A revised marijuana legalization bill was recently introduced by U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. (D), which made a series of changes to previously introduced legislation. Bryan has continued to emphasize that tax revenue from legal cannabis sales would create much-needed funding for the territory’s retirement system for government employees and legalization would also offset economic losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several legislators have voiced opposition to the original policy, questioning the notion that tax revenue from cannabis sales could make up for the significant deficits within the retirement program, whether it adequately addresses social equity and whether small businesses would be left out. Changes include a ban on home cultivation for recreational consumers, an increase in the number of members of the government’s Cannabis Advisory Board, and a limit on non-residents to purchase up to seven grams of flower per day while residents can buy up to an ounce.
