President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cannabis Revival Committee, (SVGCRC) Junior “Spirit ” Cottle, has described local cannabis in SVG as a “unique medley of tropical strains”. Spirit, earlier today, was interviewed by technicians on an interview panel comprising members from the Ministries of Agriculture; Finance; the Bureau of Standards; the Narcotic Unit and Invest SVG.
The Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture and Industry in SVG has coined the mantra, that, “A Medicinal Cannabis Industry, begins and ends with Science.”
The objective of the interview was for the CRC to express an interest in formal scientific research of cannabis in SVG. The necessary steps have now been taken to conduct research under the supervision of the Cannabis Research and Development Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Rastafari Farms was represented by Ajit Duncan a traditional cannabis farmer. That company is expected to obtain a similar approval to conduct cannabis research. Rastafari Farms is a group of Rastafarians, most of whom are traditional cultivators.
The process of obtaining an approval to conduct scientific research begins with an application to the Bureau of Standards or the Ministry of Agriculture, after which an interview date will be set. This process does not touch and concern the Cannabis Amnesty Act 2018 or the Cannabis Industry Act 2018.
The processes for the establishment of an administrative framework for the Cannabis Authority, in SVG, is progressing smoothly. A CEO for the entity, Dr Jerol Thompson, is already in place and advertisements for other senior positions have been published via the Media.
It is anticipated, based on statements from the Hon. Prime Minister’s address in the 2018 Budget debate, that March 2019 is the date set for the opening of the gates for the Modern Medicinal Cannabis Industry in SVG.
