Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of the active ingredient and naturally occurring cannabinoids in cannabis. It is the cannabinoid with the greatest psychoactive effect. It is considered to be the most active form, producing characteristic mood and associated perceptual changes.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the bioactive compounds and naturally occurring cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. It is one of the most medically relevant chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant, but it’s different from THC because of its opposing antagonistic effect compared to THC. It is also not as psychoactive as THC and is noted more for its medicinal effects.

There are two major concerns regarding smoking medicinal cannabis.

Firstly, smoking is a particularly harmful way of taking medicinal cannabis, mainly because it poses comparable risks for bronchitis and lung cancer, as is the smoking of cigarettes. Smoking medicinal cannabis is not permitted by local or international Health authorities.

Secondly, approved medicines used in Barbados are produced under strict conditions to ensure efficacy and safety. It is important that medical doctors know that medicines have been tested and are standardized by dose and therapeutic response. This means doctors can monitor the effects of the drug and doses can be adjusted according to a patient’s needs.

It is understood that smoked cannabis will not be prescribed in Barbados because smoked plant products will not satisfy governmental requirements.

• 18. What is a Legacy Practitioner/Traditional Farmer?

  Someone who has vast experience and knowledge in the growth, production and cultivation of cannabis.

  19. What does cultivation mean?

  Cultivation includes the growing, harvesting, curing and drying of plant material.

  20. What does cultivation site mean?

  A cultivation site is the premise specified in a cultivator license as premises on which cannabis plants are authorised to be cultivated.

  21. What does therapeutic facility mean?

  Therapeutic facility is the premises granted a Retail Distributor Licence:

  • to sell, dispense or provide medicinal cannabis prescribed by a medical practitioner; and

  • to provide facilities and other medicinal or therapeutic requirements to allow a patient who has purchased, prescribed or recommended medicinal cannabis to use or consume that medicinal cannabis there for therapeutic purposes.

  22. Who will grow the medicinal cannabis and distil the appropriate derivatives for the medical fraternity to use?

  Any person with a Cultivator License (Tier 1 to 4), is allowed to grow, harvest, dry, trim, cure or package medicinal cannabis.

  To distil the appropriate derivatives for the medical fraternity, a person with a Processor License (Tier 1 to 3), will be allowed to process and manufacture cannabis material and medicinal cannabis products.

  For more information on licenses please click here.

  23. Given that differences in cannabis plants lead to differing strengths of derivatives, how will this be controlled so that persons electing to use medicinal cannabis can obtain a consistent product or will this be a free-for-all?

  A person shall not cultivate, supply, possess, or obtain medicinal cannabis for any of the purposes specified under the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act, 2019, unless that person is the holder of the relevant license issued pursuant to the Act. A person who contravenes is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment, to a fine of 15 times the value of the medicinal cannabis cultivated, supplied, possessed, or obtained, or to imprisonment for a term of 10 years or to both.

  24. How will the legal framework address who grows/imports medicinal cannabis?

  While the BMCLA will deliver policies, procedures and guidelines to establish the cannabis industry, the legal framework has been established by the laws of Barbados, which states that a person who is 18 years of age or older who is a citizen, permanent resident, person with immigrant status or citizen of a CARICOM member state other than Barbados, or is a company, partnership or co-operative society may apply for a license to grow or import medicinal cannabis.

  The BMCLA, under strict control, issues several other categories of licenses including cultivation, transporting, manufacturing, dispensing, research and development, laboratory testing and exporting medicinal cannabis.

  25. Can persons with previous criminal records become involved in the industry?

  Section 32 (3) if the Act states that "A person who has been convicted of any of the offences in the second schedule or of any other similar offence in any country, shall not be eligible for a license.

  For more information, please click here.

The Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) is the sole regulator, that is mandated to create and position the local medicinal cannabis industry as a global centre of excellence in training, certification, research and development and to provide a high quality, accessible and advanced patient-centric environment to qualifying individuals.

The BMCLA also ensures that the safety of the public and consumers of medicinal cannabis and its by-products are adequately protected, by appropriately regulating the importation, sale, distribution, possession, purchase, manufacture, cultivation, transportation and exportation of medicinal cannabis.