Board approves Guam's first permit to operate weed-growing facility 12 years since cannabis legalization

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

The Cannabis Control Board today approved the first permit to operate a cannabis facility on Guam, wrapping up another requirement in a drawn-out process to build the commercial market 12 years after voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana.

Deep Green Guam's application received a unanimous vote from the board after obtaining the mandatory clearances from all government agencies.

“This applicant has paved the way for future local cannabis industry establishments," said Marie Lizama, director of the Department of Revenue and Taxation.

"We want to thank him and all the other responsible officials who have followed the law and taken the necessary steps to enter the industry,” she added.

Registered as Guam's Real Deal LLC, Deep Green Guam met facility requirements and passed an inspection conducted by DRT's Compliance Branch, officials said.

The cannabis board began accepting license applications for marijuana dispensaries in 2022. Deep Green Guam, along with Pacific Roots LLC, received its cultivation license from DRT in February.

While it has secured a permit to operate, Deep Green has more hoops to go through.

"Additonal steps must be taken before this business can begin production and sales," states a press release from DRT.

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Guam voters approved the medical use of marijuana in 2014 but regulatory delays and the lack of a licensed testing facilityhave since hampered retail sales.

The Guam Cannabis Industry Act, signed into law 2019, legalized recreational marijuana and laid the foundation for establishing a regulated industry on Guam.

Since the budding industry has been too slow to take off to a commercial scale, most people on Guam rely on home cultivation to legally obtain weeds either for medical or recreational use.

Guam was the first U.S. territory to pass a law that legalized marijuana for recreational use, but the CNMI was the first to build a commercial marijuana industry. The CNMI issued its first marijuana business license in March 2021.

In 2024, Bank of Guam launched a new service allowing cannabis-related businesses to do regular banking transactions and operate in the financial mainstream instead of being constrained to a cash-basis operation.

In the U.S., the cannabis industry still faces a banking challenge due to a conflict between state and federal law, which continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance.

As a result, financial institutions refuse to accept transactions from cannabis businesses, pending the Senate's approval of  Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act which ensure that state-sanctioned cannabis businesses have access to deposit accounts, insurance and other financial services.

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