Adult-Use Cannabis Regulations Take Effect in Guam

Guam’s adult-use cannabis regulations have taken effect after the Legislature let them lapse into law without any action, KUAM reports. Lawmakers had 90 days from the submission of the law to pass, amend, or reject the rules but took no action as the May 31 deadline passed.

The Cannabis Control Board will next hold a working session with the relevant government agencies with the goal of accepting industry applications.

Chairperson Attorney Vanessa Williams said the agency may need to refine the rules and regulations after public feedback which found the cultivation standards were “too stringent.”

“Across the board they said, the public testified that they were too stringent. And that they were more stringent than any other agricultural product the growing standards and what’s prohibited. And so I think it warrants, despite the fact that the rules have been accepted by default by the legislature, we can’t unhear what’s been communicated to us.” – Williams to KUAM

Guam legalized cannabis in 2019 – the second U.S. territory to approve the reforms behind the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands. Cannabis use and possession of less than an ounce was already decriminalized on the island and voters approved medical cannabis legalization in 2014. Last November, Guam adopted Metrc to track legal cannabis products which allowed officials to begin building the framework of its regulatory system.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero supports the reforms, saying “the cannabis industry will benefit [the Guam] community by funding expanded public services in health and public safety, and providing alternative treatment and rehabilitation for people who need it.”