National consultations on the cultivation of cannabis for domestic use and export are taking place in Saint Lucia, as the Caribbean country debates plans to diversify its agricultural industry. Saint Lucia is among an ever-shrinking group of countries in the Caribbean that have yet to enact cannabis reforms, either decriminalization or legalization for medical or adult use.
The consultations with stakeholders and the public come on the heels of a report shared last month with the country’s Cabinet of Ministers from the government-established Cannabis Commission, which explores “various models on the way forward” for cannabis reforms, including the introduction of adult-use provisions, according to Bradley Felix, the Minister for Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs.
“My colleagues have agreed that we are at a period where the approach must be different,” Felix told members of the House of Assembly on June 26, during the discussion of the country’s fiscal budget for 2020. “We have concluded that the criminalization of cannabis has been ineffective in reducing the use of cannabis,” he added, citing the significant economic and enforcement cost accrued annually.
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