Between late May and early June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the Virgin Islands Hemp Plan, which outlines the procedures and requirements for cultivating and producing hemp products in the territory. The plan includes provisions for maintaining information on the land where hemp is produced, testing the level of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), disposing of plants that do not meet the necessary licensing and other requirements and ensuring compliance with all USDA and other federal guidelines.

According to a release issued by Government House, the V.I. Hemp Commission on Wednesday received and reviewed the applications from Crucian Hemp Farms to be licensed and registered as a Commercial Hemp Grower, Hemp Seed Distributor and Hemp Transporter. Crucian Hemp Farms is also the territory’s first Opportunity Zone business and the primary operators include five Virgin Islanders. 

“This begins a new economic era in the U.S. Virgin Islands that will not only benefit the government through new revenue streams, but also will provide economic and growth opportunities for the Territory’s farmers and local business entrepreneurs,” said Governor Albert Bryan. “I applaud the efforts of the Hemp Commission and note that they accomplished this in three months after streamlining the application process by using an online database that the commission opened to the public in September.” 

According to Gov't House, the Hemp Commission used a new software platform, managed by the Office of the Governor and the Bureau of Information Technology, called MyGov, which also has been used by the Virgin Islands Energy Office to process applications for consumer energy programs.

"The new digital licensing portal is part of Governor Bryan’s commitment to digitize the Government of the Virgin Islands and streamline and expedite interactions between residents and government agencies," said Gov't House.

Crucian Hemp Farms says it intends to cultivate and harvest 125 acres of compliant CBD-rich hemp and harvesting up to 3 times a year with potential yields of up to 4000 pounds of dry weight per acre.