Lynwood Brown, chairman of the Bahamas Cannabis Authority, told Guardian Business yesterday that the licensing platform for firms making application for cannabis licenses is completed, and all that is needed now is the marketing campaign for applicants to be made aware of the process.
Brown said: “The platform is finished, it’s ready. The cannabis authority’s office has already been paid for, we have already gotten possession of it. We’re just waiting for the right ministry to come and furnish it. This will happen after the general election and depending on the direction the election lands.”
The Bahamas Cannabis Authority is the official regulatory body established to oversee the nation’s legal cannabis industry. While the legislative framework was passed in July 2024, the full operational launch has faced delays due to the development of its specialized digital platform.
The platform will manage the entire “seed-to-sale” tracking system, host medical e-prescriptions, and process all license applications. The authority will regulate cannabis for medical, scientific, and religious purposes. However, cannabis for recreational use remains prohibited.
Dr. Marvin Smith, Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association (BPA) president, told Guardian Business that he was approached by the representative of an American firm that told him the firm had already received a cannabis license from the authority. Brown, in response to that assertion, said it is impossible for that to happen and a foreign firm would not even have been entertained.
“The license portal is not open. The legislation is written clearly, which is prohibitive for non-Bahamian nationals or non-Bahamian companies to get licensed and operate in the cannabis space, unless they’re doing testing or manufacturing of products, and we don’t have anybody applying for that.”
The BPA has been a private sector partner to the government on cannabis legislation and subsequent regulations, and has been a leading voice in shaping the country’s new medical cannabis industry, advocating for strict pharmacist-led oversight. Following the passage of a compendium of cannabis bills in July 2024, the BPA has focused on ensuring that medicinal cannabis is treated with the same clinical rigor as other controlled substances like morphine or Percocet.
Smith also said: “I’ve been contacted by a number of foreign companies, some of whom are saying they want to meet with us. They want to meet with me because they have documentation and applications in to the cannabis authority. But here is the problem, I went on the cannabis authority’s website and the only thing they have up is an office location and an email address.”
Brown added: “People say things to people, and some people may have been promised what they thought they had received, but no licenses were given, and I can categorically say that from the position I hold.”
