Dominica: The National Cannabis Symposium was held in Roseau on Wednesday, July 09, 2025 and Thursday, July 10, 2025. The gathering was arranged as a bold leap forward for Dominica.
According to the organizers, the event would redefine health policy, rural development and economic diversification. The atmosphere there was uplifted as the visionaries appeared, such as Bob Marley, Dignitaries Invoking SDGs and Emotional Anecdotes pulling at heartstrings were also present there.
As the words soared, the ground beneath them seemed unstable. For all its branding as a ‘historic’ moment, the Symposium revealed a familiar pattern on Dominica’s political culture considering eloquent declarations without the necessary infrastructure, legislation, or timeliness to support them.
The Government of Dominica is exploring the vast potential of the cannabis plant to develop a viable, sustainable and well-regulated medicinal cannabis industry on the island.
Considering this, the Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Finance – Dr. Irving McIntyre made the remarks during the opening ceremony of a two-day National Cannabis Symposium held at the State House Conference Centre on Wednesday.
McIntyre said that the objective during the symposium is to explore the vast potential of the cannabis plant, for public health, economic empowerment, agricultural revitalization and social equity.
He added that the Government of Dominica recognized that cannabis reform is grounded in science, responsible regulation and broad-based consultations of a national imperative and regional opportunity.
As per the sources, during the 2024-25 National Budget, the Federation articulated their clear vision to develop comprehensive legislation that ensures safe access to medicinal cannabis products while creating economic opportunities for local growers and processors.
Acting Prime Minister McIntyre further stated that they are steadfast in the belief that this emerging industry must be built on the pillars of quality, sustainability and inclusiveness. He marked that approach by Dominica is rooted in the broader objective to modernize agriculture and to create value-added products. According to him, they are focused on working a value chain that stretches from research and cultivation to processing, manufacturing and export.
Day-1: National Cannabis Symposium – Dominica
National Cannabis Symposium’s Day-1 in Roseau, Dominica was completely focused on Guest Speaker Minister of Agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis – Samal Duggins, who made a remark that resonated as they are not only legalizing a plant but also decriminalizing culture and opportunity.
His remarks was a sharp reminder that cannabis reform is not just about economic development, it is about social justice. Moreover, it is about correcting a century of criminalization, marginalization, and social exclusion. Dominica may be late to the game, but it still has time to get it right.
Day-1 of the symposium featured passionate speakers, valuable regional perspectives and a unified tone around justice, safety and health. The cannabis industry emerging in Dominica must be supported by actual legislation, public-private investment mechanisms, regional quality standards, inclusive of all governance bodies.
The first session concluded on the part that for Dominica to fully realize a cannabis industry that is equitable and sustainable, it must do more than hold symposia. It must act carefully, transparently and with the people it claims to serve at the very centre.
Day-2: National Cannabis Symposium – Dominica
Second day of the National Cannabis Symposium impressed the visitors with its structured discussions. The presenters came with organized data, made comparisons, timeliness, etc.
They mentioned topics such as seed-to scale tracking, export certification and technical support. These are the kinds of details they have never used to hear in Dominica’s policy discussions back in the 90s or early 2000s. This showed that they are not starting from zero.
At the gathering Ministeries from the OECS, from regional banks talked about the things which are really important. How hard it is to move money in cannabis because of international banking restrictions or how farmers could lose out if large players aren’t regulated properly. That kind of honesty is new.
For many years, government events have been full of big phrases and small follow-up. But this time it had outlines, committees, and frameworks, that actually matter. Maybe it’s because of how global the issue is, or maybe it’s because they’ve seen failures in nearby islands. Either way is possible, and they sounded like they’re prepared to tackle this problem, properly.