Virgin Islands Inches Closer to Adult-Use Cannabis, Expungements

Cannabis remains a hot-button issue with politically driven fanfare in the US territory of the Virgin Islands. two bills Introduced in the Virgin Islands on October 24th. One would legalize marijuana for adult use and the other would kill eligible cases of marijuana convictions.

Bill 21-0160 legalizes cannabis for adults 21 and older, and Bill 21-0137 paves the way for expunging eligible cannabis convictions. After at least two previous attempts, government officials continue to push for a viable bill.

Both bills were sponsored by Senator Janelle Sarrow, who has been working on cannabis reform for some time. “It was a very laborious process to get these bills to where they are today,” she wrote in a press release. post on facebookreferring to past promises to advance legislation on the island.

“While there have been many misinterpretations of this cannabis law for political reasons, it is being done to ensure that locals and minorities are not shut out of the industry and have the opportunity to participate in the industry’s economic potential. We are proud of our commitment to agriculture, pharmacies, boutique lab incentives and micro-energy providers,” Salauw wrote.

“It is foolish to ignore these lessons,” Salau continued. “As a political scientist and, most importantly, as a representative of the elected people, it is my job to conduct due diligence to protect the best interests of the public and the population by creating equality of opportunity.”

The 69-page legalization bill includes almost every provision you would expect from a US state bill. Under the legalization bill, the Office of Cannabis Regulation (OCR) will issue business licenses, oversee the industry and set rules for advertising, packaging and labeling. Edibles are limited to 100 mg THC in a 10 mg dose. A license fee is charged, and growers who sell cannabis to other licensees can be subject to a tax of 50 cents per gram. The bill includes several equity components.

Under the expungement bill, people with past cannabis convictions can petition the court to clear their convictions for violations of up to 2 ounces of cannabis.

On August 10, the VI Cannabis Advisory Board (VICAB) of the U.S. Virgin Islands unanimously approved proposed regulations for medical cannabis programs in the region. August 12, Office of Cannabis Control published a draftIn short, the timeline wasn’t very adhered to. Governor Bryan’s administration has been accused by Senator Salau of slowing the deployment of medical cannabis on the island.

Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. Cannabis Usage Laws 2019, and introduced another version in 2020. Recently, Bryan’s re-election campaign has hit back, and she has accused Senator Salau of failing to deliver on her promise to legalize cannabis in 2021. She contributed to Senator Salau’s recent actions to introduce new legislation.

Sen. Salau himself and fellow candidate against cannabis legalization, Sen. Kurt Vialett, will overthrow Gov. Bryan and Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach in the upcoming election on Nov. 8. I am running for

The Virgin Islands are a hotbed of Caribbean music such as reggae, so it’s no exaggeration to say that many tourists go there to smoke. However, despite aggressive medical cannabis programs, Tourists are warned Official consumption of cannabis is still prohibited in the Virgin Islands. Even if you have a medical marijuana card, you cannot smoke marijuana in public.