By Gemma Handy
It says something about public perception surrounding medical cannabis when an announcement that I’m heading to the local dispensary still elicits a chortle or two. Even, it seems, when the visit is for professional purposes.
General consensus is that I am likely to return high and any notion that there could also be a genuine health reason is considered tenuous at best.
One thing is for sure. The team behind Grow Antigua have their work cut out when it comes to debunking some of the myths surrounding one of the country’s newest industries.
Seven months have passed since the Redcliffe Quay outlet threw open its doors to business – conveniently, some have pointed out, opposite both a waffle hut and an ice cream shop. The munchies can of course afflict the best of us, regardless of one’s motives for partaking.
Grow Antigua’s PRO Leo Moody-Stuart is OK with the jokes, as long as people understand there is a “serious side” too.
“Even we make jokes sometimes; that’s just the way it is. But the fact is, people come in for medical reasons,” he says.
Retail manager Zack Hadeed says his “personal goal is to make sure that people’s perception of medicinal cannabis use changes” by the time they leave the store – notwithstanding the odd drunk tourist who will be politely asked to return when sober.
Grow Antigua merchandise, along with a variety of papers, pipes, vaporisers and bongs, greet customers aged 18 and over who enter the store’s smart surrounds.
But behind a security-protected door – opened only for those who pass the all-important patient evaluation – is where the interesting stuff can be found. Here there’s a heady array of flower and pre-rolls to browse, from uplifting sativa strains, ideal for daytime use, to sedating ‘night-time’ indicas, and hybrids.
With creative names like ‘Swiss cheese’, ‘London pound cake’ and ‘Tigua punch’, they comprise an intriguing dispensary menu. To gain access to them, everyone without exception must first undergo a stringent process.
That involves filling out an evaluation form which poses a series of pertinent questions.
“Applicants have to give personal information as to why they want it, the intended use, and what symptoms or diagnosis they want it for. It might be anything from cancer to sleep disorders and muscle pain,” Zack explains.
Zack’s specialist training means he can usually authorise an applicant himself there and then. Red flags such as a history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or even just being aged between 18 (the minimum age one can apply) and 21 will see your application referred to the store’s authorised doctor for further analysis.
Of the 700-plus sign-ups to date, around five percent have been sent to the doctor to scrutinise. Assuming they’re eventually given the green light, the oversight doesn’t end there.
“Patients are carefully monitored,” Zack says. “The doctor does follow-up calls and he will also call us to see what and how much a patient has been purchasing.”
Research carried out in the US in 2020 reveals the most common medical reason for marijuana use is anxiety, followed closely by insomnia, chronic pain and depression.
Once approved, a patient in Antigua and Barbuda can buy up to two ounces of cannabis flower or 15 grams of extract per day – pretty generous by most standards.
“It’s up to them how they choose to use it of course,” Leo concedes. “But we emphasise it’s for medical purposes and shouldn’t be abused.”
All of the company’s produce is grown on its farm in Seatons which started operations 18 months ago.
Grow Antigua is unique in that it’s a collaboration between private entrepreneurs, the government and local Rastafari communities.
Leo’s father, Stingray City owner Andrew Moody-Stuart, played a pivotal role in its establishment and was Grow Antigua’s original managing director. He sadly passed away some months after the entity received the country’s first cannabis production licence in June 2021; Andrew’s widow Yadira has since stepped into his shoes.
The team also includes Robert Hill who serves as operations manager, while on-site pharmacist Darnicia Spencer was the first in the country to hold a special dispenser permit.
Farm workers hail from the Nyabinghi community of Big Creek. The Rastafarians’ involvement is particularly significant after many decades of discrimination levelled against them due to their lifestyle and long-held belief that smoking marijuana helps attain wisdom.
In 2018 – the same year cannabis was decriminalised in Antigua and Barbuda – Prime Minister Gaston Browne issued an official apology to local Rastafarians for the stigma and abuse they had suffered.
Today, they play a vital role in Grow Antigua’s operations, Leo says.
“They have been growing cannabis for a long time so they brought a lot of knowledge about techniques, potential challenges and solutions. Because they can now be open about cultivating cannabis, we can explore different methods and see what works best,” he explains.
“Importantly, they also bring the spiritual and sacramental knowledge of the plant.”
Perhaps the biggest advantage of buying produce from Grow Antigua, rather than off the street, is the quality of the product.
“We follow a lot of guidelines and have very high sanitation standards. All our products are tested before we can sell them and we can’t sell anything over a certain age,” Leo explains.
“When you buy cannabis on the street it can be two years old, have mould and been sprayed with chemicals the day before being harvested, whereas ours is heavily regulated and we use no chemical sprays – they’re all natural.”
Even better news for weed aficionados: the strains are often stronger than one might get on the illicit market too.
“Everyone is impacted by cannabis differently, so it’s important to find that sweet spot,” Zack says. “I always say, start low and go slow.”
Next on the agenda for the team is getting an import licence enabling them to ship in oils and materials to make edibles. Further down the road are plans to open a cannabis lounge.
For now, Grow Antigua is the twin island nation’s sole dispensary but that might not be for long with other licence applications currently in process.
For Zack, the fledgling industry marks a “new beginning” and a welcome expansion to the country’s touristic offerings.
Leo anticipates that the sector will soon flourish.
“It’s still new and a lot has to be figured out,” he says, “but we are moving in the right direction and this has the potential to be huge for Antigua and Barbuda.”