Speaker, Dr. Joseph Rosado at the St. Maarten Symposium on Cannabis Regulation, Public Health & Policy held at the University of St. Martin.
PHILIPSBURG--The need for a carefully structured, evidence-based approach to cannabis regulation was a central message during a cannabis regulation symposium held at the University of St. Martin (USM) on Friday, August 14. The symposium brought together perspectives on cannabis policy, public health, youth protection and the potential economic and social implications of regulation for St. Maarten and the wider Caribbean.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Martin said the discussion should extend beyond cannabis as a product and consider health, safety, economic development, agriculture, education and enforcement. She noted that cannabis already exists on St. Maarten and that government is therefore not starting from a blank page. The existing illicit market provides limited oversight of product quality, potency, access and distribution.
Heyliger-Martin stressed that regulation should not be confused with promoting cannabis use. Any framework would need clear rules covering who can participate, what can be sold and where, product testing and labelling, youth protection, monitoring and enforcement.
Rastafari representative Ras Iroy called for an inclusive cannabis industry that recognises the community’s religious, cultural and historical relationship with cannabis. Iroy said Rastafari has faced years of discrimination and criminalisation because of its sacramental and cultural use of cannabis. He pointed to St. Kitts and Nevis, where legislation recognises certain Rastafari rights, as a possible example for St. Maarten.
He called for legal recognition of Rastafari, expungement of previous cannabis convictions, law-enforcement training, cultivation rights, financial incentives and industry training. According to Iroy, reforms should also address reparatory justice and ensure Rastafari can benefit from any emerging industry.
Youth substance use was another concern raised during the symposium. Research presented by Leslie-Cijntje indicated that approximately 37.3% of 15-year-olds surveyed reported cannabis use, compared with 16.8% in the Netherlands. The research included students, parents, educators and school counsellors.
Leslie-Cijntje highlighted concerns about cannabis being perceived as harmless, young people using it to cope with stress and trauma, and the growing popularity of vaping. She called for school-based drug education, trained counsellors, parent-awareness programmes, stronger vaping regulations and safeguards specifically aimed at young people.
Physician and policy adviser Dr. Joseph Rosado presented a framework that places the health system ahead of commercial development. His approach calls for patient access, public safety and public trust to be addressed together. Dr. Rosado proposed five main pillars for a medical cannabis framework: protecting patients, equipping clinicians, controlling products, protecting the community and measuring outcomes.
He also stressed the importance of product standards. Cannabis products would need clearly identified ingredients and potency, meet purity and consistency requirements and be traceable so that problematic batches could be identified and recalled. Youth protection would also extend to packaging, advertising and access, including age verification and restrictions on marketing that
could appeal to young people.
The economic potential of cannabis regulation was discussed from a wider Caribbean perspective by Dr. Machel Emanuel of the University of the West Indies. He noted that cannabis has longstanding cultural, religious and economic roots in the Caribbean, while governments have adopted different approaches to medical use, decriminalisation and regulation.
Dr. Emanuel also highlighted the legal challenges created by international drug-control treaties, which can limit the options available to small island developing states. He said developing domestic cannabis economies would require cooperation between governments, academic institutions and the private sector, as well as research and funding to better understand the different parts of the cannabis value chain.
Heyliger-Martin said government established a Cannabis Legislative Inter-Ministerial Work Group (CLIWG) because cannabis policy involves multiple areas, including economic affairs, public health, justice, education, agriculture, finance, tourism and community development.
Financial oversight would also be necessary if a regulated industry is established. Measures identified by the minister included transparent ownership, traceable transactions, banking access, seed-to-sale monitoring, licensing, auditing and enforcement. Rosado proposed the implementation should take place in phases, beginning with the legal and regulatory foundation, followed by a medical pilot, controlled expansion and a formal review based on outcomes and evidence.
The symposium’s overall message was that cannabis regulation, if pursued in St. Maarten, would involve considerably more than creating a legal market. Speakers stressed the importance of public-health safeguards, trained healthcare professionals, product controls, youth protection, education, monitoring and inter-agency cooperation, while also creating opportunities for local participation.
