Trinidad and Tobago Lower House Votes 23–10 to Raise Drinking Age to 21

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO · POLITICS

The Trinidad and Tobago drinking age would rise to 21 under a bill passed 23 to 10 by the lower house. The vote followed more than 12 hours of debate on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, the state broadcaster TTT reported.

The bill also lifts the legal age for cannabis and gambling to 25. The opposition wants it withdrawn, and the police see a side effect for young officers.

What the bill changes

Its full name is the Miscellaneous Provisions (Alcohol, Cannabis, Dangerous Drugs, Gambling and Tobacco) Bill, 2026. Like other miscellaneous provisions bills, it amends several existing laws in a single text.

Attorney General John Jeremie, the government’s chief legal adviser, piloted it. Sellers would have to demand national photo ID, and police could ask for ID if they suspect someone under 25 holds cannabis.

Penalties rise sharply in the bill as tabled, the broadcaster CNC3 reported on 29 September. Supplying cannabis to anyone under 25 would carry up to TT$500,000 (about US$76,000) and 30 years in prison.

Today the offence covers only children and carries TT$250,000 (about US$38,000) and five years. Conversions use the 1 October rate of about 6.58 Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar.

Anyone under 25 found gambling or on gambling premises, other than a race track, could be fined TT$50,000 (about US$7,600).

The clause on young workers

The bill does not bar young adults from jobs where alcohol is sold. An 18-, 19- or 20-year-old could still work at a supermarket that sells alcohol, but could not buy or drink it.

Colm Imbert, a former finance minister for the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), raised the case of casino staff.

“What about a worker in a casino? Who neither handles alcohol nor tobacco, but is restricted from entering the casino or the gambling establishment because of their age,” he asked.

Jeremie said he would think about it but made no change. “It is not something that I am prepared to accept tonight,” he said, according to CNC3.

The police problem

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service recruits officers aged 18 to 35, CNC3 reported on 1 October. Under the bill, the youngest officers could not legally drink, smoke or use cannabis while enforcing those same rules.

Senior Superintendent Richard Taylor, head of the Police Training Academy, raised the recruitment figures at a police media briefing.

Police spokesman ASP Owie Russell said the service wants to “see what the contents of the law actually state” before “any adjustments or amendments”.

The opposition and the courts

“Withdraw this Bill, withdraw this Bill and do public consultation,” Imbert told the House, the Trinidad Guardian reported. He said about 130,000 people aged 18 to 25, roughly one resident in eleven, could be directly affected.

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles called the bill “just another money-making venture for the government”. She contrasted it with the PNM’s own cannabis law, which she said had two years of consultation.

Jeremie invited a court test. “Go ahead and challenge it,” he told the House.

The Privy Council in London, the final court of appeal, would judge “whether or not we have struck that balance”, he said.

What comes next

The Senate is due to take up the bill on Friday, 2 October, and needs only a simple majority to pass it. On 28 September a procurement bill cleared the Senate only on a casting vote.

Padarath has said the law will not take effect until 2027, because a proclamation clause lets the government set the start date.

Nothing changes for buyers today, and young people already working in shops that sell alcohol keep their jobs. A constitutional challenge remains possible once the law is in force, and the attorney general has openly invited one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will the legal drinking age be in Trinidad and Tobago?

Under the bill passed by the House, 21 for alcohol and tobacco and 25 for cannabis and gambling, up from 18 for alcohol and tobacco today. It still needs Senate approval and would not take effect before 2027.

Will buyers have to show ID?

Yes. Sellers of alcohol and tobacco, cannabis dispensers and gambling venues would have to check national photo identification. How this applies to foreign visitors has not been spelled out in the coverage of the debate.

Can 18- to 20-year-olds still work in shops that sell alcohol?

Yes. They could keep working in supermarkets that sell alcohol but could not buy or drink it themselves. Workers under 25 would be barred from gambling premises; the attorney general said he would think about that point but did not amend the bill.

Why does the opposition object?

The People’s National Movement says young people were not consulted. Its leader, Pennelope Beckles, calls the bill a money-making venture, and former finance minister Colm Imbert asked the government to withdraw it.

Sources: CNC3, Sweeping age-limit Bill passes 23-10, 1 October 2026, CNC3, Police recruits could face age-limit dilemma under new law, 1 October 2026, CNC3, Fines to soar, prison terms hit 30 years, 29 September 2026, TTT, Lower House passes bill raising legal age for alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, 1 October 2026, Trinidad Guardian, Imbert calls for withdrawal of bill, 30 September 2026, Trinidad Guardian, Beckles: Bill is a money-making venture for govt, 30 September 2026, Trinidad Guardian, Padarath: New Bill won’t take effect until 2027, 30 September 2026, Trinidad Guardian, IDs must be shown, 30 September 2026. Exchange rate: RT live market data, close of 1 October 2026 (6.5778 TT$ per US$). All retrieved 2 October 2026.

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