by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—Nevis Premier Hon. Mark Brantley recently criticised the federal government of St. Kitts and Nevis for sending what he describes as “mixed signals” regarding the cannabis industry.
[Source: https://cannabisclarityskn.com/#key-points]
“So we are not getting the industry and the momentum with the industry as we would like because people are afraid. This is an industry that has existed in the shadows. We now want it to come into the light, but how do you get it into the light when the policymakers are telling our people one thing, and the police are saying we are enforcing the law, and that is a different thing. It makes no sense. At the end of the day, it’s one government, and I am getting pressure in Nevis because people in Nevis are telling me, ” Oh, you’re the Premier. These raids are being done because you’re sending police to raid people”. I am saying that that is not the case. My position has been very clear. If we are going to develop this industry, which I am in favour of, let us develop the industry.”
Brantley urged the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis at the federal level to consider granting a 12- to 18-month amnesty period for local ganja farmers to transition into the legal framework without fear of prosecution.
“We are sending mixed messages, and our people are confused. I recommend again publicly that we grant a period of amnesty. We wipe out all of these prosecutions that are happening. We put a stake on that, and we allow our people an opportunity to come forward with some confidence to say they want to be an entrepreneur and they want to be involved in this industry. I am not condoning anybody breaking the law, but I feel that we must take responsibility as policymakers when we send mixed signals. We send messages that are unclear, and on the one hand, the government is saying yes to marijuana. We want an industry, and on the other hand, the police are coming and locking up people. Well the police is an arm of the government.”
Brantley expressed concern that restrictive decriminalisation laws are stifling the creativity of young entrepreneurs experimenting with new strains and product development.
“Something is wrong somewhere and I think that that needs to be fixed because a lot of ordinary citizens in this country are feeling the brunt, being punished, having their plants uprooted, plants destroyed, being charged, have their face all over the media, being prosecuted, and in two cases that I am aware of, one said he was charged $18,000 and the other one $10,000. That is a significant sum for a young person who is just doing nothing but trying to make a living. So I believe that this has to be looked at and looked at seriously, and I’m hopeful that the Prime Minister is going to take this on board as a serious initiative. We cannot continue down this road. Too many people are suffering as a result of this type of approach that is being taken on this very important matter.”
The Nevis Premier suggested that what he considered the ‘stifling’ of young people exploring the cannabis industry as a legitimate source of income could hurt the Federation’s declining crime rate.
“We have been blessed by the work of our security forces, by the policy prescriptions of the government, by the grace of God, that violent crime is down demonstrably in St. Kitts and Nevis. The days when every other day you woke up, there was some report of violence, those days we pray are behind us for good. But I’m going to say it here today because I believe it to be true that a lot of those youngsters who were involving themselves in violent crime, are now looking to the cannabis industry as a way to support themselves and their family. When you choke that off, when you prevent them from growing a plant, when you say to them that if you go on TikTok and YouTube to learn how to grow, I’m going to criminalise you, I’m going to penalise you, I’m going to be imprisoning you, I’m going to put your picture all over the media as a criminal. And these youngsters who are trying to do that, because I’ll tell you, I have never seen a plant kill a man yet. Planting, agriculture, a natural tree, it doesn’t rob anybody, doesn’t kill anybody, doesn’t create any violence. And my simple point is that when you start to choke off those avenues for these youngsters, what message are we sending to them? Go back to what they used to do.”
The industry build-out could be described as a “cautious and measured approach,” as full legalisation could jeopardise international correspondent banking relationships and could affect the nation’s financial system.
However, Brantley suggests that the industry is at risk of being buried at the current pace.
“This that we want to bring into the light, regulate it, tax it, treat it as a legitimate industry, will recede into the darkness again.”
Attorney-General Hon. Garth WilkinRecently, during the National Assembly on March 31, 2026, Attorney General Garth Wilkin addressed concerns about the industry’s approach.
One of the reasons given also suggests that the Federation is bound by international treaties that limit cannabis use to medicinal and religious purposes, outlining why full legalisation of cannabis is not applicable for St. Kitts and Nevis.
