OCR says medical cannabis patients can grow without disclosing seed source

The V.I. Office of Cannabis Regulations is clarifying the current legal status of the plant for the public, as staff work to implement the law signed in Jan. 2023, including rollout of a “seed-to-sale” inventory tracking system.

Medical cannabis patients who obtain a license from the V.I. government are now allowed to grow the plant for their own personal use, according to OCR Executive Director Joanne Moorehead. Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. signed a medical cannabis law in 2019, which was never implemented, and two years after passage of an expanded law also allowing for recreational and sacramental use, there are still no licensed, legal dispensaries.

That means it’s unclear where medical cannabis patients can legally obtain seeds to start growing their own plants, but at this point the territory is taking a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach. “There is no requirement at this time that they disclose to OCR from where they obtained their seeds. This may be subject to change at a later time. It will be included in their registration information, if so,” Moorehead said in an email Tuesday.