Cannabis use is discouraged during pregnancy and during nursing. Substances in cannabis can transfer from the mother to child and can affect your unborn or newborn baby.

Using cannabis frequently (daily or almost daily) and over a long time (several months or years) can[1]:

• Hurt your lungs and make it harder to breathe, if smoked
• Cannabis smoke may contain many of the same harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke
• Affect your mental health
• Frequent use of THC based products over a long time increases the risk of cannabis dependence
• Increased risk of developing psychotic disorders
• Early exposure of cannabis use during the adolescent years can impair brain development and functioning
• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

[1] Weinstein, AM, Cohen, K. Synthetic and Non-synthetic Cannabinoid Drugs and Their Adverse Effects-A Review from Public Health Prospective. Frontiers in Public Health 2018; 6:1-8. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00162.

Everyone's response to cannabis differs and can vary from one time to the next.

Like any other drug, cannabis can:

• Impair your ability to drive safely or operate heavy equipment
• It can cause drowsiness, slow reaction times, lower your ability to pay attention and impair coordination
• Affect your mental capacity
• Impair your concentration, memory and decision-making, and can impact your ability to perform well on the job or at school.[1]
• Cause euphoria (a high) it can also cause anxiety or panic.[2]
• In rare cases, cannabis can trigger a psychotic episode (not knowing what is real, experiencing paranoia, having disorganized thoughts and, in some cases, hallucinating).[3]

[1] [2] [3] World Health Organization (WHO). The health and social effects of nonmedical cannabis use.

• develops policies, procedures and guidelines to establish the medicinal cannabis industry and to ensure that medicinal cannabis is available to patients in a safe and efficient manner;

• regulates the handling of medicinal cannabis;

• issues licences in relation to the handling of medicinal cannabis in accordance with the provisions of the Barbados Medicinal Industry Act;

• develops enforcement procedures in relation to the inspection of premises that are operated by a person in order to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Barbados Medicinal Industry Act or any regulations made pursuant to this Act;

• where required, assists with the provision of analytical services;

• with the approval of the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Board, establishes and maintains an electronic database to:

  • Collect, collate and include information relating to persons who handle medicinal cannabis or cannabis in accordance with this Act; and

  • Provide for the electronic tracking of the handling of medicinal cannabis or cannabis in accordance with the Barbados Medicinal Industry Act;

• with the approval of the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Board, requests from the Minister of Health such information as may assist the BMCLA with its functions;

• provides for the distribution of educational materials and the conduct of training programmes in relation to the development and use of medicinal cannabis and the medicinal cannabis industry;

• ensures that proper disposal requirements are prescribed for the safe disposal of cannabis which is handled under the Barbados Medicinal Industry Act;

• performs such other functions assigned to it under the Barbados Medicinal Industry Act or any other enactment; and

• enters into any arrangement, which, in the opinion of the BMCLA, is necessary to ensure the proper performance of its functions.