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.

Medicinal Cannabis is cannabis that is grown and sold pursuant to the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act, 2019 that includes the seeds, immature plants as well as all parts of the plant, along with resin extracted from any part of the plant, every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation from cannabis; or cannabis concentrate; that is cultivated, processed, manufactured, distributed or sold under a licence from the BMCLA. As a medicine, it is prescribed and recommended by physicians to provide a therapeutic effect.

Everyone's response to cannabis differs and can vary from one time to the next.

Like any other drug, cannabis can:

• Impair your ability to drive safely or operate heavy equipment
• It can cause drowsiness, slow reaction times, lower your ability to pay attention and impair coordination
• Affect your mental capacity
• Impair your concentration, memory and decision-making, and can impact your ability to perform well on the job or at school.[1]
• Cause euphoria (a high) it can also cause anxiety or panic.[2]
• In rare cases, cannabis can trigger a psychotic episode (not knowing what is real, experiencing paranoia, having disorganized thoughts and, in some cases, hallucinating).[3]

[1] [2] [3] World Health Organization (WHO). The health and social effects of nonmedical cannabis use.

• The BMCLA can suspend or revoke a license where:

  • the person issued the license is convicted of an offence under the Act;

  • the person issued with the license contravenes a term of condition of the license granted under the Act.

  • the Minister requires the suspension or revocation of the license in the interest of public health or public safety.

  For more about the Barbados Medicinal Industry Act please click here

• 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.