The Vanuatu government has signed off on regulations making it legal to cultivate medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp for export.
The Pacific island nation passed the Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Act in 2021, but has only now confirmed how the law will work.
Companies looking to grow the product will need 10 years’ experience, and be required to buy a 10-year licence for A$125,000, renewable annually for the same amount.
In practice, that means only overseas businesses from countries with long-standing cannabis industries will be eligible.
The government has made at least five licences available, two for medicinal cannabis and three for hemp production.
The chairman of parliament’s Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Advisory Committee Moses Amos said the 10-year rule will ensure a high standard of product and offer Vanuatu workers experience in the industry. The drug will not be grown for locals and will be regulated carefully.
He added: “In order to ensure that we can back capacity, we allow for 10 years of experience to come and invest in Vanuatu.
“The duration of a licence is 10 years. The scenario would be that after 10 years of working with a foreign investor, any Vanuatuan would be in a position to engage in that activity.”
The Cook Islands is currently weighing up whether to import cannabis and/or grow its own after the country voted to legalise medicinal use last year.
