Guam could be the first state to end cannabis prohibition in 2019

Guam, an island territory located in Micronesia (Oceania) and a member of the American Commonwealth, was the first American territory (not state) to legalize medical cannabis in 2014, maintaining however the prohibition of its recreational use despite significant consumption rates: 18.4% according to the UNODC report 2012, the third highest worldwide. That could soon change, however, as a legalization initiative has just been submitted to the island's governor.

The first legalization of 2019?

Last Wednesday, the senators of Guam's unicameral parliament approved a proposal to legalize recreational cannabis. The vote was close, with only 8 of the 15 senators voting in favor. The proposal would give adults over 21 the right to possess, consume, cultivate and purchase certain quantities of cannabis from licensed dealers. Cannabis sales would be subject to a 15% excise tax, the proceeds of which would be used to fund law enforcement, addiction treatment and agricultural programs.

The proposed law, entitled the Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019, is now on its way to Governor Lou Leon Guerrero's office. The latter will most likely sign it, as she has already in favor of legalization. She had met with one of the bill's sponsors, Senator Clynt Ridgell, last month, to review the text. Guam could thus quickly become the first jurisdiction to legalize recreational cannabis in 2019. However, it was nearly beaten to the punch by New Jersey, which had to vote on the issue on Monday. The vote was cancelled for lack of support.

Guam would thus join the ranks of US Commonwealth territories to have partially or fully legalized cannabis in recent months. Northern Mariana Islands legalized medical and recreational cannabis in one fell swoop last September. The Vanuatu archipelago, another Commonwealth territory, legalized medical cannabis last October. Well, more recently, the Virgin Islands, a US territory in the Caribbean, legalized medical cannabis in January.