The U.S. Virgin Islands just made a major move in cannabis legalization. The territory, which is an American territory that lies east of Puerto Rico and south of the Dominican Republic, recently passed legislation to legalize cannabis and a bill to expunge past marijuana convictions.
The Road To Legalization
The past decade has seen a massive upswing in decriminalization and legalization movements, with more than half of U.S. states legalizing recreational cannabis. Now, it looks like the territories are finally catching up.
In 2022, Sen. Janelle Sarauw (I) introduced a bill to legalize adult-use marijuana in the territory, which the Senate quickly approved in an 11-1 vote. An expungement bill, which was filed simultaneously, passed unanimously.
This followed numerous calls to action from the governor, Albert Bryan Jr. (D), including a cannabis provision in the 2023 budget.
Governor Bryan Jr. has been a long-standing supporter of cannabis legalization – in fact, he proposed his reform proposal in 2019, which the Senate unfortunately stalled. He even pushed voters to contact their representatives and ask why cannabis bills had been delayed, establishing himself as an outspoken cannabis supporter.
The Provisions Of The Bill
The territory’s governor will soon sign a bill to create an Office of Cannabis Regulation (OCR), tasked with issuing marijuana business licenses, overseeing the industry and setting rules.
The bill will create several license and permit types for cannabis manufacturers, retailers, cultivators, micro-cultivators, testing laboratories and on-site consumption entities.
OCR will be allowed to grant up to three licenses for each of the territory’s main islands, with provisions to readjust in 2025 if the study conducted then shows that there are too many licenses being issued. There will be a tax on marijuana purchased from dispensaries of no less than 18 percent—but that wouldn’t apply to medical cannabis.
Adults aged 21 and over can also purchase up to two ounces of cannabis flower, fourteen grams of concentrates, and one ounce of products like edibles or ointments.
Expungement Provisions
The bill includes provisions that require the government to prioritize minority, women and service-injured entrepreneurs in the application scoring process for cannabis business licenses. The bill also requires that residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands own marijuana businesses to ensure that conglomerates and predatory corporations don’t monopolize the market.
But perhaps most importantly, this bill has a provision for expungement for people previously convicted of cannabis crimes before it became legal. That’s a huge step forward in rectifying the harm from decades of damaging cannabis policy and prioritizing social justice reform over profits.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are on the verge of becoming a true cannabis leader, and it’s about time.
The island’s farmers have been working hard to make this happen, and their people have enthusiastically supported them in their efforts. Now, with the legalization of cannabis, it seems that those efforts are finally starting to pay off.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is leading the way for other countries worldwide regarding cannabis legalization and regulation—and it’s a good thing they are! The industry is proliferating as more countries worldwide start to see its value and move towards legalization themselves.
It looks like we’re seeing a lot more progress from the U.S. Virgin Islands in the near future—and we can’t wait!
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