US Virgin Islands
North America
33/100
Not ranked: Unincorporated territory
would rank #17 among countries
The Cannabis Use Act sets adult possession limits at two ounces. Qualified resident patients may grow six flowering and six immature plants. By September 2026 the first commercial grow had approval to operate and the testing lab was operational; an October update still reported no dispensary sales.
Unincorporated territory. The United States Virgin Islands are an unincorporated territory of the United States with their own legislature and laws. Federal drug law applies there as in the states. See also 🇺🇸 United States.
In short all countries →
- Can I carry it?YesLegal up to a limit
- Can I grow it?NoIt is a crime
- Can I buy it?NoThere is no legal source
- Can I use it in public?NoIn private only
- What if I'm caught?NothingIf you stay within the limits
A rough guide read from the scores below, not legal advice. The details and the exceptions are in each segment: select an answer to jump to it.
- Cannabis users
- about 4,500
- Share aged 15–64
- about 7.1%
This site's figure: there is no national survey, so the median rate of surveyed countries in North America is applied to people aged 15–64.
Source A median computed on this site from surveyed countries in North America, using UNODC World Drug Report 2026 figures. Population from the World Bank, aged 15–64. The whole dataset →Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources. How the scores are made →
Possession · 25%5/10adds 12.5 of 25 points
The Cannabis Use Act sets adult limits at two ounces of cannabis, 14 grams of concentrate and one ounce of cannabis products. Qualified patients may possess four ounces of cannabis, one ounce of concentrate and two ounces of products.[1]
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Qualified resident patients may grow six flowering and six immature plants for personal medical use on private property with the landowner’s consent; the ordinary per-address ceiling is twelve of each.[1] Sacramental organisations can register to grow on members’ behalf subject to consent and other requirements.[2] Commercial and micro-cultivation use separate licences and permits.[1]
Punishment & enforcement · 20%6/10adds 12.0 of 20 points
Conduct compliant with the Cannabis Use Act is exempted from the older controlled-drug chapter.[1] Governor Bryan announced simple-possession pardons in 2023 and asked eligible people to apply. Later that year, Government House sought people eligible for expungement because gaps in judicial data complicated automatic record clearance.[3][4]
Sharing & gifting · 10%3/10adds 3.0 of 10 points
Transfers for payment require the relevant licence or permit. The law expressly protects qualified patients’ compliant transfers and creates separate licensed distribution and consumption-permit routes.[1]
Consumption · 10%3/10adds 3.0 of 10 points
Public consumption requires an authorised lounge, cannabis-use or temporary-use permit. The law also restricts consumption on public transport and operating vehicles or vessels under the influence.[1] Government House reiterated that public consumption and possession or use at federal facilities remained prohibited.[5]
Legal access · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
References
- US Virgin Islands — signed Cannabis Use Act, January 20232023 · Act 8680; sections 779–780, 783–785, 794, 802, 807; final sections 2–3 and 7; signed approval on last PDF page
- Office of Cannabis Regulation — sacramental organisation registrationCurrent application requirements: incorporation, ten members, consent to grow on members’ behalf and land authority
- Government House — Governor Bryan signs adult-use cannabis legislation2023 · 18 January; signing, pardon applications, estimated 300 earlier convictions and distinction between pardon and expungement
- Government House — invitation to applicants for cannabis expungement2023 · 17 November; two-ounce eligibility, gaps in judicial data and Positive Nelson’s task force
- Government House — status of cannabis use in the territory, March 20232023 · 16 March; administration says use and sales await regulations, reiterates $100 personal-possession fine and future public/inter-island restrictions
- Office of Cannabis Regulation — approved conditional dispensary applications2026 · Notice published 16 January; applicants approved as of 15 January; conditional awards
- St. Thomas Source — cannabis board reviews hemp rules and first commercial growDiana Dias · 2026 · 24 September; office update: certificate to operate for a Tier 1 grower on St. Croix, operational lab awaiting plants; hemp proposals distinguished from final rules
- VIBE HIGH — USVI cannabis office and market status, October 20262026 · 4 October report, Where the program stands: no dispensary open for sales; first grow and operational laboratory
More context not part of the score
Commercial cultivation requires a licence, and micro-cultivation has a separate permit route.[1] Regulator Joanne Moorehead reported the first commercial cultivation certificate to operate for a Tier 1 St. Croix grower in September 2026.[2]
The 2026 hemp law requires cannabis-regulator licences or permits for intoxicating hemp and artificially derived cannabinoids, including specified THCA products. Licensed retailers must verify buyers are at least 21, use independent testing and comply with child-resistant, tamper-evident packaging requirements.[3] A March amendment replaced the original inventory freeze with reporting and sell-or-dispose deadlines.[4]
The territory approved its medical cannabis programme in January 2019, sponsored by Positive T.A. Nelson.[5] The 2023 law replaced it with a combined medical, adult-use and sacramental system; qualified resident patients have a personal-growing route and higher possession limits.[1] Retail opening still awaited an operating supply chain in the October 2026 market update.[6]
The law provides licensed adult-use lounges and separate consumption permits.[1] Faith-based organisations have a sacramental registration route requiring incorporation, at least ten members and permission to grow on members’ behalf.[7]
An October 2026 market update still reported no open dispensaries.[6] Government House says personal transport of cannabis between the islands remains prohibited.[8]
Government House distinguishes a pardon, which forgives the offence, from expungement, which clears the record. Its 2023 announcement described automatic relief for eligible simple-possession convictions involving up to two ounces, followed by a call for applicants to help resolve gaps in court data.[9][10]
Taking cannabis into or out of US Virgin Islands is a separate offence from possessing it, normally charged as smuggling or trafficking, with far heavier penalties. That holds almost everywhere, including between two places where cannabis is legal.
The rules that allow or tolerate small amounts inside US Virgin Islands do not cover the border, an airport or the post.
A prescription or medical card from another country is generally not recognised. Travellers who need a cannabis-based medicine should ask US Virgin Islands's embassy before travelling.[11]
General guidance that applies to almost every country, not a check of US Virgin Islands's customs rules.
References
- US Virgin Islands — signed Cannabis Use Act, January 20232023 · Act 8680; sections 779–780, 783–785, 794, 802, 807; final sections 2–3 and 7; signed approval on last PDF page
- St. Thomas Source — cannabis board reviews hemp rules and first commercial growDiana Dias · 2026 · 24 September; office update: certificate to operate for a Tier 1 grower on St. Croix, operational lab awaiting plants; hemp proposals distinguished from final rules
- US Virgin Islands — signed intoxicating-hemp licensing law, January 20262026 · Act 9072, sections 1, 3–5; signed 23 January; original inventory restriction later replaced
- US Virgin Islands — signed replacement of hemp inventory rules, March 20262026 · Act 9079, section 3, PDF p. 4 (printed p. 3); approved 26 March on last PDF page
- Marijuana Policy Project — US Virgin Islands governor signs medical cannabis bill2019 · Contemporary statement dated Saturday 19 January 2019; sponsor Positive T.A. Nelson and final legislative approval on 28 December
- VIBE HIGH — USVI cannabis office and market status, October 20262026 · 4 October report, Where the program stands: no dispensary open for sales; first grow and operational laboratory
- Office of Cannabis Regulation — sacramental organisation registrationCurrent application requirements: incorporation, ten members, consent to grow on members’ behalf and land authority
- Government House — status of cannabis use in the territory, March 20232023 · 16 March; administration says use and sales await regulations, reiterates $100 personal-possession fine and future public/inter-island restrictions
- Government House — Governor Bryan signs adult-use cannabis legislation2023 · 18 January; signing, pardon applications, estimated 300 earlier convictions and distinction between pardon and expungement
- Government House — invitation to applicants for cannabis expungement2023 · 17 November; two-ounce eligibility, gaps in judicial data and Positive Nelson’s task force
- International Narcotics Control Board — Travellers carrying medicines containing controlled substances
History 14 of 14 checked against a source
Score and entries per decade
33 today, from 100 before its first recorded change
This country's score Entries that moved the score Context only
Other law ✓
US Virgin Islands report their first approved commercial cannabis grow
Regulator Joanne Moorehead reported a certificate to operate for a Tier 1 commercial cannabis grower on St. Croix, saying official cultivation had begun. She also said the testing laboratory was operational and awaiting plants, a change from the laboratory bottleneck described in August. An October market update still reported no dispensary open for sales.
Debate ✓ Article
US Virgin Islands say cannabis sales must wait for a testing laboratory
Cannabis regulator Joanne Moorehead told lawmakers that commercial sales needed a working product-testing laboratory, with stakeholders targeting October readiness. Her office had conditionally approved growers, manufacturers and dispensaries, and hoped at least two dispensaries could open before year-end. By September, she reported that the laboratory was operational and the first St. Croix commercial grow had a certificate to operate.
Easing ✓
US Virgin Islands replace a hemp inventory freeze with a sales window
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. approved a replacement rule telling retailers to report their intoxicating-cannabinoid inventory within 60 days and sell or otherwise dispose of it within 75 days of the act’s effective date. The cannabis regulator was then to plan the lawful disposal of remaining stock. This replaced the January law’s ban on selling or distributing existing inventory until regulations and retail licences were in place.
Tightening ✓ Article
US Virgin Islands require cannabis licences for intoxicating hemp products
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. approved a law requiring cannabis-regulator licences or permits for selling, possessing or manufacturing intoxicating hemp and artificially derived cannabinoids. It covered THCA products and specified altered or intoxicating cannabinoids, set civil fines starting at $2,500, and required age checks, independent testing and child-resistant packaging for licensed retail. Its original inventory freeze was replaced by reporting and sell-or-dispose deadlines in March.
Other law ✓
US Virgin Islands publish conditional cannabis dispensary approvals
The Office of Cannabis Regulation published applicants approved for conditional dispensary licences as of 15 January. The rules describe conditional licences as contingent awards that reserve a place while applicants meet requirements, with buying and selling dependent on further authorisation. Later that year, regulators identified product testing as a condition for commercial sales.
Other law ✓
US Virgin Islands certify the rules for cannabis licences and patient cards
Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach certified and attested the cannabis rules on 13 May, following Governor Albert Bryan Jr.’s approval dated 4 May. The rules covered patient registration, business applications, testing and sacramental use, and distinguished conditional awards from permission to buy or sell cannabis. Conditional dispensary approvals followed in January 2026.
Other law ✓
US Virgin Islands ask people with cannabis convictions to seek record relief
Government House asked people convicted in cases involving two ounces or less of cannabis to come forward for potential expungement. It said gaps in judicial data complicated the automatic process and identified Positive Nelson as head of the task force. Earlier that year, Governor Bryan had announced possession pardons and explained that clearing a conviction from the record required expungement.
Other law ✓
US Virgin Islands tell cannabis users to wait for implementing rules
Government House said cannabis use and sales remained prohibited while officials prepared the regulations for the January law. It reiterated a $100 fine for possession up to an ounce and said that public use, federal facilities and personal transport between islands would remain restricted after implementation. The signed law had already set out adult possession limits and the licensing system.
Legalisation ✓ Article
US Virgin Islands sign adult-use cannabis and patient growing into law
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed a law setting adult possession limits at two ounces of cannabis, 14 grams of concentrate and one ounce of cannabis products. Qualified resident patients could grow six flowering and six immature plants for personal medical use with landowner consent. Bryan also announced pardons for simple possession and an application process; in March his administration said use and sales still awaited implementing regulations.
1633+17 points
Medical ✓ Article
US Virgin Islands approve medical cannabis for registered patients
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed the medical cannabis law sponsored by Positive T.A. Nelson, after final legislative approval in December. The programme provided practitioner certification, patient cards, licensed businesses and home cultivation for residents whose cards authorised it. Its preamble cited the 2014 vote supporting medical-cannabis legislation; the broader Cannabis Use Act replaced the programme in 2023.
Other law ✓ Article
US Virgin Islands court rejects a vague cannabis-smell stop
The Superior Court suppressed evidence from Victor Cannergeiter’s vehicle because prosecutors had not shown a sufficiently specific reason for the stop. Although the court said a trained officer could still stop a vehicle after detecting cannabis smell despite the 2014 possession reform, it found the officer’s general statement and unproven experience inadequate in this case. The evidence included cannabis and a firearm discovered after the stop.
Easing ✓ Article
US Virgin Islands replace jail with a fine for an ounce of cannabis
The legislature overrode Governor John de Jongh’s veto and made possession of an ounce or less a civil offence carrying a $100 fine. Cannabis remained unlawful, and failure to pay within 180 days could lead to a separate misdemeanour punishable by up to three months in jail. A later court case considered how the reform affected police stops based on cannabis smell.
1116+5 points
Debate ✓
US Virgin Islands voters back legislation for medical cannabis
Voters supported asking the legislature to consider licensing and regulating medical cannabis patients, caregivers, growers and distribution centres, with 56.5% in favour. The later medical-cannabis bill cited the referendum as a reason to protect patients and regulate supply. Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed that programme into law in January 2019.
Ban ✓
The US Virgin Islands come under the Marihuana Tax Act
An executive order of President Roosevelt carried the new federal Marihuana Tax Act into the Virgin Islands. From 1 October 1937 it was unlawful to import, grow, make or deal in cannabis without registering and paying the tax, which in practice ended legal trade, as on the mainland.
10011−89 points
Datasets not part of the score
What other organisations publish about US Virgin Islands, and where it stands among the countries each one covers. Every file is published in full on the sources page.
Use
UNODC
Cannabis use
7.1%of adults
LowestHigher than 76% of 196 countriesHighest4,500 people · median of surveyed countries in the region, computed here
Society
World Bank · 2025
Government effectiveness
60of 100
65 · 200477 · 200577 · 200677 · 200778 · 200878 · 200978 · 201078 · 201178 · 201278 · 201382 · 201482 · 201582 · 201668 · 201768 · 201868 · 201961 · 202061 · 202159 · 202259 · 202359 · 202460 · 202520042025 LowestHigher than 66% of 195 countriesHighestestimate 0.35 on a scale of −2.5 to 2.5 · 2025 · 82 in 2015
Pew Research Center · 2020
Most common religion
Christians
Christians · 2010Christians · 202020102020 the largest group · 2020
World Bank · 2022
Income per person
$46,479per person
54,299 · 200254,086 · 200355,883 · 200457,838 · 200559,912 · 200662,333 · 200763,058 · 200858,895 · 200959,272 · 201054,443 · 201146,422 · 201243,564 · 201342,854 · 201442,739 · 201543,502 · 201643,277 · 201744,205 · 201845,633 · 201945,056 · 202046,894 · 202146,479 · 202220022022 LowestHigher than 79% of 187 countriesHighestat purchasing power parity, 2021 dollars · 2022 · $59,272 in 2010
World Bank · 2017
Development indicators
64.4%use the internet
0% · 19900.9% · 19942.8% · 19954.7% · 19967% · 19979.2% · 199811.1% · 199913.8% · 200018.4% · 200127.5% · 200227.4% · 200327.4% · 200427.3% · 200527.3% · 200627.3% · 200727.4% · 200827.4% · 200931.2% · 201035.6% · 201140.5% · 201245.3% · 201350.1% · 201454.8% · 201559.6% · 201664.4% · 201719902017 LowestHigher than 32% of 195 countriesHighest95% live in towns · 18.9% aged 65+ · life expectancy 79.4 · 2017 · 13.8% in 2000 · 31.2% in 2010
Context
Our World in Data, World Bank · 2020
Population
87,146people in 2020
LowestHigher than 5% of 196 countriesHighest
All sources 11 cited in this profile
- US Virgin Islands — signed Cannabis Use Act, January 20232023 · Act 8680; sections 779–780, 783–785, 794, 802, 807; final sections 2–3 and 7; signed approval on last PDF page
- Office of Cannabis Regulation — sacramental organisation registrationCurrent application requirements: incorporation, ten members, consent to grow on members’ behalf and land authority
- Government House — Governor Bryan signs adult-use cannabis legislation2023 · 18 January; signing, pardon applications, estimated 300 earlier convictions and distinction between pardon and expungement
- Government House — invitation to applicants for cannabis expungement2023 · 17 November; two-ounce eligibility, gaps in judicial data and Positive Nelson’s task force
- Government House — status of cannabis use in the territory, March 20232023 · 16 March; administration says use and sales await regulations, reiterates $100 personal-possession fine and future public/inter-island restrictions
- Office of Cannabis Regulation — approved conditional dispensary applications2026 · Notice published 16 January; applicants approved as of 15 January; conditional awards
- St. Thomas Source — cannabis board reviews hemp rules and first commercial growDiana Dias · 2026 · 24 September; office update: certificate to operate for a Tier 1 grower on St. Croix, operational lab awaiting plants; hemp proposals distinguished from final rules
- VIBE HIGH — USVI cannabis office and market status, October 20262026 · 4 October report, Where the program stands: no dispensary open for sales; first grow and operational laboratory
- US Virgin Islands — signed intoxicating-hemp licensing law, January 20262026 · Act 9072, sections 1, 3–5; signed 23 January; original inventory restriction later replaced
- US Virgin Islands — signed replacement of hemp inventory rules, March 20262026 · Act 9079, section 3, PDF p. 4 (printed p. 3); approved 26 March on last PDF page
- Marijuana Policy Project — US Virgin Islands governor signs medical cannabis bill2019 · Contemporary statement dated Saturday 19 January 2019; sponsor Positive T.A. Nelson and final legislative approval on 28 December
Last updated: · 11 sources · history: 14 of 14 entries checked