St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) officially commenced the country’s medicinal cannabis industry last week by issuing the first set of licenses.
In May, the South Caribbean country issued a cannabis cultivation research license to Stem Holdings.
“The journey over the past 20 months to put the legislative and administrative frameworks in place was certainly one of the most difficult, yet gratifying, tasks I have had the opportunity to lead in my career,” Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar said in a news release. “It was not without major challenges.”
Minister Caesar told News784 that it is SVG’s mission to create a globally-certified medicinal cannabis industry that is focused providing products and targeting ailments based on clinical study evidence.
Caesar says that a successful medicinal cannabis industry begins and ends with science.
RastafariFarms, Cannabis Revival Committee, and Greiggs Rastafari Progressive Society were among the approved cultivation licensees as were the South Rivers Producers’ Cooperative, Herbs R Us, FancyCooperative, SVG RastafariAgri, and Nyahbinghy Order of Rastafari.
According to the SVG Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA), an additional 200 licenses are expected to be approved by September 1, based on the number of applications that have been received and are currently under review.
Beginning on July 24, MCA will recommence sensitization meetings to keep the public updated on activities taking place in the SVG medicinal cannabis industry.
MCA asks that anyone wishing to apply for a license acquire the application forms at MCA headquarters or from agriculture stations in Walliabou, Dumbarton, New Grounds, and Orange Hill.
