By Val Matthias. Updated 8:44 a.m., Friday, October 30, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Agriculture Minister Israel Bruce has issued a blunt warning to people operating under St Vincent and the Grenadines’ medicinal cannabis regime: a licence is not a licence to continue the illegal possession, sale or consumption of cannabis.
Bruce made the warning at the opening ceremony of the Cannabiz SVG Festival 2026at Peace Memorial Hall in Kingstown on Thursday 29, after recounting a case in which three people were arrested by police following questions about whether their cannabis operation was being conducted within the law.
Bruce said the incident exposed what he described as “a few missteps” and prompted him to make clear that the Medicinal Cannabis Authority is not intended to provide cover for people using the regulated industry to facilitate illegal activity.
“I want to sound the alarm. I want to sound the warning that the Medicinal Cannabis Authority is not a loophole for persons who want to practice the illegal possession and consumption of cannabis,” Bruce said.
He said the medicinal cannabis framework exists for an industry-specific purpose medicinal cannabis and warned licence holders against allowing their operations to be used by people who do not want to enter the regulated system.
“Do not allow your licence to be used in ways to facilitate others who do not wish to come under the regulated scheme,” Bruce said.
His warning puts the spotlight on a question facing traditional cultivators and others involved in the emerging industry, how can people who have historically cultivated cannabis move from an informal or illegal market into a legal one and what happens when they fail to comply?
The MCA’s legal framework provides a specific pathway for traditional cultivators.
Under the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act 2018, a traditional cultivator’s licence may be issued only to a Vincentian citizen to grow, harvest, dry, trim, cure or package medicinal cannabis. The law provides for traditional cultivators who qualify under the Cannabis Cultivation (Amnesty) Act and those who do not qualify for amnesty but meet the requirements established under the regulations.
The MCA’s licensing system also includes other categories covering cultivation, manufacturing, dispensing, research, transportation, importation and exportation.
The MCA’s published licence application form specifically allows applicants to select “Traditional Cultivator” as a licence category and to indicate whether the application is a first application, renewal, previously submitted and awaiting approval, or previously rejected.
The legal framework therefore does not require traditional growers simply to abandon cannabis cultivation. Instead, it provides a route for eligible Vincentians to bring cultivation into the regulated medicinal cannabis industry.
The MCA has previously demonstrated that traditional cultivators can enter that system.
In 2019, Cabinet approved licences for eight farmers’ producer cooperatives representing more than 100 traditional cultivators, as well as 13 individual traditional cultivators.
Later that year, another group of traditional cultivators was approved, bringing the number of traditional cultivators who had satisfied the requirements to 173, according to Searchlight. The newspaper reported that a traditional cultivator’s licence allowed cultivation of up to five acres, with a preferential EC$100 processing fee and no licence fee for the first two years.
The MCA’s published fee regulations also provide for a traditional cultivator licence covering up to five acres, with a non-refundable application fee of EC$100 and no licence fee for the first two years.
Minister Bruce’s intervention suggests that obtaining a licence is only the beginning.
The Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act makes clear that activities involving medicinal cannabis must be conducted under the appropriate licence and in accordance with the law and regulations. It also prohibits the use of a licence by another person outside the conditions governing its transfer and use.
The law’s purpose is not to create a general cannabis market. It establishes a system to regulate cannabis for medicinal purposes, including cultivation, production, possession, supply and use.
Earlier this month, the MCA held a national consultation with traditional cultivators on a Strategic Integration Plan aimed at incorporating them into the legal medicinal cannabis value chain.
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About the Author: This story was written and submitted by freelance journalist Mr. Val Matthias, a trained communicator with more than two decades in the media sector. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication (UWI Mona), a Master of Science in Tourism and Hospitality Management (UWI Cave Hill), a Certificate in Digital Marketing, and has years of broadcast journalism experience rising to ranks of a programme manager. All supporting materials for this story have been presented, vetted, and verified. Mr Matthias can be reached at valmatthias188@gmail.com
