Cannabis Advisory Board Approves Dual Registration for Medical and Sacramental Use

In an important decision, the V.I. Cannabis Advisory Board unanimously voted during its regular monthly meeting Wednesday to allow individuals to obtain both medical and sacramental registrations for cannabis use.

This dual registration allows individuals to cultivate up to six flowering plants and six immature plants for both medical and sacramental purposes under the Virgin Islands cannabis regulations.

The board had previously been unable to vote on the matter because it did not have a full quorum. However, with all members present this week, the vote was successfully carried out, marking a significant step in expanding access within the evolving cannabis program.

During the meeting, V.I. Health Department Commissioner Justa Encarnacion raised a thoughtful question regarding the potential impact of cannabis availability on both medical outcomes and financial well-being. “I don’t know from a medicinal standpoint in terms of the usage for medicinal purposes. I don’t know how much that is versus what is there to be sold. How is that going to affect someone who is trying to survive cancer, as well as have monetary gain from it so that they can survive financially as well? What is that impact?” she asked.

Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Regulations, Joanne Moorehead, responded by explaining that the cultivation process and plant characteristics may differ depending on the intended use — medicinal or sacramental. “There is potential that there is a difference in the plants that you might grow if you’re using it medicinally versus sacramentally, in terms of the potency of the plant, and in terms of the concentration of CBD or THC. Certainly, because we know that, generally speaking, CBD has more higher medicinal value. So, you very likely would grow different plants if that were the two distinct purposes,” she said.

Chair of the board, Dr. Catherine Kean, emphasized that while the six-and-six allotment remains in place, the board may revisit this limit in the future once the program is further developed. “Six months to a year, perhaps we could come back and reassess that allotment, but I think at this current time, we had decided that it was to remain essentially six and six,” she said.