When former U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) governor Kenneth Mapp [I] left office last week, he chose not to sign Bill 32-0135, a piece of legislation to legalize medicinal cannabis for residents and visiting patients.
The bill was introduced in December and was set to expire on January 8, but the legislature was in recess at the time, so the new USVI governor Albert Bryan [D] was given extra time to consider it.
But Governor Bryan did not need a lot of time to make his decision as he added his signature to 32-0135 on Thursday, making the USVI the fourth out of the five inhabited United States territories to enact medicinal cannabis legislation.
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is currently the only territory also to have adult-use cannabis laws while American Somoa bans all uses.
“We applaud Gov. Bryan and the Virgin Islands Legislature for enacting this sensible and compassionate legislation,” said Marijuana Policy Project director Karen O’Keefe in a press release. “Medical marijuana is widely recognized as an effective treatment for a variety of debilitating conditions and symptoms. This new law offers the prospect of relief for countless patients, and it will do so for generations to come.”
Under the new law, registered resident patients will be allowed to possess up to four ounces of cannabis flower and additional products as well as cultivate at home if specified on their medical marijuana card. Patients visiting the USVI will be allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis in addition to other marijuana products.
