Jersey Elections 2026.
On the , the people of Jersey will elect 12 Constables, 28 Deputies and 9 Senators for the next 4 year term of the States Assembly.
To assist candidates standing in the elections, End Cannabis Prohibition Jersey has put together the following context on the main cannabis issues that will require consideration by States Members in the coming years.
ECPJ will be engaging with the candidates in the run up to the elections to discuss these issues and encourage them to support cannabis reform in the Island.
In due course, we will provide a list of the candidates together with our understanding of their stance on cannabis reform based on our engagement, voting records (for former States Members), manifestos, public statements and interactions with the community.
Last updated: .
Context.
Medicinal Cannabis.
Background.
Medicinal cannabis was legalised in Jersey in January 2019, following the adoption of P.113/2018 Medicinal Cannabis: right to prescribe by medical professionals.
The Primary Care Body subsequently opposed the prescription of medicinal cannabis in the Island. However, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK permitted the use of postal prescriptions and video consultations, which enabled Islanders to access cannabis clinics on the mainland from the spring of 2020.
Jersey's first medicinal cannabis clinic opened in the autumn of 2020. There are now 6 clinics in the Island that provide private prescriptions.
According to the latest available figures, there were approximately 4,000 patients in receipt of medicinal cannabis prescriptions in Jersey in 2024.
For further information, see Medicinal Cannabis in Jersey.
Considerations.
Following the adoption of P.57/2025 Draft Regulation of Care (Jersey) Amendment Law 202-, regulations for the oversight of medicinal cannabis clinics by the Jersey Care Commission are to be brought forward for consideration by the Assembly in the next term.
A time frame for these regulations was requested by the Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel in their Comments Paper on P.57/2025, but this has yet to be published.
Meanwhile, Officers are "actively developing proposed legal controls on [medicinal cannabis] prescribing practice with a view to consulting prescribers and patients over the spring period" (WQ.31/2026).
The Committee for Health & Social Care in Guernsey is also presently developing regulations for medicinal cannabis prescribing clinics and controlled drugs.
In order to evaluate concerns about the prescription of medicinal cannabis in Jersey, End Cannabis Prohibition Jersey contends that a Scrutiny Panel should be convened to review the subject, as suggested by the Health Minister at the Quarterly Hearing in June 2023.
Cannabis Industry.
Background.
Cannabis was identified as a suitable non-food crop option for Jersey in a series of reports in 2015 and 2016, following which alternative crops were promoted in the Rural Economy Strategy 2017-2021.
A licence to cultivate industrial hemp for seed and fibre was first issued in the Island by the Health Minister in May 2017 to Jersey Hemp.
Licences for medicinal cannabis cultivation were first issued in December 2020 by the Jersey Cannabis Agency under a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK Home Office.
There are currently 6 companies at various stages of development that hold a medicinal cannabis cultivation licence in the Island, two of which have received GMP certification from the MHRA and export their products to the UK and Germany.
The Future Economy Programme Delivery Update 2025 states that the sector employs 70 people and generated profit for the first time in 2025 with a revenue of £12m, following capital investment of over £47m.
Cannabis companies in Jersey are liable to a 20% income tax on their profits.
For further information, see Jersey's Cannabis Industry.
Considerations.
A report on the medicinal cannabis sector was due to be published by the end of 2025, but this has yet to materialise.
The Cabinet Office 2025 Business Plan notes the development of medicinal cannabis cultivation regulations as part of the 2025 and 2026 Government Legislation Programme, but the time frame for these regulations is currently unknown.
The new Government should continue to nurture the Island's cannabis industry, and engage with the Jersey Biopharmaceutical Council and stakeholders to ensure the long-term viability of the sector.
Substance Use Strategy.
Background.
The former substance use strategy, Building a Safer Society – A community safety and substance misuse strategy for Jersey 2016-2019, concluded in 2019 without review or replacement.
A new progressive substance use strategy, A Change of Direction: A Substance Use Strategy for Jersey 2023 to 2033, was developed by the Public Health Directorate and subsequently published in the summer of 2023.
For further information, see: Substance Use Strategy.
Considerations.
Despite it now being over a quarter of the way through the time frame of the new substance use strategy, there has been little tangible output to date.
The next Government should ensure that sufficient resources are made available to implement the strategy over the coming term, with particular regard to the development of an equivalent to the Icelandic Prevention Model, which has proved successful at reducing youth substance use.
Drug Driving.
Background.
The Minister for Infrastructure proposed P.32/2026 Draft Road Traffic Law (Drug Driving) (Jersey) Amendment Regulations 202- in February 2026 as part of the Collision and Casualty Reduction Plan: 2025-2034.
Following concerns raised by the community with the Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel regarding the omission of a medical defence in the proposed legislation, as well as the recognised lack of correlation between THC blood concentration and impairment, the proposition was withdrawn.
For further information, see the following papers from End Cannabis Prohibition Jersey:
Considerations.
In their Legacy Report, the Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel recommended that "the next Panel should undertake a full review of the scientific, legal and policy foundations of the proposed drug‑driving framework, including whether THC thresholds are an appropriate and reliable measure of impairment and whether an explicit medical defence should be included."
The new Government will need to return regulations to the Assembly that take into account the concerns raised to Scrutiny by members of the Island's medicinal cannabis patient community.
Cannabis Reform.
Background.
The first offence of the possession of small amounts of Class B and C drugs (including herbal cannabis and cannabis resin) became partially decriminalised in 1998 when the Attorney General published guidance permitting Centeniers to issue written cautions in such cases.
This was extended to the possession of small amounts of a variety of Class A, B and C drugs in 2015, and to second offences in 2019.
Following the adoption of P.97/2023 Draft Crime (Public Order) (Jersey) Law 202-, the Attorney General provided updated guidance to Centeniers at Parish Hall Enquiries that permitted the application of a level 1 (£200) fine for a third offence of the possession of up to 15g of herbal cannabis or cannabis resin, as well as specified amounts of other drugs.
The Attorney General guidelines were further updated in 2025 to allow the personal importation of cannabis and other drugs to be dealt with in the same manner as personal possession at Parish Hall Enquiry, i.e. by way of written cautions and level 1 fines.
An in-committee debate in the States Assembly on the decriminalisation of cannabis was proposed to take place in early 2024, but this approach was abandoned following the Vote of No Confidence.
Subsequently, Deputy Coles brought P.31/2024 Cannabis: Decriminalisation of personal possession and recreational use to the Assembly, with States Members voting in favour of part b) of the proposition that requested the Council of Ministers to return proposals for consideration by the Assembly by November 2025.
A public consultation on potential approaches to non-medical cannabis was held in the summer of 2025 as part of that work, and received 2,063 validated responses of which 81% favoured cannabis reform.
P.116/2025 Future approach to personal cannabis use in Jersey was lodged in December 2025, and presented three Options for cannabis reform:
- Decriminalise personal possession, cultivation, and social supply.
- Legalise personal possession and cultivation.
- Undertake a trial in regulated sales, like those in Switzerland.
The proposition was, however, withdrawn in January 2026 due to issues with the wording of the first option.
For further information, see the following papers from End Cannabis Prohibition Jersey:
- Legal Status of Cannabis in Jersey
- Considerations for Cannabis Reform in Jersey
- Comments on Cannabis Reform in Jersey
Considerations.
A growing number of jurisdictions around the world have, to varying degrees, implemented policies in recent years that move away from criminalisation and address cannabis use as a public health issue.
The adoption of P.116/2025 would enable the next Government to explore evidence-informed approaches to cannabis use that are appropriate for Jersey, which would then be subject to future debate by the States Assembly.
While we appreciate that the hands of the Assembly should not be tied by their predecessors, End Cannabis Prohibition Jersey and the wider community feels strongly that the proposition on the future approach to personal cannabis use should be returned to the States Assembly by the Council of Ministers for debate early in the next term.
In January 2026 Deputy Leadbeater lodged a requête in the States of Deliberation in Guernsey on Cannabis: establishment of cross-Committee working group to examine regulatory options, with the support of 6 other States Members.
The proposition sought to report back to the States Assembly no later than December 2027 with a recommended model for a regulated cannabis regime, but it was withdrawn prior to the debate in March 2026. It is anticipated that the requête will return to the Assembly at a later date.
A motion has also been tabled for debate in Tynwald in May 2026 to establish a Citizen's Jury in the Isle of Man by December 2026 to consider "a future regulated environment which would allow for the sale of cannabis for recreational use."
Given that there is interest across the Crown Dependencies in cannabis reform, it would be prudent for our next Government to work together with their counterparts in Guernsey and the Isle of Man to pool resources and develop coherent policy.
Final Thoughts.
There is great potential in developing an agile, knowledge-based economy around cannabis in Jersey.
Decades of prohibition have stifled research into cannabis, whether that be in relation to medicinal benefits for particular conditions, the utilisation of hemp for soil remediation and carbon sequestration, or the effect of cannabis use on specific populations, to name a few.
We should utilise our asset of being a small nimble jurisdiction to develop an environment conducive to research and development into the use of cannabis, whether that be industrial, environmental, medicinal or recreational.
We should promote the use of hemp to remove excess nitrates and contaminants from our soil, including PFAS, which could be sequestered in hempcrete and used in construction as a non-load-bearing, carbon-negative alternative to concrete.
We should strive for high standards in medicinal cannabis cultivation in the Island to ensure the long-term viability of the sector, focusing on the production of high-quality products that set us apart from other jurisdictions.
We should enhance our prescribing of medicinal cannabis to reduce the potential for abuse of the system, facilitate research, educate healthcare professionals, and integrate medicinal cannabis into primary and hospital care.
Each of these avenues present opportunities for Jersey, should we wish to take full advantage of this sector.
Let’s take a practical and informed approach to cannabis in Jersey, one that builds and expands upon the experiences of other jurisdictions.
Prohibition has not deterred cannabis use in the Island.
It’s time we tried a different approach.
Contents.
Key Recommendations.
- Undertake a Scrutiny Review of medicinal cannabis.
- Nurture Jersey's cannabis industry.
- Implement the substance use strategy.
- Revise the draft drug driving law.
- Resubmit the proposition on the future approach to the personal use of cannabis to the States Assembly.
- Collaborate with Guernsey and the Isle of Man on the development of cannabis policy.
Resources.
"The long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom."
Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776.
Candidates.
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"If all fossil fuels and their derivatives, as well as the deforestation of trees for paper and agriculture, are banned from use in order to save the planet and reverse the greenhouse effect:
Then there is only one known renewable natural resource able to provide the overall majority of our paper, textiles and food, meet all the world's transportation, home and industrial energy needs, to reduce pollution, rebuild the soil and clean the atmosphere — all at the same time — our old stand-by that did it all before: cannabis."
Jack Herer, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, 1993.