US Virgin Islands authorizes recreational use of marijuana

Source: Associated Press

US Virgin Islands authorizes recreational use of marijuana

By DÁNICA COTO
January 19, 2023

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Virgin Islands has authorized the recreational and sacramental use of marijuana for anyone 21 and older, joining several nations across the socially conservative Caribbean that have relaxed their cannabis laws.

The move has been several years in the making, with U.S. Virgin Islands officials traveling to Colorado to meet with cultivators, manufacturers, law enforcement and others to learn about the industry before Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. signed the bill Wednesday.

“We are bringing the opportunities to you, but you must also do your part to seize these opportunities,” Bryan said, referring to the cultivation, manufacture and sale of marijuana in the U.S. territory.

Bryan added that his administration will expunge the records of those convicted of simple cannabis possession if they are eligible, saying that some 300 people in the U.S. territory of 105,000 inhabitants have been convicted in the last 20 years.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-us-virgin-islands-colorado-business-marijuana-1f3b04681b1e438733b9358d62415cd9