St. Vincent and the Grenadines is on the brink of becoming a global leading producer of organically-certified medicinal cannabis.

The expected passing of legislation in November ensuring tightly regulated guidelines, positions the nation as a powerful Caribbean hub for global medicinal cannabis innovation. The country’s Minister for Agriculture, Industry, Fisheries, Forestry, Labour and Rural Transformation, Saboto Caesar, said the industry had the potential to positively transform rural livelihoods and communities while changing the lives of patients who suffer from medical conditions that are unresponsive to other treatments.

“The production of cannabis for medicinal purposes provides an excellent opportunity for Small Island States to further diversify possibilities for farmers to secure sustainable livelihoods,” said Minister Caesar. He added that the government would have more to say with the passing of legislation, but was now putting the world’s investors on notice of the top thirty benefits for investing in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Engrained in Vincentian history, from the rich volcanic soils to the warm tropical climate, St. Vincent and the Grenadines presents the perfect opportunity for cannabis investment. These are, arguably, the top 30 competitive advantages.

Tropical climate ideal for extra low-cost ‘outdoor’ cannabis production

Over 50 years of experience in cannabis cultivation

More than 2,000 traditional cannabis farmers

Decades of experience in high-quality agriculture commercial production and export

Availability of arable lands

Rich volcanic soil suitable for producing high quality agriculture products

International air and sea port connections

Significant investment in education thus creating a working age population that is ready to embrace and support development of this type

Highly trained workers in modern agricultural technology

365 days of efficient water supply

An exotic tourism location, with 32 islands and cays, and over a quarter million cruise ship passenger visits forecasted for 2019

Multimillion-dollar state investments in green energy:10-megawatt geothermal plant, solar energy and hydro energy

Experience in certification of Fairtrade, HACCP, ISO’s, Global GAP and EurepGAP existing.

Certification in GMP, FSMA, BRC, GPP and GAP by May 2019.

Movement toward 100 percent organic production in agriculture, which begun with a total ban on all glyphosate products, including ‘Round Up’, Glyphos and ‘Touchdown’

A stable investment environment

Stable currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar pegged to the USD

Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations

Unique strains of domestically produced Cannabis available for scientific research and development

A history of, and continuous full compliance with, all international narcotics treaties and conventions

Simple guidelines for licensing, monitoring, production and export

Well-crafted legislation aimed at providing full accountability: unique opportunities for investment and draws on recent changes in the global cannabis industry

Fiscal incentives to reduce startup cost for investors

Well-staffed and trained ‘Modern Cannabis Authority’ to ensure effective/efficient regulations

Opportunities to invest in other non-cannabis sectors such as tropical agriculture, tourism and other emerging markets

Medicinal cannabis healthcare products and services would be accessible in SVG

Cannabis is likely to be VAT exempted since it is an agricultural commodity.

An established national bio-pesticide, bio-fertilizer production platform to support organic cannabis production

At least 10 percent of all cannabis raw material for processing must be bought from traditional farmers

St. Vincent and the Grenadines maintains a politically stable environment

These investment advantages position SVG on a solid platform to launch its medical cannabis programme.