Guam, a United States island territory in the Western Pacific, approved a historic cannabis legalization measure in April 2019. The ‘Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019’ legalized cannabis for adult use, including home cultivation, and tasked the government with building a regulated cannabis industry.

“This is the first step for Guam to build a responsible and regulated cannabis industry,” said Governor Leon Guerrero at the time. “Over the next year, rules and regulations will be drafted to provide the necessary governance for the industry as it is stood-up and I am confident that with the right people in place, our island will benefit from a well-regulated cannabis industry.”

As with seemingly most of the world’s legal cannabis markets, the process of standing up Guam’s regulated industry has taken longer than advocates and aspiring industry members had hoped. It wasn’t until May 2022 that Guam adopted industry rules and regulations, and not until August of 2022 that Cannabis Identification Card applications started to be accepted. In total, the application process to become an approved industry operator in Guam involves six different steps.

Over seven years after the approval of the Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019, regulators in the territory have finally approved the first cannabis facility permit. Deep Green Guam became the first to receive a permit to operate a licensed cannabis business after receiving unanimous approval from the Cannabis Control Board this week.

“The business can now operate a cannabis cultivation facility to cultivate, prepare and package the weed, but before their product can hit the market, Guam will need approved cannabis retailers and other licensed cannabis establishments. Rules and regs say they can’t sell directly to consumers.” reports KUAM.

“There are currently seven active cannabis licensing applications, eight expired applications and three applications that have been canceled.” the outlet also reported. “On the other hand, mandated cannabis lab-testing requirements have been waived until July 2029, making it one less hurdle for the industry to get rolling.”

In addition to Guam, two other United States territories have also adopted adult-use cannabis legalization measures. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands enacted an adult-use legalization measure in 2018, and the U.S. Virgin Islands enacted its legalization law in 2023.