Caribbean growers pivot from informal trade to a regulated cannabis economy

Island farmers and fledgling businesses in the Caribbean are attempting a pragmatic shift: take long-standing cultivation expertise out of the shadows and into regulated markets at home and abroad. The region enjoys natural advantages—climate, strain diversity and generational horticultural knowledge—that lower production costs and support differentiated medicinal varieties. Yet legal frameworks remain uneven; many countries limit sales to medically authorised users, and compliance costs plus licensing hurdles have left most consumption supplied by informal actors. Data cited by industry participants point to a substantial informal market and many licences that do not translate into operating enterprises, underlining a gap between law and workable business models. Some governments and regulatory bodies have adopted export-friendly steps and interim procedures, while agencies on individual islands are experimenting with workforce conversion programs to move illicit growers into the formal space. Advocates argue that changes in U.S. federal policy and growing international acceptance could open export windows, but export scaling will depend on harmonised quality controls, legal certainty and logistics capable of meeting destination-country rules. Research institutions are lining up to study therapeutic uses and potential agricultural benefits, offering a pathway to higher-value product segments beyond raw flower. Social justice measures—apologies, sacramental authorisations and record expungements—are also reshaping who can participate in the new market and reducing political resistance. The sector’s near-term trajectory will hinge on whether regulators can simplify commercial access without undercutting product standards or public health safeguards. If regulatory design and implementation keep pace with private-sector needs, Caribbean producers could retain more of the value chain and shrink illicit supply; if not, legal cultivation risks remaining marginal alongside a dominant black market.