Marijuana Business Magazine March 2019

Countries included have passed legislation at the federal level and must fulfill at least one of the following criteria: • Cultivation or manufacture of medical cannabis allowed. • Doctors can prescribe medical cannabis. • Import and/or export of medical cannabis allowed. High: Countries at the forefront of the global industry. Frameworks are established, and adoption is well underway. Medium: Implementation has begun but is still limited or restricted; lots of room for the market to develop. Low: Legislation has been passed, but implementation is very limited or nonexistent. Decriminalization is not included. MAP LEGEND High level of medical development/implementation Medium level of medical development/implementation Low level of medical development/implementation Other - federally illegal but unique circumstances Recreational Marijuana Business Magazine | March 2019 20 WHO Committee's Cannabis Recommendations TheWorld Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) filed its recommendations for canna- bis in late January, more than a month later than expected. The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs could consider the rescheduling at its annual meeting this month, although that decision could be pushed until 2020 to provide additional time for member states to review them. The report recommends several changes to how cannabis is scheduled, which could have significant implications for the industry: • The scheduling of cannabis in the international drug control conventions wouldn’t be as restrictive as it is now, because it would be removed from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention, the category reserved for the most dangerous substances. • THC in all forms would be removed from the 1971 Convention and placed with cannabis in Schedule I of the 1961 Convention, significantly simplifying cannabis classification. • Pure CBD and CBD preparations containing no more than 0.2% THC would not be included in any way in the international drug control conventions. • Pharmaceutical preparations containing 9-THC, if they follow certain criteria, would be added to Schedule III of the 1961 Convention, recognizing the unlikelihood of abuse. U.S. Virgin Islands Enact Medical Cannabis Law Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. gave a new medical marijuana law his stamp of approval, making the U.S. Virgin Islands the latest Caribbean jurisdiction to open its doors to canna- bis businesses and potential new tourism opportunities. National & International News Industry Developments | International & State