Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir is making it clear that 30 per cent of any investment coming to Barbados for the medicinal cannabis industry must be reserved for ordinary Barbadians. Weir added that foreign investors will receive 70 per cent. Weir did not give details as to exactly how Barbadians will receive the 30 per cent. However, he said he was cognizant of the fact that if Barbadians were to receive the full 100 per cent investment, “we probably still would have to take Government’s intervention to get it off the ground, and Government certainly does not have those resources”. The Minister mentioned that Government was having a conversation regarding providing financial assistance for those who do not have resources.

Government has officially passed legislation to allow the local Rastafarian community to use cannabis, however, those seeking to take advantage of the new Act will have to satisfy a number of provisions first. The Sacramental Cannabis Act 2019 was approved during a sitting in the House of Parliament with 15 clauses outlining how Rastas are to gain access to, use and handle the plant. The AG told the House the aim was to keep the Bill as simple as possible, recognizing that too many restrictions would be to the detriment of those in the faith but at the same time give these one certain freedoms. (See also: Legalise it all, Lashley says of ganja | Rastafarians vent concerns about Sacramental Cannabis Bill | Rasta body blanks ‘wrong’ ganja bills)

The Barbados Government has announced the coming of a major shift in the Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act. Persons found in possession of minuscule quantities of cannabis on the streets will no longer be charged. Governor General Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason announced during The Throne Speech that the Drug Abuse Act will be amended. "We will [...] amend our Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act to provide that possession of 14 grams, or half an ounce or less of cannabis is no longer an offence for which one can be arrested, charged and tried; and will therefore not result in an appearance before the Magistrates Court or in a criminal record." Similar to a traffic ticket, the person would have 30 days to pay a fine of $200 (US$ 100).

St Vincent’s Medicinal Marijuana industry is a go. Over 30 licences have been approved by the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) for the cultivation, development and export of medicinal marijuana products. The MCA has approved licences for eight local farmers’ producer cooperatives with an aggregated membership of over 100 traditional cultivators; traditional cultivators of cannabis who applied individually; three non-traditional local farmers; and 10 companies with the directorship of nationals from the OECS, CARICOM, North America, Europe and Africa. MCA said based on the applications under review it projects that by September an additional 200 traditional cultivators will obtain cultivation licences. (See also: Vincy ‘high’ | Acres Agricultural Canada receives 300-acre cannabis license)

The National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) has said they will be monitoring closely the new legislation which allows Rastafarians in Barbados to cultivate and use marijuana for sacramental purposes. Last year, the House of Parliament passed the Sacramental Cannabis Act 2018 which allows those within the Rastafarian faith to grow and cultivate marijuana on the premises where they worship. The legislation states that those who wish to grow and use the plant for sacramental purposes would need to apply for a permit. The Manager of the NCSA, Betty Hunte, said the possibility of marijuana falling into "the wrong hands" is a real concern, as is the case with any drug. 

The Position Paper "For inclusive business models, well designed laws and fair(er) trade options for small-scale traditional cannabis farmers” produced by The Fair(er) Trade Cannabis Working Group aims to contribute to the debate on finding sustainable and realistic solutions to the challenges posed by the developing cannabis industry, with a special focus on traditional and small scale farmers.

Rastafarians in Barbados will be permitted to use cannabis for sacramental purposes. The announcement was made during a Sitting in the House of Parliament by Attorney General Dale Marshall during the debate on the Medical Cannabis Bill (2019). Marshall admitted changes needed to be made to the way government treats religious use of cannabis considering it does not fall into the category of recreational or medicinal. He also pointed to the legal precedent based on cases in Antigua and South Africa where the court acknowledged it was an infringement on the constitutional rights of Rastafarians to criminalize them for using cannabis. (See also: Rastas to bring cannabis case against Barbados government | Ras Simba wants AG to allow ganja use for all)