75.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsCannabis Advisory Board and Office of Cannabis Regulations Release Draft Regulations

Cannabis Advisory Board and Office of Cannabis Regulations Release Draft Regulations

The Cannabis Advisory Board releases draft rules and regulations to the public. (Screenshot from Cannabis Advisory Board Zoom meeting)

The V.I. Cannabis Advisory Board and the V.I. Office of Cannabis Regulations presented the introduction to medical cannabis draft rules and regulations during a Zoom call Monday.

Established by Act No. 8167 in 2019, the Office of Cannabis Regulation was established to allow and provide for the beneficial use of medical cannabis in a regulated system or alleviating symptoms caused by debilitating medical conditions and their medical treatments.

Cannabis Regulation Office Executive Director Hannah Carty provided viewers with an inside look as to what both distributors and patients can expect. She began with a summary of accomplishments, which included their official two new office locations at the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs on St. Croix and on St. Thomas and a tour of the new website.

The rules and regulations are still in their drafting phase and will be made official once reviewed by the Senate and final approval by the board.

Within the rules and regulations draft, the initial application fees were provided. “These are for one-year licenses that must be renewed on an annual basis,” said Carty. The fees are as follows:

  • Registry Identification Card Application: $50
  • Renewal of Registry Identification Card Application: $50
  • Physician Certification: TBDNon-Resident Registry Identification Card
  • Five-Day Card: $50
  • Ten-Day Card: $75
  • Thirty-Day Card: $100Cultivating License Application
  • Level 1: Not to exceed 100 plants: $1,000/$500 for existing farmers
  • Level 2: Not to exceed 500 plants: $2,500/$2,000 for existing farmers
  • Level 3: Not to exceed 1,000 plants: $5,000/$4,500 for existing farmers
  • Dispensary License Application: $5,000
  • Manufacturer License Application $1,000
  • Approval to operate certificate fees and renewal fees (none to exceed the current fees listed above)

Participants can also expect two types of applications — patient registration, and business registration. On the patient side, you will find the patient, physician, and caregiver all must register with the Office of Cannabis Regulations. On the business side, you will find producers or growers, manufacturers, retailers or dispensaries, research, third-party vendors, and laboratory testing.

The V.I. Office of Cannabis Regulations is not currently accepting registrations or applicants of any kind.

Carty said that once the rules and regulations are approved, the application information will be available.

To view the draft of the rules and regulations in its entirety, click here.

Another highlight was the number of licenses per district that the Office of Cannabis Regulations is allowed to issue. The district of St. Thomas/St. John can have up to eight level one cultivation licenses for St. Thomas, and St. John can have four licenses.  The St. Croix District has 12 level one cultivation licenses.

“The exact number of licenses to be released on an annual basis will be determined by the Cannabis Advisory Board. They shall not release licenses that supersede the amounts allowed by 19 V.I. Code; Chapter 34,” said Carty.

For more information, contact the Office of Cannabis Regulation at 340-714-9755 or email info.ocr@ocr.vi.gov. You can also visit their website at ocr.vi.gov. View the board meeting in its entirety by visiting the USVI Office of Cannabis Regulations Facebook page.

Board members present at the meeting were: Dr. Gary Jett, Catherine Kean, Nicole Syms, Licensing and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Richard Evangelista, Chris Jones, Agriculture Commissioner Positive Nelson, Executive Director Hannah Carty, and Chairwoman of the Cannabis Advisory Board Dr. Catherine Kean.

 

 

 

 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.