Volcano Decimates Saint Vincent Cannabis Industry

News Americas, KINGSTOWN, Saint Vincent, Mon. April 19, 2021: The farmers of the newly developing Medical Cannabis Industry in St Vincent and the Grenadines are also among thousands on the island whose livelihood has been decimated by the La Soufrière volcano eruption.

The President of the Cannabis Revival Committee, Junior Spirit Cottle, said members have lost everything, and are facing extreme hardship. He said many of the traditional cultivators have lost all that they have grown and their homes have been devastated by the volcanic eruption, and as such they are unable to now feed their families.

With such a setback, the small traditional cannabis cultivators are fearful that they may not be given equal attention in the rebuilding process. The Caribbean Fairtrade Working Group (CFWG) and the Cannabis Revival Committee (CRC) of St Vincent and the Grenadines are therefore, calling attention to the plight of the traditional cannabis cultivators of the island as the country faces the double edges of the COVID pandemic and now the violent eruption of the La Soufrière volcano.

Many cannabis farmers grew marijuana on the slopes of La Soufriere because of a lack of access to other land lost everything.

The Working Group and the CRC is calling for support of international partners and the SVG government to assist the recovery of the small cannabis cultivators and to give the farmers the same attention as any other industry in the country.