Saint Vincent medical cannabis industry resilient despite COVID-19 delays

The coronavirus pandemic has caused delays for some medical cannabis businesses in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but the chief operating officer of the industry’s regulatory body says the sector remains strong.

Terral Mapp, COO of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA), said the marijuana industry has been resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MCA regulates the cultivation, production, possession and use of medical cannabis in the southern Caribbean nation.

“COVID-19 has delayed the commencement of several medicinal cannabis operations as investors and their technical experts have been stuck in their home countries,” the authority said in a statement.

But with the gradual reopening of some borders overseas, “experts are now making their way in and several operations are expected to launch in the upcoming months.”

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is among a number of Caribbean nations in the early stages of fostering a medical marijuana industry.

Earlier this year, dozens of traditional cannabis cultivators received special training on best practices in cannabis cultivation, recordkeeping and traceability.

Parliament approved the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act in late 2018.

The Medicinal Cannabis Authority handed out the first licenses in 2019.