Reporting on the Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act, the Office of Cannabis Regulation, and the marijuana licenses in St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation's first territorial cannabis testing facility is under construction on St. Croix, with a St. Thomas hub planned, even as Board Member Dr. Gary Jett questions whether the Department of Property and Procurement's selection process bypassed the Cannabis Advisory Board.
Chief Judge Robert Molloy of the District Court of the Virgin Islands issued a Temporary Restraining Order on February 25, 2026 blocking the Government of the Virgin Islands from enforcing the Act 9072 Section 3 requirement that licensed hemp retailers surrender existing inventory without compensation.
Homegrown Bar & Grill LLC, doing business as Little Amsterdam Coffee & Cannabis Lounge at 10 Dronningens Gade on Main Street in St. Thomas, filed a federal lawsuit on February 19, 2026 raising Fifth, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment claims plus a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights claim over the April 29, 2025 warrantless seizure of $18,000 in hemp inventory.
The Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs issued a press release on February 17, 2026 ordering every USVI retailer to immediately stop selling delta-8, delta-10, and THCA products, secure inventory from public access, and report holdings to the Office of Cannabis Regulation.
At its February 12, 2026 meeting, the Virgin Islands Cannabis Advisory Board voted to require Metrc Retail ID QR codes on every dispensary product, replaced the flat $1,500 temporary event permit fee with a $250 single-event / $1,500 multi-event structure, and adopted a straight-line standard for the 250-foot buffer from schools and churches.
Office of Cannabis Regulation Executive Director Joanne Moorehead said on February 3, 2026 that the territory will have regulated cannabis sales by fall 2026, and that Canada First Financial has agreed to provide pre-operational and operational banking services for licensees.
Act 9072 creates a licensed retailer track for delta-6, delta-8, delta-10, and THCA products, and stops every existing USVI retailer from selling that inventory until the Office of Cannabis Regulation issues rules and licenses.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation published merit scores for two conditional Cannabis Dispensary Licenses on St. Croix on January 16, 2026, filling two of the island's seven statutory slots.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation published merit scores for three conditional Cannabis Dispensary Licenses on St. John on January 16, 2026, filling the island's full three-license statutory cap in a single round.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation published merit scores for five conditional Cannabis Dispensary Licenses on St. Thomas on January 16, 2026, filling five of the island's seven statutory slots.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation published merit scores for 13 conditional Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Licenses on October 16, 2025 — seven on St. Croix, five on St. Thomas, and one on St. John — then added one more St. Croix award on January 13, 2026.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation opened the first Cannabis Dispensary License application window the week of June 30, 2025, running a minimum of 60 days, three days after Commercial Cultivation and Micro Cultivation applications closed on June 27.
The Virgin Islands Cannabis Advisory Board voted 6 to 0 on June 4, 2025 that individuals holding both Medical and Sacramental Use Cards keep a combined cap of six flowering and six immature plants, not twelve of each.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation opened Commercial Cultivation License and Micro Cultivation Permit applications on March 31, 2025, running the first round through June 27 under the merit-based scoring process in the 2024 Cannabis Rules and Regulations.
At the December 18, 2024 meeting, Commissioners Louis Petersen, Justa Encarnacion, and Joseph Boschulte attended the Virgin Islands Cannabis Advisory Board for the first time as voting members under the new § 777(b)(1) composition rules in Act 8925.
Bill 35-0283 was signed into law October 31, 2024, rewriting the VICAB composition, tightening the non-resident certification window, and adding a new license fee schedule at §§ 800a–800h.
The Cannabis Advisory Board voted unanimously on October 21, 2024 to set Commercial Cultivation License fees at $2,500, $5,000, and $7,500 across three plant-count tiers, and added a $500 Sacramental Organization Collective Cultivation Permit fee.
The Office of Cannabis Regulation's implementing rules were approved and certified by the Lieutenant Governor on May 13, 2024, starting the 12-month clock for license application openings under Section 7 of the Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act.
On January 18, 2023, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed the Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act, legalizing adult-use cannabis for residents and visitors 21 and older.
