Agriculture Minister tours UWI Mona Life Science Cannabis Research facility

Durrant Pate/Contributor

As St Kitts and Nevis establishes its own medical cannabis industry, it is now studying the Jamaican experience to informed its own development.

St Kitts Agricultural Minister Samal Duggins is now in Jamaica looking at how the island has developed its local medical cannabis industry to draw lessons and to get firsthand knowledge of the Jamaican way. To this extent, Duggins was on a government visit to the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, studying plants with Dr Machel Emanuel, the principal investigator of the Life Science Cannabis Research Group there.

In a Facebook post, the St Kitts and Nevis agriculture minister reported that Emanuel gave him a comprehensive tour of the facility and that he was “absolutely blown away by the operations at UWI and his perspective on the way forward”.

He said he looks forward to presenting more information in the near future.

Duggins wrote on Facebook, ”in a matter of weeks, the Cannabis Amendment Bill comes before our Parliament for debate which will properly bring on stream our medicinal cannabis industry. As the minister with responsibility for agriculture, it is part of my duty to ensure that our cannabis growers are in the best possible position to enter and compete in this billion-dollar industry”.

Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew indicated in the 2023 Appropriations Bill (2022) that the government will be rolling out a marijuana farm that will be placed at the ECO Park in Newton Ground.