Vanuatu approves cannabis cultivation and export

Vanuatu has become the’one of the first countries in Oceania to allow companies to grow cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, after the government enacted a law authorizing the import, cultivation, processing, and export of the plant.

The new law was enacted on the 9th of this month by Agriculture Minister Nako Natuman.

Individuals or businesses that wish to legally grow cannabis for medical purposes Businesses and industrial entities in Vanuatu will be able to apply for a license as soon as the regulations take effect. They will be required to submit a number of documents with their license application, such as proof of at least 10 years of experience, a business plan and proof of land ownership or a copy of the lease.

The experience requirement means that only foreign companies that are not based in the country and are already operating in the cannabis industry, such as certain companies in the United States or Canada, will be eligible to obtain a license.

Initially, the government made available five licenses valid for 10 years, two of which were for the medical cannabis cultivation and three for industrial hemp, to be renewed annually upon payment of a fee of 10 million vatus (nearly 79,000€).

According to Moses Amos, Director General of Vanuatu’s Ministry of Agriculture, the number of licenses could increase once the government fully understands how this industry operates.

Mr. Amos, who is also chair of Parliament's advisory committee on medical cannabis and the industrial hemp, told the local broadcaster VBTC that these policies are intended to encourage foreign investment in the country.

«The government is focusing particularly on alternative resources we can use, and one of them is industrial hemp and medical cannabis,» he said. «It’s a potential resource that we can use and develop into an export product, while at the same time bringing money into the country.»

Vanuatu, which until recently completely criminalized cannabis, decided to change his relationship with the plant after partnering with an American medical cannabis company.

In March 2019, Phoenix Life Sciences opened its first clinic in the country to test a cannabis-based medication on patients with diabetes. In 2020, the company reached an agreement with the government to use its products to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases in hospitals.

Shortly thereafter, the government sought to amend its Dangerous Drugs Act to authorize the commercial cultivation of cannabis; the amendments were enacted in 2021.