{"id":355665,"date":"2021-11-12T06:01:59","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T20:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=355665"},"modified":"2021-11-12T06:01:59","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T20:01:59","slug":"guam-is-a-step-closer-to-creating-cannabis-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/guam-is-a-step-closer-to-creating-cannabis-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Guam is a step closer to creating cannabis industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>HAG\u00c5T\u00d1A, Guam\u2014Pursuant to Guam law regulating the use, production and sale of cannabis, Department of Public Health and Social Services director Arthur San Agustin has executed a contract with Metrc, an experienced provider of cannabis regulatory systems in the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Metrc\u2019s system combines advanced software, radio-frequency identification, a dedicated customer support team, and a secure database to track cannabis from growth, harvest and processing, to testing, transport, and sale. Metrc holds exclusive government contracts in various areas of the United States, including Alaska, California, and Washington, D.C. While these regions have diverse regulatory frameworks, they share the goal of creating safe, legal cannabis markets. Metrc serves over 250,000 users, including growers, testing facilities, dispensaries, state regulators, and law enforcement officials across 15 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the last decade, we have seen substantial evidence that cannabis has medicinal benefits. With the final review by our Cannabis Control Board on the rules and regulations for the industry, we can more efficiently control recreational use and ensure safe and regulated products,\u201d said Go. Lou Leon Guerrero. \u201cThe cannabis industry will benefit our community by funding expanded public services in health and public safety, and providing alternative treatment and rehabilitation for people who need it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Separately, Guam Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio said: \u201cAs an island territory and tourism hotspot, Guam\u2019s cannabis market faces unique challenges when it comes to regulation and oversight. \u2026We are excited for this historic partnership between DPHSS and Metrc, which will assist our government in executing the secure and responsible implementation of our cannabis industry on Guam, and further provide us with the tools we need to ensure our success.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>San Agustin said that Guam\u2019s healthcare and regulatory professionals have been working collaboratively with partners in the United States to help reach this important milestone. \u201cWith the selection of Metrc as our provider, we now can begin to build the framework of Guam\u2019s cannabis regulatory system. We look forward to working cohesively in creating an industry that will cultivate medical treatment and revenue for the people of Guam,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Metrc chief executive officer Jeff Wells said that Metrc is \u201cexcited to rise to the challenge of this unique regulatory opportunity. Metrc is thrilled to partner with the Department of Public Health and Social Services as Guam builds its medical marijuana market. We look forward to working with both regulators and licensed business owners to implement the island\u2019s first regulatory track-and-trace program. We are proud to play a leading role in ensuring the safety and security of the nation\u2019s legal cannabis market.\u201d (PR)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HAG\u00c5T\u00d1A, Guam\u2014Pursuant to Guam law regulating the use, production and sale of cannabis, Department of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":331807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-355665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-guam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/331807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}