Office of Cannabis Regulations Holds Town Hall to Hear Community Concerns

The V.I. Office of Cannabis Regulations held a virtual town hall on Wednesday to hear community concerns about the Cannabis Advisory Board’s proposed rules and regulations. The rules and regulations were initially published on Aug. 12.

Executive Director Hannah Carty presented a brief overview of the medical cannabis proposed rules and regulations to the town hall attendees.

The comment period for the rules and regulations will close on Sept. 12, giving the rules and regulations a 30-day comment period to the public, and the final rules and regulations are expected to be posted tentatively on Sept. 26.

The cultivator license registration will go live on Oct. 3, and the remaining licenses are to be determined. Application types will include the “Patient Side Registration,” which is for patients, physicians, and caregivers, and the “Business Side Registration,” for the producer/growers, manufacturers, retailers/dispensaries, research, third-party vendors, and laboratory testing.

Carty said that the exact number of licenses to be released on an annual basis should be determined by the Cannabis Advisory Board; however, they shall not release licenses that supersede the amounts allowed by 19 VIC Chapter 34.

During the open question section, one of the attendees asked, “How does the Office of Cannabis Regulations rationalize a blanket 750 square feet of flowering canopy for all three levels of cultivation levels when the maximum for level one is 100 plants, and the maximum for level three is 1,000 plants,” referencing the proposed rules and regulations.

Carty said, “The 750 square feet of flowering canopy is for one area, you can have multiple areas to grow those plants, and there is a provision that allows for you, if you are in a 1,000-plant range, to be able to submit a request to the Office of Cannabis so that we are aware of where we have these large grows.”