CARIBEAN REAGION--Several Caribbean governments are continuing to move ahead with the development and implementation of regulated cannabis industries, with countries including Saint Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, The Bahamas and St. Kitts and Nevis advancing legislation, regulatory authorities, licensing systems and technology designed to govern the sector.
The approaches differ across the region, but a common feature is the move toward structured regulation rather than unrestricted legalization. Governments are developing systems covering cultivation, medicinal use, religious rights, manufacturing, distribution, testing, import and export, while establishing rules intended to protect public health and prevent unauthorized trade.
Saint Luciais among the countries actively putting the infrastructure for a regulated cannabis industry in place. The government published its draft Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Bill in January 2025 for public review and consultation. The proposed legislation provides for regulation of cultivation, distribution, manufacturing, transport, importation, exportation and sale of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis.
The country has already established a Regulated Substances Authority, which is intended to play a central role in the allocation of licences and oversight of the emerging industry. The authority appointed its first Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Secretary in January 2025 as Saint Lucia continued building the administrative structure necessary for regulation.
Saint Lucia took another significant step in April 2026 when the Regulated Substances Authority selected a national seed-to-sale cannabis traceability platform. The digital system is intended to track cannabis through cultivation, processing, distribution, testing and retail, allowing regulators to monitor licensed operators throughout the supply chain.
The planned framework also includes a Cannabis Advisory Council, licensing of medical practitioners and pharmacists, inspections and monitoring, and different rules for medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp.
Dominicais taking a similarly structured approach through its National Cannabis Advisory Committee, which was officially launched in April 2025. The committee was given a 12 to 18-month mandate to examine the health, economic, legal and social implications of cannabis and help shape the country's long-term policy.
Its responsibilities include conducting public consultations, making recommendations on the possible reclassification of cannabis and developing a National Road Map for a regulated industry.
The committee has also been tasked with recommending the establishment of a National Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Such a body would ultimately oversee implementation of cannabis policy and regulation and support the development of a structured medicinal cannabis sector.
Dominica has already made changes at the personal-use level. Adults are permitted to possess limited quantities of cannabis and cultivate a small number of plants at home, but the broader commercial and regulatory system remains under development.
Grenadahas also accelerated its cannabis reform process. The country's Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Secretariat has been charged with conducting research and public consultations and advising government on the design of a new legislative and regulatory framework.
Grenada passed the Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Act in 2026 as the first phase of its reforms. The legislation provides for limited possession and personal cultivation by adults, but does not create an unrestricted commercial market.
Under the reform, adults 21 and older may possess up to 56 grams of cannabis and registered households will eventually be able to cultivate up to four plants. However, the government has emphasized that unauthorized sales, trafficking, public consumption and supplying cannabis to minors remain illegal.
The larger commercial industry is expected to come through a later phase. Grenada's Cannabis Secretariat has identified licensing, cultivation, compliance, monitoring and industry regulation among the areas to be addressed through future legislation. A National Cannabis Policy Framework was being developed as the basis for that next stage.
The Bahamas, meanwhile, has established legislation for cannabis use for medical, scientific and religious purposes and is working through implementation of its regulatory system.
The country's framework creates a Cannabis Authority responsible for policies, procedures, licensing and enforcement. Seven licence categories are contemplated, covering cultivation, retail, analytical testing, manufacturing, research, transportation and religious use.
The Bahamian model places particular emphasis on local ownership. Cultivation, retail, transport and religious-use businesses are to be fully Bahamian-owned, while analytical testing, manufacturing and research businesses must have at least 30 percent Bahamian ownership.
The government has also budgeted resources for implementation. In its 2025/2026 fiscal program, $400,000 was allocated to the Cannabis Authority for operational expenses as it works to put the reforms into effect. Amendments have also been pursued to facilitate medicinal cannabis imports with approval from the Authority.
St. Kitts and Nevishas moved even further into the implementation phase. Its Medicinal Cannabis Authority is now operating and describes its mandate as regulating and developing a safe and sustainable medicinal cannabis industry.
In February 2026, the Authority announced that applications for participation in the medicinal cannabis sector were open following consultations with cultivators, health officials, law enforcement, standards officials and other government agencies. The consultations focused on regulatory readiness, compliance requirements and preparations for full operation of the sector.
The Federation has also established a separate framework for cannabis connected to freedom of conscience and Rastafari religious rights. Application forms for licences and registrations under those laws became available in April 2026. Adults may apply under the Freedom of Conscience legislation for permission to possess limited quantities, consume cannabis in designated areas and cultivate up to five plants in a secured area at a private residence.
The Medicinal Cannabis Authority followed in June with a nationwide Responsible Use Campaign to educate residents about what is and is not permitted. Authorities emphasized that legal cannabis use in the Federation presently falls within medicinal and religious categories and that general recreational use remains prohibited.
Together, the developments show an increasingly detailed approach to cannabis policy across the Caribbean. Governments are no longer focusing solely on whether possession should be criminalized. Attention is increasingly turning to who can cultivate cannabis, who may sell or dispense it, how products are tested, how supply chains are monitored, what role traditional growers will play, how religious rights are protected and how governments will regulate an industry once licences begin to be issued.
The emerging systems also demonstrate that there is no single Caribbean model. Some governments are beginning with decriminalization before moving toward commercial regulation. Others are establishing medicinal industries first, while several are incorporating industrial hemp, religious use, research and export opportunities into broader regulatory structures.
What is increasingly common, however, is the creation of dedicated authorities, formal licence categories, compliance rules, public health safeguards and tracking mechanisms as Caribbean governments move cannabis policy from debate toward regulated implementation.
