Caye Caulker Cannabis Revenue Model Projects Over $10 Million Annually

A new cannabis revenue model for Caye Caulker suggests that legal production and regulated sales could generate more than $10 million in annual tax revenues, positioning the island as a central hub for Belize’s cannabis industry.

According to conservative estimates, local consumption alone could bring in over $413,000 per year. This calculation is based on a price of $6.75 per gram plus tax, with roughly a quarter of the island’s population of 2,729 residents consuming 10 grams three times per week — a total of 979,200 grams annually.

Tourism also plays a key role in the model. If approximately 17,000 overnight visitors to Caye Caulker consume at the same rate, this would generate an additional $74,266.87 in yearly revenue.

The proposal goes further, envisioning Caye Caulker as the point of origin for all cannabis produced, tested, and sold legally in Belize. Under this framework, if just one-eighth of the national population — about 52,463 people, fewer than the population of Belize City — were to consume cannabis at the same rate, the country could earn an extra $10 million in tax revenues annually.

As the people of Caye Caulker prepare for the upcoming referendum on the legalization of marijuana, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City–Belmopan has issued a statement offering spiritual and moral guidance. The Church reaffirmed its position that, as Christians and citizens, Belizeans are called to protect life, defend families, and pursue the common good.

Citing Catholic tradition, the Diocese reminded the public that “our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Pope St. John Paul II warned that drug abuse “impoverishes every community where it exists,” while Pope Francis has strongly spoken out against legalization, calling drug addiction “an evil” that cannot be compromised with. He has described legalization as “highly questionable” and urged societies to say “yes to life, yes to love, yes to others, yes to education, yes to greater job opportunities.”

The Church argues that Belize cannot afford to legalize marijuana, pointing to negative outcomes seen in other countries. They warn that legalization could harm youth by normalizing drug use and lowering academic performance, damage families by fuelling violence and weakening parental bonds, threaten public health through increased addiction and mental illness, undermine tourism by discouraging family visitors, strengthen criminal networks, and corrode moral values by sending the message that drug use is acceptable.

The referendum takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, October 8.