Looks like this will be the first in the British Isles and Europe to legalize cannabis

Of Maureen Meihan

Medical cannabis was legalized in the Isle of Guernsey in 2020, followed by licenses for cultivation and production and more than 5,000 medical marijuana permits granted to patients. Now it appears that the Channel Islands are attempting to fully legalize all forms of cannabis.

In fact, both Guernsey and Jersey, which sit between the UK and France, have implemented cannabis reform in a way that is unprecedented in the UK and across Europe in this regard.

Image by bobbeeez from Pixabay

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And another Channel Island, the Isle of Man, is planning a multi-million dollar medical facility run by investment firm Peel Group, which is run by billionaire John Whittaker.

Guernsey is making progress towards legalisation

The BBC reported that Guernsey’s Health and Welfare Committee (HSC) suggested that while legalization is being worked on, public health officials should look at how regulation works in other successful legal weed countries, although it is is a short list.

To this end, a group of cross-party MPs from Guernsey undertook a fact-finding mission to Canada. One of the most notable facts they found, and probably greatly appreciated, is that Canada’s adult cannabis market has generated approximately $11 billion in retail sales and sustains over 90,000 jobs annually.

Aiming to turn cannabis into an engine of economic growth

While medical cannabis programs in the UK and Europe have been largely driven by patient demand, the Channel Islands are looking closely at the economic benefits.

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For islands like Jersey and Guernsey, both of which have mild climates for greenhouse cultivation, cannabis presents a unique opportunity to gain access to an international market through export. Both islands are poised to benefit from a rapid time-to-market that would cement their access to the growing number of EU countries that have approved medicinal cannabis.

Channel Islands are not part of the UK or the EU

Guernsey – 25 square miles in size with a population of almost 700,000 – as well as Jersey and the Isle of Man are self-governing and not part of the United Kingdom or the European Union. Their self-governing status works to their advantage on this issue.

Broad support for legalization under the official Guernsey HSC

Support for legalizing cannabis on the HSC has been championed for years by Deputy Marc Leadbeater, who is also a director of a local cannabis cultivation company.

Leadbeater said “this doesn’t have to be the top priority for HSC in 2022” but legalizing cannabis is a piece of work, “we want to move forward”.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.