births, some are fortuitous. However, the specialists in the area are concerned about the harmful substances consumed by adolescents and young people,  as for the lack of checks during pregnancy and malnutrition.

The statistics of the National Health Service (SNS) indicate that of 114,580 births registered in the country last year, 59,207 were of mothers under 24 years, and of these, 23,258 were teenagers, including 859 under 15 years. “The use of substances during pregnancy promotes prematurity, low birth weight, and that the embryo is not developed properly when the woman abuses so much drug, hookah or vape,” said Leandra Cordero Oñate, pediatric pneumologist and nutriologist. The babies suffer many complications when born prematurely or with low weight. In 2022, 9.04% of births presented low weight and 0.3% malformation. Dr. Cordero Oñate sees in consultation an increase in interstitial pathology, pneumonic processes, and secondary fibrosis and attributes it to the abuse of that type of product at an early age. “All these findings are seen in young people, who understand that using Hookah or vape is not smoking, it is quite the opposite,” he said.

Law 16-19 prohibits the use of Hookah in public and private places in the country, but electronic cigarette has no restrictions and is widely used among adolescents. Studies conducted at the Maternal Child Hospital of Los Minas determined that 73% of teenage mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy and 21% of their babies required attention due to the condition of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Among other factors of prematurity and risks of children’s deaths are hypertension (preeclampsia), obesity, diabetes, having a sedentary life, depression, and low schooling. Maternal-infantile hospitals in the Dominican Republic are endowed with units specialized in attention to premature and low-weight babies, with the required drugs and specialized doctors.

Dialing the toll-free number 809-200-1400, during the pilot schedule from Monday to Friday from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon, trained professionals will provide specialized psychological assistance in a safe and healthy environment. “It will not be an automatic line,” but a person will be on the other side listening and providing timely follow-up, Pujals explained.

In his speech, the director of the OGTIC reflected on how mental health alerts have skyrocketed after the arrival of the pandemic due to COVID-19, increasing anxiety and depression disorders. Minister Rivera stressed that in the last two years, there were 400 thousand of psychology consultations and 178 thousand of psychiatric consultations, according to the data of the National Health Service (SNS), evidencing the need for citizens to have a friendly hand for mental health services. The hotline will be connected to the SNS mental health services network, which already has 17 crisis intervention units disseminated throughout the country. The first lady said that, in the future, the number to be marked will be simplified and, from the 9-1-1 system, citizens can connect to the line.

Likewise, the Vice Minister of Collective Health, Eladio Pérez, explained that after psychosocial rehabilitation in a crisis intervention unit, if necessary, the patient would go to the psychosocial and human development center (Reside). “This comes to reinforce the mental health strategy and is the first phase to develop a service that will give timely response to all needs in the mental health area,” Pérez added.