LIEUTENANT Gov. David M. Apatang, in his capacity as acting governor on Friday, swore in two new members of the CNMI Cannabis Commission: Jose B. Palacios and Juan T. Iguel.
“You have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to working with you,” Apatang told them.
Families and friends, including Northern Islands Mayor Valentino Nicky Taisacan, attended the swearing-in ceremony at 4 p.m. in the governor’s conference room.
In separate interviews, Palacios and Iguel shared their ideas on improving and expanding the CNMI’s cannabis industry.
Palacios said Public Law 20-66, which legalized marijuana in the CNMI, must be amended to allow current license holders to make the best use of cannabis by-products such as the stems and the leaves.
Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero earlier asked him how the CNMI can export cannabis products or at least expand the industry. Palacios replied, “We cannot do it due to some ambiguities in the law.”
What needs to be done, he said, is amend P.L. 20-66 to allow a single applicant to obtain multiple types of licenses so the holder can also process by-products instead of throwing them away.
Right now, he said, licensed cannabis growers have to dispose of these by-products because they are not licensed to do something else other than what they are licensed for.
Allowing growers to come up with new products out of their waste can also help them meet federal requirements by producing a by-product that has less than .03% THC, which “we can sell anywhere in the world.”
“It’s basically expanding the industry, and when we do that, we expand the market, and create more jobs,” Palacios said.
Medicinal
For his part, Iguel said his main focus is to try to re-establish medicinal marijuana. He said a lot of patients rely on medicinal marijuana, but its production is not as fairly established compared to recreational marijuana.
He said many licenses have already been issued but only for recreational use. For medicinal marijuana, he said, “we have zero right now.”
Iguel said he will reach out to private partners, including clinics, because medicinal marijuana “is still something to talk about” with doctors who, he added, can prescribe cannabis as medicine, as well.
He said recreational marijuana can help revive the economy, but he wants to remind the people that it was the clamor for medicinal use that paved the way for the legalization of marijuana in the CNMI.
Acting Gov. David M. Apatang, second right, with newly sworn in CNMI Cannabis Commissioners Juan T. Iguel, second left, and Jose B. Palacios, right. Also in photo is Northern Islands Mayor Valentino Taisacan.
Acting Gov. David M. Apatang swears in CNMI Cannabis Commissioner Jose B. Palacios in the governor’s conference room on Friday.
Acting Gov. David M. Apatang swears in CNMI Cannabis Commissioner Juan T. Iguel.
