• Covid-19
  • Travel Protocols
  • Immigration & Customs Form
Saturday, May 24, 2025
SKNIS
  • Home
  • About
  • Press Releases
  • Parliament
  • In The News
  • Bills
No Result
View All Result
SKNIS
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

MINISTER DUGGINS EMBRACES THE CHALLENGE OF LEADING THE BUILDOUT OF THE MEDICINAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

SKNISEditor by SKNISEditor
November 21, 2023
in Featured, In The News
MINISTER DUGGINS EMBRACES THE CHALLENGE OF LEADING THE BUILDOUT OF THE MEDICINAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

Hon. Samal Duggins

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 21, 2023 (SKNIS) – With the passage of the amendments to the Cannabis Act in the National Assembly on Monday, November 20, the responsibility for the buildout of a thriving medicinal cannabis industry now lies with the Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Samal Duggins.

Before the amendments were approved during Monday’s sitting, the responsibility for the Medicinal Cannabis Authority was held by the Prime Minister.

Related posts

Christophe Harbour and its Shareholders, the Darby Family and the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis, Announce the Sale of Marina Assets and Operations to Safe Harbor Marinas, LLC

Christophe Harbour and its Shareholders, the Darby Family and the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis, Announce the Sale of Marina Assets and Operations to Safe Harbor Marinas, LLC

May 23, 2025
CONTRIBUTION OPTION TO NEW PENSION PLAN ENSURES EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

CONTRIBUTION OPTION TO NEW PENSION PLAN ENSURES EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

May 23, 2025

In his contribution to the debate on the Cannabis (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Minister Duggins welcomed the transfer of responsibility.

“Cannabis is a crop Madame Deputy Speaker, and for too long it has been treated not like it ought to have been. As a crop, its development should be aligned with the overall development of the agricultural sector, and so moving the mechanisms into the realm of agriculture speaks to the alignment that should be taken when it comes to the development of cannabis,” the minister said.

Minister Duggins said this move also presents new opportunities for farmers who can now bring their years of expertise in crop production to the fore for the development of the medicinal cannabis industry.

“Our farmers would now be able to legally cultivate and utilize their skills within the field of medicinal cannabis, and when we look at that Madame Speaker, … we then see possibilities for the development of our agricultural sector. The last time we had a crop that generated hundreds of millions of dollars would have probably been sugar in St. Kitts and Nevis. Since then, our agricultural sector plummeted from leading the gross domestic product (GDP) contribution to now just over one percent. Madame Speaker, we are saying now here is a chance to revive agriculture, diversify our economy and ensure that the agricultural sector can move again to contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to our economy,” said Minister Duggins.

The Cannabis Act was also amended to increase the number of persons appointed to serve on the Medicinal Cannabis Authority Board.

Minister Duggins said, “In the development of a significant aspect such as this, we must be guided by the right advice. We cannot do this wrong and hope to correct it later, and so as we move along and develop this entire scope and how we approach this, I believe by including more voices we can have better advice.”

During a recent visit to Southern University (SU) in Louisiana, United States of America, Minister Duggins had the opportunity to tour the university’s food production and research facilities and the medicinal cannabis growing, research, and quality control operations.

“When I looked at what they are doing at Southern University in the development of medicinal cannabis, we can do that here quite easily. In fact, I think we are better positioned to do that here given our natural resources and all that we have available to us,” the honourable minister said.

Mover of the Bill, Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew opined that the amendments made to the Cannabis Act during Monday’s Sitting of the National Assembly will help to ensure the proper rollout of the Federation’s medicinal cannabis industry.

-30-

Previous Post

Tax Administration System “SMARTS and E-Government Portal” to go live in January 2024

Next Post

Eminent Persons Group Following Third Facilitation Visit to Haiti

Next Post
CARICOM MINISTERIAL STATEMENT AHEAD OF COP 27

Eminent Persons Group Following Third Facilitation Visit to Haiti

WHAT'S HOT

Christophe Harbour and its Shareholders, the Darby Family and the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis, Announce the Sale of Marina Assets and Operations to Safe Harbor Marinas, LLC

Christophe Harbour and its Shareholders, the Darby Family and the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis, Announce the Sale of Marina Assets and Operations to Safe Harbor Marinas, LLC

May 23, 2025
CONTRIBUTION OPTION TO NEW PENSION PLAN ENSURES EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

CONTRIBUTION OPTION TO NEW PENSION PLAN ENSURES EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

May 23, 2025
SENIOR MINISTER DOUGLAS AFFIRMS THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF SKNBS IN FACILITATING TRADE WITHIN AND BEYOND THE FEDERATION

DR. DOUGLAS HIGHLIGHTS HISTORIC IMPORTANCE AND GLOBAL REACH OF EXTRADITION BILL, 2025

May 23, 2025

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • 2025
  • Attorney General, Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs
  • Bills
  • Featured
  • Featured Ministry
  • Government Projects
  • Home Page Slider
  • In Focus
  • In The News
  • Interviews
  • Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources; Cooperatives; Entrepreneurship and Creative Economy
  • Ministry of Education, Youth; Social Development; Gender Affairs; Aging and Disabilities
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry and Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Economic Development and Investment
  • Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities; Domestic Transport; Information, Communication and Technology; and Posts
  • Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment; Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment
  • Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation; International Transport; Employment and Labour; Urban Development
  • Notices
  • Parliament
  • PMO Press Releases
  • Press Conferences
  • Press Releases
  • Prime Ministers Office, Ministry of Finance; National Security; Citizenship and Immigration; Health and Social Security
  • Register of Voters
  • Round Table
  • The Cabinet Secretariat, Cabinet Secteatry
  • Uncategorized

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

Facebook Pagelike Widget

LOCATION

St. Kitts Nevis Information Service
Government Headquarters
Chruch Street
Basseterre
St. Kitts
Tel:(869)467-1416

FOLLOW US

  • Government of St. Kitts & Nevis

© 2020 St. Kitts & Nevis Information Service. Developed by E-Government Unit

No Result
View All Result
  • Home

© 2020 St. Kitts & Nevis Information Service. Developed by E-Government Unit