Antigua: Cannabis Authority Briefs 60 Police Recruits on Legal vs. Illegal Cannabis

On 26 May 2026, the Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority briefed nearly 60 police recruits at the Police Training School on the legal split between licit and illicit cannabis, a distinction that now sits at the center of day-to-day enforcement in Antigua and Barbuda.

The session, reported by the Antigua Observer, covered the Authority’s mandate, the structure of the regulated medicinal cannabis industry, and the legal categories officers will be expected to apply on the street. CEO Regis Burton framed the briefing around a single idea: cannabis is no longer a one-rule plant.

“We really hope that as law enforcement officers, they see that time has changed to where cannabis can be placed in categories of illegal cannabis and also legal cannabis,” Burton told recruits. “A police force that better understands the laws is better able to enforce them and also better able to educate the society.”

The two-tier framework

Antigua’s Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2018 made possession of 15 grams or less a non-offense and authorized up to four plants per household. A separate Cannabis Act 2018 created the Medicinal Cannabis Authority and the licensing track for cultivation, processing, research, import, and export. The recruits were walked through both: when cannabis sits inside the regulated industry, and when it remains outside it.

The Authority has flagged law-enforcement engagement as an ongoing strategic priority. An earlier 2026 training cycle covered the agriculture side of the industry and the Authority’s own internal capacity.

What This Means

For tourists, the practical effect is steadier enforcement. Possession of up to 15 grams is not an offense for residents or visitors, and the home-grow provision is residents-only. There are no licensed dispensaries open to the public in Antigua and Barbuda, so any retail purchase remains illegal. Officers trained on the two-tier framework are better positioned to apply the decriminalized threshold consistently rather than treating every encounter as a drug stop.

For operators and applicants under the medicinal track, the briefing is the kind of groundwork that matters when a licensed cultivator, processor, or transporter is questioned about paperwork. A police force that knows the licence categories is a faster police force at the gate.

What to watch

The Authority has signaled that engagement with law enforcement remains a strategic priority. Expect further training cycles as new recruit classes graduate from the Police Training School, and watch for any Authority guidance on how officers should handle the line between the 15-gram decriminalized allowance and unlicensed sale.