The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Medicinal Cannabis Industry became fully operational on March, 12th 2019, with an extraordinary Gazette, Act No. 28 of 2018.
In an address to the Parliament of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on March 11th, 2019, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Saboto Caesar, noted that Part 1 and Part 11 of the Cannabis Industry Act 2018 will become operational the same week.
Part -1 of the Act addresses preliminary matters, while Part 2 includes the establishment of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority. This will entail the setting up of the Board,
In countries implementing Cannabis legislation, the complexity of the subject matter dictates that the laws are brought into effect in parts. This gives the state apparatus sufficient time to make necessary adjustments resulting from new regulations and changes which are anticipated.
This model of implementation was also adopted in Canada where several aspects of the cannabis industry are yet to be implemented.
The Hon. Minister also expressed to the Parliament that several consultations will take place over the up-coming weeks to work with traditional cultivators to address issues of production.
The news of commencement no doubt has created further interest in investing in the medicinal cannabis industry in SVG.
