St. Kitts and Nevis Cannabis Market – Business Plan Templates

Cannabis Legalization in St. Kitts and Nevis

On April 20, 2020, legislators of St. Kitts and Nevis voted to approve the Cannabis Bill (Cannabis Act) which legalized medical cannabis in the country and established a Medicinal Cannabis Authority, responsible for regulating the medical cannabis industry and creating a licensing scheme for the cultivation, supply, production and use of medical cannabis.

Population 2024	46,877
GDP 2024 (US$ b)	1.16
Land used for agricultural purposes (% of total land area)	24%
Health Expenditure (% of GDP)	5.7%

Sources: Worldometer, International Monetary Fund, Caribbean Agribusiness, World Health Organization

In 2021, the government approved the creation of the Cannabis Board to direct the Medicinal Cannabis Authority.

In November 2023, the Cannabis Act was amended to transfer control over the medical cannabis industry from the Prime Minister to the Minister of Agriculture.

In 2023, possession of cannabis for private use was legalized through the Freedom of Conscience (Cannabis) Bill. This bill creates a license for which an individual aged 18 and over can apply in order to be able to possess 56 grams of cannabis or 15 grams of cannabis resin in permitted public places. A license holder can also cultivate up to 5 cannabis plants on their private premises.

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Rastafarian community gained the right to use and possess cannabis after the passage of the Rastafari Rights Recognition Act in 2023. This bill not only allows Rastafarians to cultivate, harvest and possess cannabis, but also gives them free licenses from the Medicinal Cannabis Authority.

As of December 2024, the St. Kitts and Nevis Cannabis Board is still in the process of preparing for the medicinal cannabis licensing takeoff. In November 2024, two committees were created within the Board of Directors: the Human Resources and Administration Subcommittee (responsible for administrative issues) and the Licensing/Policy Implementation Subcommittee (responsible for the effective implementation of the licensing system). The Cannabis Board Chairperson states that they hope to have a fully staffed Medicinal Cannabis Authority in 2025 so that they can begin to accept license applications.

Medical Cannabis Licenses Available in St. Kitts and Nevis

In St. Kitts and Nevis, a license is required to cultivate, transport, manufacture, research, test, import, export or dispense medicinal cannabis.

Cultivation	A cultivation license allows to grow, harvest, dry, trim, cure or package medicinal cannabis.
Manufacturer	A manufacturer license allows to extract, process and manufacture cannabis material and medicinal cannabis products.
Dispensing	A dispensing license allows to dispense medicinal cannabis to patients.
Import	An import license allows to import medicinal cannabis products and planting material from any country where it is legal.
Export	An export license allows to export medicinal cannabis to any country where it is legal to do so.
Transport	A transport license allows to transport medicinal cannabis.
Traditional Cultivator	A traditional cultivator license allows an individual who is a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, to cultivate, harvest, dry, trim, cure and package medicinal cannabis provided the individual meets certain requirements.
Research	A research license allows to carry out scientific research relating to the development of medicinal cannabis.
Testing Facility	A testing facility license allows for qualitative and quantitative analysis and testing of medicinal cannabis to assess whether it is safe before it enters the market.
Place of Worship	A place of worship license allows a registered place of worship to cultivate, harvest, dry, trim, cure, package and use medicinal cannabis.
Lounge	A lounge license allows to establish a place where patients can medicate.

Shop

'70% ready to go' business plan templates

Our cannabis financial models and cannabis business plan templates will help you estimate how much it costs to start and operate your own cannabis business, to build all revenue and cost line-items monthly over a flexible seven year period, and then summarize the monthly results into quarters and years for an easy view into the various time periods. We also offer investor pitch deck templates.