{"id":268350,"date":"2026-02-26T10:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=268350"},"modified":"2026-02-26T10:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:26:13","slug":"cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has approved the third annual Antigua and Barbuda Cannabis (ABC) Festival, due to take place from 17 to 20 April 2026 in St John\u2019s and other locations across the island.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the post-Cabinet briefing, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said the decision reflected the government\u2019s support for the regulated development of the country\u2019s medicinal cannabis industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held under the theme \u201cConnect. Celebrate. Rejuvenate.\u201d, the four-day event will combine education, trade and cultural activities, with organisers aiming to position the country as a niche player in the global medicinal cannabis market.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Planned events include a cannabis education conference and trade show at the American University of Antigua, bringing together regional and international investors and researchers; a Rastafari \u201cSacred Gathering\u201d in Liberta, St Paul\u2019s; and a wellness-focused island experience and sunset cruise.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mr Merchant said Cabinet viewed the festival as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote regulatory standards and provide science-based public education on cannabis use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government believes the medicinal cannabis sector offers opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic diversification, as global demand for regulated products grows.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has approved the third annual Antigua and Barbuda Cannabis (ABC) Festival, due to take place from 17 to 20 April 2026 in St John\u2019s and other locations across the island. Speaking at the post-Cabinet briefing, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said the decision reflected the government\u2019s support for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":143317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-268350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has approved the third annual Antigua and Barbuda Cannabis (ABC) Festival, due to take place from 17 to 20 April 2026 in St John\u2019s and other locations across the island. Speaking at the post-Cabinet briefing, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said the decision reflected the government\u2019s support for […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-26T14:26:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-26T14:26:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"936\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"624\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"anr_staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"anr_staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"anr_staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038\"},\"headline\":\"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-26T14:26:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-26T14:26:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/\"},\"wordCount\":194,\"commentCount\":8,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/\",\"name\":\"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-26T14:26:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-26T14:26:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png\",\"width\":936,\"height\":624},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038\",\"name\":\"anr_staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"anr_staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/anr_staff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative","og_description":"The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has approved the third annual Antigua and Barbuda Cannabis (ABC) Festival, due to take place from 17 to 20 April 2026 in St John\u2019s and other locations across the island. Speaking at the post-Cabinet briefing, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said the decision reflected the government\u2019s support for […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2026-02-26T14:26:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-26T14:26:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":936,"height":624,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"anr_staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"anr_staff","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/"},"author":{"name":"anr_staff","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038"},"headline":"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative","datePublished":"2026-02-26T14:26:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-26T14:26:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/"},"wordCount":194,"commentCount":8,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/","name":"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png","datePublished":"2026-02-26T14:26:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-26T14:26:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:936\/h:624\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cannabis-tree.png","width":936,"height":624},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/cabinet-backs-2026-cannabis-festival-as-national-development-initiative\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cabinet backs 2026 Cannabis Festival as national development initiative"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038","name":"anr_staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"anr_staff"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/anr_staff\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268351,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268350\/revisions\/268351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/143317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}