Gov't wants 100 VIslanders planting marijuana by May 2020
The new target was revealed by Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) during the first January 7, 2020 episode of the 'Honestly Speaking' radio show, on public radio ZBVI 780 AM.
"We started the year off with some very serious meetings to get this industry going, we want it going by May, which means we have a lot of work to be done," Hon Fahie said.
As such, he noted that the plan is now to speed up the establishment of the industry while maintaining transparency and accountability.
Lands for Locals
"We are looking at Paraquita Bay for 50 acres of land, to empower 100 Virgin Islanders... 100 Belongers and we are doing it by districts and also the Territorial Members will also be able to include some youngsters, so at least the minimum of 10 persons per district," the Premier revealed as the ultimate plan.
"We want to be able to give the 100 of them, each of them a half-acre of land and this is what we are working towards so that they now can become the captains of their own ship and destiny financially," he said.
According to the Premier, his Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government is also exploring ways to get established medical marijuana companies to enter the VI with the aims of helping to innovate the industry.
"That's going to open up the BVI tremendously, and what incentives will we give to those investors, whether they are local or foreign, we also working on those," he said.
Virgin Islanders won't get 'High'
Defending the initiative, the Premier said that nothing God created is 'bad' and that marijuana has good medical components and beneficial by-products which will not result in Virgin Islanders getting 'high'.
The initiative to earmark lands to locals for the cultivation of marijuana was first revealed in the 2020 report on the deliberations of the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) released on Thursday, December 19, 2019.
According to the report, along with the marijuana cultivation, a local lab will be established for testing purposes with the projected $5M revenues for the industry set to exceed estimates in the first year of cultivation.
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37 Responses to “Gov't wants 100 VIslanders planting marijuana by May 2020”
All marijuana is not the same; marijuana/cannabis/weed/mary jane consist of approximately 500 chemicals. The two most prominent are THC (recreational; the strain that get you high)and CBD(cannabitriol, medical marijuana). CBD is none-psychoactive. I’m assuming that the Premier is waxing about CBD that will be a controlled substance ( Schedule 1 drug). As a control substance, the framework must be put in place to grow, produce, harvest, control and distribute it. Many locales are seeing marijuana, ie., medical marijuana, as the panacea for their economic/budget shortfalls. Both Advanced and Emerging countries are in market and the competition will be cutthroat. To compete successfully and with efficacy, the BVI must differentiate itself. It must provide greater value or provide comparable value at a lower cost or both. Nuff questions to answer before attempting to roll out in 2020.
The questions include 1)will the locally produced pot be just for local consumption, 2) if for export, who will it xport to, 3) which agency will have the production role and responsibility, 4) will this project be brought to the HOA as an agenda item or a unilateral decision will be made, 5) who will control the quality of CBD, 6) where is the testing lab, 7)how will government acquire revenue, 8)100 farmers farming 50 acres ( 0.5 acres per farmer) Is this the best way, 9) will the tens of people convicted for smoking a likle weed have their records expunged, 10)will government/HoA pass law authorizing residents to possess small quantities of THC for personal use( include cultivating)......etc and so on.
Next we will be chanting free the THC.
Waiting to see.
THC has medicinal and spiritual value.
YOU are spreading misinformation, right up there with vaccines. It is only a few years ago we discovered human bodies have a cannabinoid system.
CBD is one of MANY cannabinoids that all work together to produce the healing effects people have known weed to have all these many years.
HEMP on the other hand was bred for centruries to produce maximum fiber for textile production.
HEMP BEING HIGH IN CBD IS DUE TO MODERN BREEDING, in the last ~3 years!!! - HIGH CBD marijuana is an attempt to grow weed in US states where hemp is legal but weed as we know it & love it, is not.
Nothing wrong with THC, what is wrong is PASSING OFF WEED AS HEMP to people who have never tried either.
Its a sad world were money says what goes.
This herb is for the healing of the nation and if its not expanding your consciousness as its is supposed to then we are stuck in the mud.
Might as well hit the bar and have a drink!
Lest you forget the devil has evil spirits too and week smoking opens the third eye that connects you to the devil and for those of you who wearing these third eye clothing, getting these third eye tattoos, etc are opening up your souls to satan giving him free will.
Look up this information and stop being jumping on every trend.
Is this for export? Who is the market? How is going to be shipped it? Via BVI Post Office?
Asked about SATAN, he sure isnt good and it is God that created him. So your arguments has holes....
fooling the people with this THC bad CBD good propaganda.
Legalize the herb on all levels and get off this notion of "HIGH" as a bad thing.
Id rather be in a plane with a pilot high off the best herb than in a car with a drunk driver.
The devil has a silver tongue and you are manipulating language to make it seem all "high" is the same thing.
By your own logic people need to stop having sex because it makes them high.
Long ago we were not human beings, we were NEGROS.
"Marijuana enthusiasts often point to Genesis 1:11 (“Let the earth bring forth grass”) and other verses (Genesis 1:29; 3:18) to justify the smoking of what they refer to as “grass.” They say that since God created the plant and declared it “good,” it should therefore be enjoyed. It is true that He created it, and that everything He made has some purpose in creation. For example, hemp (from which marijuana is made) is very useful in making strong rope. God also created sand (which is good), and if someone wants to eat sand by the spoonful, they may do so. However, they shouldn’t complain if they get a stomachache.
While God had a practical use for marijuana, man decided for some reason to burn it and kill his brain cells by inhaling its harmful fumes. Likewise, man decided to use the beautiful poppy to destroy his life with incredibly addictive heroin. Breathing in the burning fumes of anything is extremely unhealthy, and those who do so aren’t thinking very deeply. This is one reason why marijuana is called “dope.” Those who smoke “grass” will waste their days, wither their brain, and forget what they are doing."
affecting the planting, short days for long crop and long days for short crop which happens to be our hurricane season ,shorts days you to fight with the cold front coming down from north with cold rain causing the weed to be stress resulting in hempi buds full of seeds. Greenhouses cant work because of the type of hurricanes passing ,insurance company aint going insure your weed , and government cant afford to build a mega facility to grow indoor. its a plan destine to fail take your time build a structure that can have the marijuana grown indoor, haste make waste.
Everybody need to get educated on this level.
This is the biggest mistake this government is making so far. We have people HOOKED on marijuana and DO NOT realise that they are, which leads to a range of bad behaviours.
Who is going to OVERSEE this WEED GROWING (when you look they're selling getting others high and smoking away the "profit").
Follow fashion is not good. Not because the rest of the Caribbean or world or most people are doing something does not make it right.
Try stop bring God into mess.