A cannabis cultivator looking to open shop on Guam has hit a roadblock while trying to meet Guam Waterworks Authority requirements.
Stephen Biscoe, a representative with Greenlands Farm, Inc., spoke to members of the Cannabis Control Board during its monthly meeting on Monday to talk about the status of the company’s application.
He said getting clearance from GWA has been an issue because the agency is asking the company to provide mechanical and engineering schematics, but the engineers that Greenlands Farm has been working with said they won’t sign off on those schematics without guidance from GWA.
Biscoe said it’s a circular roadblock and they’ve tried to see how they can move forward with the issue.
So far, the company has been able to get clearances from the Guam Fire Department and the Department of Public Health and Social Services, but GWA remains an issue, Biscoe said.
He said the schematics requirement was also a money issue because providing one to GWA before they started to build may require them to make changes once they start actual construction.
The company would have to pay to make schematics to get a license and another right before they build it, he said. That would double the cost for the company, so they wanted to make it so that the schematics wouldn’t change, but that took more time to do.
Biscoe said the engineers say the plans look good, but they don’t want to sign off on it until they get clearance from GWA.
He told board members he’s afraid that GWA will tell engineers to figure it out and do what they think is correct, but engineers don’t know what is correct because the were no requirements made for engineers or GWA in the existing rules and regulations.
Cannabis Control Board member and Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center Director Theresa Arriola said if GWA is the roadblock, she wonders what the board can do to help move the process along.
Board chairwoman attorney Vanessa Williams said she believes it’s necessary at this point to write a letter to GWA asking for guidance on what the issue is and how it can be addressed.
“So we identify the problem first and then we go try and fix it,” she said.
It sounds like private engineers are not wanting to put together something that won’t be a sure thing, which could be a new industry problem, she said.
But the issue won’t be clear until GWA can clarify what it needs to move the cannabis applications forward.
Williams thanked Biscoe for updating the board and told him they would try to determine what the issues are from GWA’s perspective so they can try to get some movement in the process.
Department of Revenue and Taxation Deputy Director Craig Camacho provided an update for another company, Blue Wave, Inc., and told the board they are also pending GWA clearance.
Blue Wave Inc., doing business as Pacific Analytic Services, is hoping to be a cannabis testing laboratory on Guam.
At least one lab needs to open before any legitimate cannabis sales can start on Guam, per local industry regulations. Everything that comes from a cannabis grower or manufacturer has to be tested for potency and safety at a certified facility before it can go to market.
“It is doubly necessary that we reach out to GWA and figure out the root of this problem,” Williams said.
Recreational adult use of cannabis has been legal on Guam since 2019, but the rules and regulations needed for an actual, legit industry to operate weren’t finalized by the Cannabis Control Board until late 2022 due to a number of delays, and lack of approval from the Office of the Attorney General.
In the meantime, no regulated cannabis store has yet opened.
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