Review into Jersey's rising medicinal cannabis industry launches

Thursday 15 April 2021

An in-depth review examining the regulations for the licence application, production, and export of medicinal cannabis in Jersey has been launched.

The first licences for companies to grow medicinal cannabis in Jersey were issued last year under the Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978.

The first two licences were issued in December – one of which was for Tamba-based Northern Leaf, which according to a profile in the Financial Times had spent 12.5m on setting up and expected to invest an additional £6m in 2021, while doubling the number of workers.

Under the current system, applications for licences are only considered where the cannabis will be used to produce a medicinal product manufactured to UK/EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

The Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel said its review will not only compare the regulations for licence application with other jurisdictions, but also consider its impact on Jersey’s international reputation and assess how economically beneficial the new sector will be for the island.

The review will also assess how robust the application process is to ensure "thorough due diligence is undertaken on applicants".

Pictured: The review is being undertaken by the Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel, which is chaired by Deputy David Johnson.

As part of the review, the Panel will be speaking to relevant Ministers and industry representatives. Following this, they will present recommendations to the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport, and Culture, Senator Lyndon Farnham, as well as the States Assembly in a report that is expected to be published in June.

“Given that the topic of medicinal cannabis licensing is one of key public interest, we want to reinforce that the review will focus on licensing for medicinal cannabis only," Deputy David Johnson, Chair of the Economic and International Affairs Panel, said. 

"When scrutinising these regulations, we will seek to identify what economic benefit an industry based on the growth, import and export of medicinal cannabis will have on the Island and any additional costs that may affect the taxpayer.

"Examining the potential impact of the sector, either positive or negative, on the Island’s international image, will also inform our review and subsequent recommendations to the Government and the States Assembly.”