The two island nations of St. Thomas and Cyprus are incredibly different.
St. Thomas is a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It’s only 32 square miles but has everything one would want in a Caribbean paradise. Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Mediterranean, it’s the third largest and third most populous island in that region.
Both have vastly different cultures and yet many citizens in each of these nations share the common goal of legalizing medical marijuana.
Senator Positive Nelson of St. Thomas has continued his persistent efforts for cannabis reform by reintroducing the Virgin Islands Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act.
In a statement to the media, Nelson said that he is fulfilling his obligation to the people who supported his November 2014 ballot initiative for medicinal marijuana in the Virgin Islands. Last year, a similar bill did not make it past the committee stage.
Senator Nelson announced back in May that he would reintroduce his bill, and now the cannabis advocate is making good on his promise.
“I’m requesting that this measure be heard by the committee of the whole, and not [just]the Health Care Committee, whose chair has exhibited an obvious bias against cannabis legalization in any form,” Nelson stated. He added that this new bill has been reviewed by policy advisers and industry leaders to ensure the proposed legislation is solid and comprehensive.
Meanwhile, on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, cabinet ministers have approved a bill allowing the cultivation and use of medical cannabis.
Health Minister Giorgos Pamborides said that the aim of the bill is to attract international investors to fund the cultivation of cannabis-based medicines. Pamborides added that he hopes the bill will be approved by Parliament.
“I believe that Cypress can be a pioneer in the region due to the favorable weather conditions,” Pamborides said.
Cyprus has already been approached by marijuana producers from Canada, and the island nation is clearly looking for opportunities to expand in this sector.
The St. Thomas Virgin Islands and Cyprus are over 9,500 km or almost 6,000 miles apart. Geographically, the two nations are a world away from each other, but a logical approach to cannabis reform clearly knows no distance.
credit:marijuana.com
