Antigua relies on a public-private partnership for cannabis cultivation

The cannabis industry in the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is about to get underway, and with a twist, a public-private partnership that could serve as a model for other Caribbean nations.

This month, two years after voting for the legalization of medical cannabis, legal cannabis cultivation is ready to start in the country.

Last month, the Medicinal Cannabis Authority issued its first license to legally grow medical cannabis to GROW Antigua & Barbuda, a public-private partnership that includes the government, the Rastafarian community and private companies.

GROW's hybrid ownership model, which attempts to strike a balance between social equity and industry strategy, grants Itopia Life, one of Jamaica's largest national cannabis companies, a 51 % stake in the integrated seed-to-sale company. Rastafari Food For Life, a company owned and incorporated by members of the Rastafari community, will hold 25%, and the state-owned National Assets Management Company (NAMCO) will hold 24%.

This is the first time that a government in the region has directly entered the sector as an asset holder and investor. And goes beyond equity programs in progress in Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where governments have encouraged the legal participation of indigenous and traditional cannabis growers, via targeted subsistence farming programs or amnesties, but without making any investments.

According to GROW, the initiative will tackle a key issue in the Caribbean: equal opportunities in the cannabis industry. While governments have been receptive to the idea of the economic opportunities presented by its development, advocates and supporters of reform have remained dissatisfied with the follow-up on reducing barriers to entry into the industry for low-income people and for communities most affected by the criminalization of cannabis.

Now, having secured Antigua and Barbuda's first cannabis cultivation license, members of the country's representative Rastafari community group hope that the GROW Antigua and Barbuda model can be replicated and serve as an example for granting fair access to the industry in the region.

«It's monumental. It's not just about Antigua, it's about the rights of Rastafarians throughout the Caribbean, said High Priest Bongo Selah, an elder of the religious minority community and member of the church Nyabinghi Theocracy. «This tripartite model is not just for us, it's for everyone.

In addition to the license granted to GROW, the Medicinal Cannabis Authority says it is considering at least five other license applications, worth a total of over $11 million. According to Authority Chairman Daven Joseph, speaking in June at a GROW cultivation facility opening ceremony, «the significant development of the industry» is expected to contribute at least 10% to Antigua and Barbuda's economic output over the next five to ten years.