Barbados ramps up cannabis research efforts

Barbados is positioning itself to become a regional hub for cannabis research and biotechnology, with plans to open one of the Caribbean’s largest tissue culture laboratories and establish a national seed bank to protect local genetic resources.

Agriculture Minister Dr Shantal Munro-Knight made the announcement at the BAJCAN Cannabis Expo at the Hilton Hotel on Friday while urging greater Caribbean collaboration in the cannabis industry.

She said the tissue culture laboratory, which is expected to open in St Philip before year-end, would operate to international standards and be among the largest in the region. A national seed bank would follow to safeguard local genetics from external exploitation.