Cannabis legislation stuck at govt legal affairs for a year, while regional neighbors move ahead

GREAT BAY--St. Maarten’s long-discussed cannabis legislation has been stuck in government's Legal Affairs Department for almost a year, even as implementation planning and community-facing work by Native Nations SXM continues to expand through signed farmer agreements and public outreach.

The policy track, however, remains the central bottleneck. St. Maarten launched a formal process in 2022 through a request for proposals, selected Native Nations as a preferred partner in late 2023, formally issued a mandate in April 2024, and established an intergovernmental working group that has met weekly since July 2024.

St. Maarten's efforts is anchored in the intent to legalize cannabis for medicinal, scientific, religious, and recreational purposes and established a workgroup tasked with advancing legalization. Despite repeated efforts, no clear public explanation has been obtained for the length of the legal review phase at judicial affairs, nor a firm timetable for submission to Parliament.

In the meantime, St. Maarten's neighbors are moving full speed ahead with their respective cannabis efforts and international momentum is also shifting. In the United States, President Donald Trump signed a December 18, 2025 executive order directing steps tied to marijuana’s federal scheduling, emphasizing expanded medical marijuana and cannabidiol research while stopping short of nationwide legalization, with further federal rulemaking still required.

Across the Caribbean, several jurisdictions have moved from discussion into operating authorities and licensing regimes:

• Jamaica’s post-2015 reforms created space for a regulated medical and therapeutic framework, supported by the Cannabis.

• Barbados established a medical-first framework through its Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act and related licensing structures.

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines built a regulated medical industry after 2018 reforms, with regional reporting highlighting efforts to integrate traditional cultivators into the legal supply chain.

• Antigua and Barbuda’s Cannabis Act, alongside its Medicinal Cannabis Authority, outlines licensing and oversight for regulated activity, including religious and medicinal dimensions.

• St. Kitts and Nevis passed its Cannabis Act in 2020 and officially launched its Medicinal Cannabis Authority in April 2025, marking a shift from legislation into institutional implementation.

• Dominica moved on decriminalization in 2020, with reporting documenting parliamentary approval for possession of small amounts and limited home cultivation, alongside continuing discussion on a wider medicinal framework.

• Grenada has continued consultations and signaled legislative intent through proposed amendments during 2025, reflecting a region-wide trend toward regulated or decriminalized approaches.

• Anguilla authorities introduced a one-year decriminalization pilot under which adults were generally shielded from criminal prosecution for simple possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis and for cultivating up to four plants per household, with use restricted to private or residential spaces.

• Saint Lucia: On January 20, 2025, the government published a draft Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Bill 2025 for public review and comment, with a stated feedback deadline in early February. That is a clear 2025 step toward a defined legal framework, even before final passage.

Native Nations SXM, the Government of St. Maarten’s official partner in leading the island’s legalization and regulatory development alongside the Cannabis Legislative Inter-Ministerial Work Group, has intensified its on-the-ground engagement while the draft law itself has yet to reach Parliament.

Native Nations SXM has signed letters of intent with local farmers for a cannabis farming program designed to pair outdoor cultivation with food production and market access, following an August 3, 2025 “Call to Farmers” meeting at the Rupert Maynard Community Center in St. Peters and subsequent one-on-one consultations.

The program model positions “Master Farmers” as independent entrepreneurs, supported by uptake agreements guaranteeing purchase of harvested crops, post-harvest testing and processing via a licensed facility, training at several levels, access to premium genetics, and potential startup loans up to USD 50,000 tied to quality and compliance requirements.

Food security is built into the model through crop rotation, with farmers planting cannabis on one lot and food crops such as cucumber, watermelon, and sage on another during the same cycle, then rotating, alongside plans for a daily, food-only farmers market adjacent to the fields.

Native Nations SXM has framed the work as a community development effort, stating, “This is about more than cannabis, it’s about sovereignty, inclusion, and community resilience,” while urging residents and entrepreneurs to stay engaged as the framework develops.

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