Marijuana is legal in St. Croix for adults 21 and older and for registered medical patients under territorial law, but as of early 2026 no licensed dispensaries have opened anywhere in the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can possess it, use it in private, and grow a limited number of plants at home. You cannot yet walk into a store and buy it. That gap is the single most important thing to understand before you rely on the law.
What Adults 21 and Older Can Possess
The Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act, signed by Governor Albert Bryan Jr. in January 2023, sets clear possession limits for adults 21 and older.1Government of the United States Virgin Islands. Governor Bryan Signs Adult Use Cannabis Legislation Into Law You may carry or keep at home:
- Up to two ounces of cannabis flower
- Up to 14 grams of concentrates
- Up to one ounce of cannabis products, such as edibles
Going over those limits is a criminal offense. A first violation can bring up to one year of imprisonment, a fine up to $5,000, or both. A second offense raises the ceiling to two years and $10,000.2Virgin Islands Government. Chapter 34 – The Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act
People 18 to 20 are treated differently. Possessing up to one ounce is a civil offense with a fine between $100 and $200 plus a mandatory drug awareness program. Anything above one ounce in that age group falls back under the standard criminal penalties.2Virgin Islands Government. Chapter 34 – The Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act Under 18, cannabis remains illegal.
Medical Cannabis and Visiting Patients
Medical cannabis has been legal in the USVI since Governor Bryan signed the Virgin Islands Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act in January 2019.3Government of the United States Virgin Islands. Gov. Bryan Signs Medical Cannabis Bill, Other Legislation into Law The qualifying condition list is broad: cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, arthritis, diabetes, chronic and neuropathic pain, autism, and opiate use disorder, along with any condition producing severe pain, nausea, seizures, or persistent muscle spasms. Residents can petition the Office of Cannabis Regulation to add conditions.4Office of Cannabis Regulation. Virgin Islands Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act
Registered resident patients can possess more than adult-use consumers: four ounces of flower, two ounces of concentrates, and two ounces of cannabis products. Getting a card requires a recommendation from a licensed healthcare practitioner and registration through the Office of Cannabis Regulation.
Temporary Cards for Non-Residents
The USVI is unusual in that it lets visitors apply for a temporary medical card. A non-resident is anyone who has been in the territory fewer than 45 days or who is visiting as a tourist. Three durations are available:
- 5-day card: $50
- 10-day card: $75
- 30-day card: $100
Temporary cardholders may possess up to three ounces. The card does not authorize you to take cannabis home through the airport, and it does not override federal law.
Where Legal Cannabis Actually Comes From Right Now
Although possession has been legal since 2023, there are currently no legal cannabis sales in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Office of Cannabis Regulation began accepting dispensary license applications in July 2025, with up to seven dispensary licenses allocated to St. Croix, and has said it is targeting the 2026–2027 tourist season for the first licensed sales. No firm opening date has been set.
Until dispensaries open, the only legal source of cannabis for adult-use consumers is home cultivation. Buying from unlicensed sellers is still illegal at any amount.
Growing Your Own
Home cultivation is permitted with these limits:2Virgin Islands Government. Chapter 34 – The Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act
- Adults 21 and older: up to six plants for personal or sacramental use
- Medical patients: up to 12 plants, with no more than six mature at any time
Plants cannot be visible from public areas, and growers must take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized access. The Cannabis Use Act also recognizes a sacramental category for members of religious organizations incorporated under Title 13 of the Virgin Islands Code who use cannabis as a sincere exercise of faith. Sacramental users may register with the OCR and cultivate under the same six-plant limit.
Where You Cannot Use It
Legal possession does not mean legal consumption anywhere. Smoking, vaping, or eating cannabis products in any public place is prohibited, and that includes public beaches.2Virgin Islands Government. Chapter 34 – The Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act The only exception is a venue holding a valid Non-Certified Use Permit, a license type the Act created for consumption-friendly businesses. A private residence is the safest legal place to consume.
Driving or operating a boat while impaired by cannabis is illegal. For registered medical patients, the law clarifies that having cannabis metabolites in your system does not automatically mean you are impaired; impairment has to rest on more than trace THC.2Virgin Islands Government. Chapter 34 – The Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act
Airports, Federal Property, and Travel
Cannabis remains illegal under federal law, and the moment you step into an airport you are on federal ground. You cannot fly with cannabis from St. Croix to the mainland, to another Caribbean island, or even between the U.S. Virgin Islands. Transporting cannabis through Henry E. Rohlsen Airport is a federal offense, and K-9 units at USVI airports are trained to detect narcotics. Recent enforcement in the territory has produced federal indictments with bail amounts as high as $75,000.
TSA officers are not specifically searching for cannabis, but they are required to refer any illegal substance found during screening to law enforcement.5Transportation Security Administration. Medical Marijuana A USVI medical card, or one from any other jurisdiction, does not change that.
Cannabis is also prohibited on federal property in St. Croix, including national park sites, federal buildings, and post offices, regardless of what territorial law allows.6National Park Service. Marijuana and Other Substances – Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Cannabis and Your Job
Employment protections split along the medical and adult-use line. The Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act directs employers to treat off-duty, off-hours medical cannabis use the way they would treat lawful use of a prescription medication, unless federal law, federal regulation, or a federal funding contract says otherwise. Employers may still prohibit use during work hours, at the workplace, or while performing job duties. The law sets an impairment threshold of 150 nanograms per milliliter of THC in blood or urine, above which an employer may presume the employee was impaired at work.
The adult-use law does not appear to give recreational users parallel protection. Employers keep broad authority to enforce drug-free workplace policies, test employees, and discipline cannabis use. Workers in safety-sensitive roles in transit, maritime, and aviation remain under federal drug testing rules that treat any cannabis use as a violation regardless of territorial law.
Past Convictions Are Already Cleared
The Cannabis Use Act included automatic expungement for prior convictions for simple possession of up to two ounces. Those affected do not need to file a petition; the courts are directed to provide relief automatically. Governor Bryan also issued a pardon proclamation at the signing ceremony declaring all simple cannabis possession convictions under the Virgin Islands Code “fully and completely pardoned.” His office estimated roughly 300 people had been convicted of simple possession over the preceding 20 years.1Government of the United States Virgin Islands. Governor Bryan Signs Adult Use Cannabis Legislation Into Law