Medicinal Cannabis – By Kisean Joseph
Medicinal Cannabis Research Partnership
The University of the West Indies (UWIFIC) Five Islands Campus and the Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) have formalised a historic partnership to advance research and education in the country’s growing medicinal cannabis industry.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on April 17th 2026, the opening day of the third annual Antigua and Barbuda Cannabis (ABC) Festival, held under the theme “Connect. Celebrate. Rejuvenate.” The festival ran from April 17th to 20th at venues across the island, drawing policymakers, regional regulators, medical professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs, and members of the Rastafari community.
The agreement, described as the first formal collaboration of its kind between the country’s premier higher education institution and the MCA, establishes a framework for joint research, academic programming, skills training, and knowledge exchange in the medicinal cannabis space.
MCA Chief Executive Officer Regis Burton said the partnership was born out of a long-held vision to move the industry beyond its cultural association with recreational use.
“In order for us to advance and to move away from that, we have to be able to demonstrate those products and added value products that also exist within the space,” Burton said. “Because you’re in the medicinal space, you need to be able to legitimately prove with evidence what you’re presenting as a medicinal product.”
Burton added that the College of Agriculture’s expanding role in the sector also made the partnership a natural fit. He credited UWIFIC’s Principal Professor Justin Robinson for embracing the collaboration.
“He’s really an individual who wants to see the campus help to advance the country. So he saw this as a really great opportunity to partner with the MCA,” Burton said.
At the signing ceremony, Professor Robinson expressed the university’s commitment to investing in the health, wellness, and economic development of Antiguans and Barbudans.
The MOU provides for collaborative research into the therapeutic potential of cannabis, the development of academic programmes in areas including cannabis agronomy, extraction science, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance, as well as joint initiatives to inform national health policy and support responsible industry growth.
Jeniece St Romain, a Crown Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General, who assisted in drafting the MOU on behalf of both institutions, offered context on the agreement’s legal character.
“This is not a legally binding contract, and it was never intended to be. What it does is signal very clear, deliberate institutional intention from two bodies to work together in a space that really matters for Antigua and Barbuda’s development,” St Romain said. “The specific projects, the timelines, and the resource commitments are going to be worked out through subsidiary agreements as that partnership matures, which is standard practice.”
She said both parties signed in good faith and that the focus now is on moving from framework to action.
Burton said the authority remains focused on responsible industry development.
“We’re really moving away from the concept of smoking cannabis only, to growing cannabis for product and then products that can actually change the lives and livelihood of people,” he said.
