The stalled marijuana legislation within the US Virgin Islands gained momentum on Tuesday as an advisory board accepted a complete set of proposed guidelines and rules governing the leisure use of hashish throughout the territory.
The pivotal vote by the advisory board marks an important stride towards actualizing a legislation sanctioned over a yr in the past, paving the best way for leisure marijuana use throughout the three islands.
The approval triggers a forthcoming 30-day public remark interval on the proposed rules and guidelines.
Expunging prison information
Along with delineating regulatory frameworks, the board is finalizing a roster of people deemed eligible for the expungement of prison information associated to easy hashish possession, as licensed by the legislation.
This listing might be disseminated to legislators, the island’s Supreme Courtroom, and different pertinent stakeholders within the weeks forward.
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Some 300 individuals within the US Virgin Islands have been convicted of straightforward marijuana possession previously 20 years.
Streamlining entry
Efforts are additionally underway to ascertain a complete registration system, aimed toward facilitating entry for people using hashish for medicinal or sacramental functions.
In accordance with Hannah Carty, Govt Director of the board, this method is slated for launch by April.
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Navigating regulatory terrain
Navigating the intricate regulatory panorama, non secular and religion organizations might be required to pay a biennial registration payment of $200, whereas medical practitioners will incur a cost of $250.
Enterprise prospects and regulatory timelines
Enterprise entities eyeing participation within the burgeoning hashish market can anticipate registration alternatives by June or July, with the federal government not too long ago concluding a request-for-proposal course of for seed-to-sale operations.
Nevertheless, licenses pertaining to cultivation and manufacturing are unlikely to be issued earlier than year-end.
Legislative background
Though the US territory had beforehand sanctioned marijuana for medicinal functions in 2019, progress on leisure legalization, greenlit in January 2023, had encountered hurdles, together with ambiguities within the invoice’s language and a dearth of members within the hashish advisory board to represent a quorum.
Regulatory framework and taxation
Below the enacted legislation, people aged 21 and above are permitted possession of as much as two ounces of marijuana, alongside specified portions of hashish focus and associated merchandise.
Notably, medical marijuana sufferers take pleasure in expanded possession limits.
Taxation dynamics
A minimal 18 per cent tax will apply to all dispensary gross sales, though medical marijuana sufferers are exempt. Three-fourths of the tax income is anticipated to go to the overall fund.
Of that quantity, 15 per cent is earmarked for behavioural well being applications, 5 per cent to deal with homelessness and 5 per cent for youth applications.
Affected person identification
In response to inquiries about identification protocols for marijuana sufferers, digital IDs accessible through smartphones or printable codecs might be issued, making certain streamlined compliance.
The US Virgin Islands joins a rising cohort of Caribbean territories stress-free marijuana legal guidelines.
Latest measures in Antigua, Jamaica, and ongoing debates within the Bahamas underscore a broader regional shift in the direction of extra permissive regulatory frameworks.
