‘Small man’ not left out in cannabis industry – Dr Jerrol Thompson

More than 150 individuals from the region and internationally converged on St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) over the weekend for the first Cannabliss Festival, organized by the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA).

A section of the participants at the first Cannabliss Festival, organized by the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA).

The festival, held from November 1-3, 2024, at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex grounds was attended by doctors, pharmacists, academics and entrepreneurs who operate in the medicinal cannabis industry. The event featured three days of conferences where experts in the industry made presentations, delegates participated in tours at facilities where cannabis is grown locally, and climaxed with a concert where local and regional reggae artistes showcased their talent.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA), Dr. Jerrol Thompson in a post festival recap hosted on WEFM on Monday, November 4, hailed the festival as a game changer and refuted the claim that traditional “small man” cultivators were being excluded from the industry.

He said since passage of the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act in 2018, and establishment of the MCA, there is still much work to be done in changing the perception of the drug, adding that the festival was such an initiative to raise awareness of the plant, its benefits, and uncover what opportunities exist for medicinal products to be traded regionally.

“Not just about smoking a spliff, this is about authentic, medical, oriented concepts that it is going to be difficult to change people’s minds, but enough minds are being changed.”

Dr. Thompson revealed that locally over 1,000 prescriptions have been written so persons can have access to cannabis and cannabis-derived products, and it has mostly been in the area of pain management.

He admitted that traditional cultivators of marijuana have been sidelined since the establishment of the medicinal cannabis industry, noting that some have not been able to meet the international standards required for their crops to be accepted.

“Some individuals may not be able to reach those standards in terms of export…cannabis is not something that can just be thrown in the ground … it has to be tested, there has to be quality, consistency,” he commented.

The MCA CEO added that while the Act dictates that medicinal cannabis companies in SVG have to purchase a certain quantity of cannabis from traditional farmers, the operation requires a substantial amount of funds that most times is not available to this marginalized group.

“Sometimes you require companies that are going to take it to the next level. I think it is unfortunate that the government doesn’t have money to say ‘we will give you $20 million’”, Thompson added.

He also said while traditional farmers are required to pay a one-time license fee of EC$100, the bigger companies have to pay thousands of dollars to operate in the industry.

Dr Thompson noted as well that many in SVG are questioning whether traditional farmers are benefiting from the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but many are not aware that international laws and regulations hinder export revenue potential. He revealed that since the passage of the Act, export has been “minimal” as there are countries where legislation has not been passed to allow trade, and in countries where the legislation exists, the standard requirements are strict.

“Because it has been and still is an illegal drug in a number of places, it has to go through a lot of rigorous processes before it can reach to the external market. So we have not yet cracked that, but we are close,” Thompson pointed out.

“Because we have a large amount of traditional farmers, people want to know how they are benefitting. Unfortunately, cannabis is not like dasheen, it is not like carrots where you grow it, gather it and export it.”

He said that by the end of 2024, most of the islands in the region would have and this will be an opportunity to improve trade.

“We have not yet reached a particular point where millions of dollars [are] being made from cannabis. It is still at a very early stage even though we have been doing this for several years now.”