Regulating Cannabis in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Tyler Podcast Episode 120, Transcript
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Show Notes:
In this episode of the Tyler Tech Podcast, guest host Alex Valvassori, sales executive for cannabis licensing at Tyler Technologies, sits down with Joanne Moorehead, executive director of the U.S. Virgin Islands Office of Cannabis Regulation, to discuss what it takes to build a government agency — and an entire regulatory framework — from the ground up.
Joanne shares her experience stepping into a newly formed office, the unexpected logistical and operational challenges she faced, and how her team is working to launch a complex licensing program with limited resources. She also highlights the important role of technology in managing medical cannabis patient registration, streamlining workflows, and supporting a smooth user experience for residents.
Throughout the conversation, Joanne offers insights into navigating public perception, engaging with community stakeholders, and balancing the demands of a high-interest industry in a unique market. She also reflects on the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing across jurisdictions as more states and territories launch regulated cannabis markets.
Tune in to learn how public sector leaders are using practical tools and clear communication to stand up new programs, improve service delivery, and create sustainable regulatory models in a rapidly evolving space.
This episode also highlights Digital Access and Accessibility in the Resident Experience, a new white paper exploring how public sector organizations can remove barriers and create more inclusive digital services. As governments continue to expand digital offerings, ensuring a seamless, user-friendly experience is more important than ever.
And learn more about the topics discussed in this episode with these resources:
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Transcript:
Joanne Moorehead: Even though we are a small market and a small office, there is a lot involved. And without the technology, I think, I I’m sure we would be drowning.
Josh Henderson: From Tyler Technologies, this is the Tyler Tech Podcast where we explore the trends, technologies, and people shaping the public sector. I’m Josh Henderson. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode, we’re turning things over to guest host Alex Valvassori, sales executive for cannabis licensing here at Tyler, for a conversation with Joanne Moorehead, executive director of the U.S. Virgin Islands Office of Cannabis Regulation.
Joanne shares what it’s been like to build a regulatory agency from the ground up, including the unexpected challenges of launching a brand new program in a small but complex market.
She also discusses the role of technology in improving access and efficiency and the importance of community outreach and education.
It’s a wide ranging and insightful conversation with valuable takeaways for anyone involved in emerging public sector programs. So, let’s turn it over to Alex and Joanne. We hope you enjoy the discussion.
Alex Valvassori: Hi. I’m Alex Valvassori with Tyler Technologies. And today, I’m thrilled to be joined by Joanne Moorehead from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Today, Tyler Technologies provides its cannabis licensing and registration system to 11 states and territories, and we’re so lucky to have one of our clients on with us today. Joanne, thanks for being with us today.
Joanne Moorehead: Thanks, Alex. Thanks for having me. This is really exciting. We’re happy to be able to participate.
Alex Valvassori: I want to start first by hearing your story. You know, I would love to hear how you first became involved with the program and, what that journey’s been like for you.
Joanne Moorehead: It’s perhaps not the least interesting story. But in about by next week, it would have been one year since I’m with the Virgin Islands office of cannabis regulation.
It’s been a very quick year. How did I get into it? I mean, you know, with anything new, I think it’s always a crapshoot, if I can say that. Right? And so, I was working for the government in a completely different agency.
And for the life of this office, I’m only the second executive director. There was a previous executive director who was working here by herself from the inception of the office, and she really spearheaded a lot of the background work and rules and regs and things like that, and then she took another opportunity and left. And then because there was nobody else in the office, the office here was left kind of floundering for a few months, and somebody just, you know, nudged me and said, hey. You should put your name in and see what happens.
And so, after some months’ time, I did. I did put my name in the ring and very luckily was selected to be the new director, and it’s been quite an experience. It’s been fun. I saw I was by myself for quite a few months, and now we have moved into finally expanding the office, and so we have a few more people, and just trying to get the entire industry up and running from ground zero has been quite a challenge. An interesting, often frustrating, but definitely interesting and unique challenge. I think it’s been a a fun opportunity.
Alex Valvassori: Well, let’s talk more about that. You know, I’m sure many of our listeners come from more traditional government backgrounds, and it’s often difficult to appreciate the challenges of standing up an entirely new industry, an entirely new program, an entirely new team, all from square one. You know, so many of Tyler’s other clients, you know, operate in established industries. I think of, you know, liquor regulation, for example, you know, professional licensing and registration.
So, what’s it been like building something from, I guess, you could say zero?
Joanne Moorehead: I mean, it really is, I think, quite zero. And even I think the broader administration here, the government administration, I don’t think we realized sort of the depth of what would have to happen in order to create a whole new agency, really. Right? I mean, you know, it doesn’t really matter what state or jurisdiction you go to.
We sort of all have the same. There’s finance, you know, there’s the tax collecting agency, there’s the public works department that’s, you know, transportation and sanitation and all of those things. Those have always existed because it’s always been around, right, some form or another. So even when administrations change or the heads of the agency changes, you still have the foundation, you still have usually people that hold over from administration to administration or time to time.
And you have the ability to transfer knowledge, institutional knowledge from one person to another person. This has been for I think everybody here, just a really unique experience, obviously, with the advent of, and the proliferation of cannabis decriminalization or legalization in in the United States. You know, we’re seeing it more and more.
The good news is we weren’t the first, so we didn’t have to really completely reinvent the wheel. You know, I think our legislators and our governor and the folks who were really advocating for this push and this change here for regarding cannabis really looked at other states to see what they were doing to pull, you know, some of the language from their legislation and things like that. So that part, at least there was sort of a blueprint.
You know, one of the things that I find is one of my funniest stories, you know, when we think about starting up an agency, some of the things that we didn’t even think about, like, I literally didn’t have furniture for people to sit at. Right? I’m hiring people, but I didn’t have furniture. I didn’t have I don’t have a phone on the desk.
I don’t have trash cans. I need to keep track of trash cans. Like, these are the things that normally, you know, no matter who’s in the office, no matter what office it is, you sort of have, like I say, the foundation of things. And so that has been really interesting.
It’s just not something, you know, we don’t often think about that in that way. Now if we were starting a business like a private sector business from scratch, yeah, we would all know, oh, I’ve got to get office furniture and set up my office and I’ve got to get a compete but in government, I think so infrequently, we have this kind of opportunity. So, we it just never occurred to me all of the things. Right?
Alex Valvassori: I think what we’ve seen, Joanne, is it’s always a challenge balancing the perspective of so many different stakeholders, and, you know, we’ve certainly been impressed with all the work you’ve done to navigate all that. It takes a lot.
It sounds like you guys are doing a terrific job and will be great resources to other folks out there who look to establish similar programs. And, you know, I’d be curious to know, you know, changing gears a bit, as you, you know, been in the role now for almost a year, have there been any things that have surprised you at all? I think you, you know, I I’m having gotten to know you, I think you knew that there were going to be some challenges and that this would be a lot of work. But was there anything that stood out over the course of the last year that that stood out as a surprise?
Joanne Moorehead: I think perhaps for me, the big I don’t know if I’d necessarily say it was a surprise, but I but I do think and maybe I it’s both a surprise and a challenge. Right? I do think that the level of interest in varying demographics here in the Virgin Islands maybe was a little bit of a surprise but also presents a challenge for myself, you know, I think that our senators, our legislature really did a good job trying to ensure that lots of people, different kinds of people had the opportunity to participate in the industry.
We are a very small territory, a small population and, you know, theoretically, a small market when you look at just the sort of the permanent residence, the permanent, marketplace and not count the tourism market, which of course is, is huge.
But I think that, you know, in speaking to lots and lots and lots of people, I think because we’re so small, it also changes the perspective perhaps and maybe some of the push and pull that we have with the illicit market and the feelings around that. I think, you know, this all really was put to a referendum in 2016, I think, or 2018 maybe. And that’s, you know, where and the voters voted in favor of some sort of cannabis legislation that would allow for some decriminalization or legalization of some sort. But it didn’t pass by a very big margin.
It we just needed 50, I guess, 50.1% of the voters, And I think it was something like fifty six percent. So, it wasn’t really an overwhelming majority. And so truthfully, I think that has been the most surprising thing for me.
We still have a lot of folks in our in our community who are really not, I would say, they’re not really big fans of the industry in general. But I think, if I can say, I think that a lot of that is misperceptions.
I think, you know, when you have a product, a plant that has been stigmatized because the federal government has called it a schedule one narcotic and put it in the same category as some of the other schedule one narcotics that comes with a certain stigma around it. And I think that, you know, not that the OCR, the cannabis regulation office is not necessarily like the cannabis it’s not the cannabis PR office either, but, you know, I do think that that perhaps is one of the most surprising things as well is that is I think the misperception about what it is really that we’re doing and how people use cannabis even medicinally, I think there’s a lot of still a lot of misunderstanding about what that looks like.
So, you know, there’s a lot of community outreach and education and, you know, now is the time for the advocates to really, you know, come to the forefront and teach people what we’re talking about when we’re talking about medicinal use. That truly probably is my most surprising thing since I’ve been here. I just thought everybody was in favor.
And but I but I think I think that we have still a long way to go in terms of just getting the right messaging out to people.
Certainly, OCR, my office is again, it’s not the cannabis PR group, but, but I do think it’s important for folks to have accurate information versus just sort of what they think they know because I think a lot has changed too in the industry.
Josh Henderson: Stay tuned. We’ll be right back with more of the Tyler Tech Podcast.
Hey there, Tyler Tech Podcast listeners. Let’s talk about something that’s becoming more important every day, digital access and accessibility.
As more public services move online, ensuring a seamless, user-friendly experience for residents is critical.
I’m here with my colleague, Jade Champion, to talk about our new white paper, Digital Access and Accessibility in the Resident Experience, that explores the challenges and opportunities in this space.
Jade Champion: That’s right. This white paper takes a closer look at the barriers residents face when engaging with digital services and how public sector organizations are addressing them with modern technology.
Josh Henderson: Whether it’s simplifying online interactions, designing intuitive systems, or making services more available across different devices, digital access is about creating a better experience for everyone. And as technology continues to evolve, so did the strategies for improving public sector engagement.
Jade Champion: This white paper is packed with insights to help public sector leaders think strategically. It explores the role of technology in resident interactions, enhancing usability, and expanding digital reach, helping you gain a deeper understanding of today’s digital expectations.
Josh Henderson: You can download your copy today at the link in our show notes.
Jade Champion: It’s time to rethink how residents connect with public services, and it all starts with access.
Josh Henderson: Now let’s get back to the Tyler Tech Podcast.
Alex Valvassori: To change gears just a bit here, you know, I’d love to know more about the role technology plays in the program that you’re running. You know, where are things working well? Where are there opportunities? Of course, we are a technology company, and so we’re always curious to know how technology is helping your program succeed.
Joanne Moorehead: So, I mean, I’m sure it’s no surprise that we use Tyler here for some of our registry, and in specifically our patient registry, ours, you know, our individual registries.
We use Tyler here for some of our registry — specifically our patient and individual registries. I have to say, I don’t even know what we would have done otherwise … it’s been really, really easy.
Joanne Moorehead
Executive Director, U.S. Virgin Islands Office of Cannabis Regulation
And I have to say, I don’t even know what we would have done otherwise because trying to think of, like, how this would work.
Again, even though we are a small market and a small office, there is a lot involved. And without the technology, I think I I’m sure we would be drowning right now. So, you know, and I still every week, we meet with our Tyler account manager. She’s great.
And, you know, what has happened in the year that I’ve been here because I came and sort of midstream into the implementation of the software. And what has happened, even then, we didn’t really have patients registering, people didn’t know. So, in the years’ time, we’ve gotten lots of changes, lots of inquiries, many applications, and in so doing, we have discovered things that we need to tweak here and there and, you know, working with the Tyler team has been so easy. You know, it it’s like I call her and I’m like, hey, this just happened for the first time. I mean, with the it just happened this week. Right? We had a first, another first instance of a little interesting question that we couldn’t quite figure out and we’re like, I think this needs to be tweaked in the in the system.
I think this needs to be tweaked in the portal because in this particular instance now, you know, this is what we need. This is what I’d like to be able to do, and it’s always every instance of that has been oh, that makes sense. Let’s see.
Let me take it back to the dev team and see how we can adjust here or adjust there, and it’s been really, really, really easy. And I will say I ask all the time of my patients or my individuals who are using the portal from the outside, right, not internally.
I ask them all the time how they find the process because, you know, it again, it’s intended to be easy. It’s not intended to be a stressful process on their end either. And by and large, I think that they find it very easy to use, which is tremendously helpful for us. You know, the people that we do get with questions are people who are not super tech savvy.
So, and perhaps don’t have a young person. My phone if I have a problem with my phone, I call my niece up and I’m like, help me figure out how to use my phone.
So, it’s the same kind of thing. I think that they you know, it’s people who are not the most comfortable with technology in general, but by and large by and large, people find it very easy to use, very simple. I mean, I have some people who fly through the process less than twelve hours. I mean, they get the pieces that they need, and they’re in and they’re out.
They’re registered. They come in. They pay. You know, it’s pretty easy, and that trust me when I say that that takes a huge load off our shoulders.
And then even that it’s a digital card, there’s no you know, we didn’t have to go purchase extra hardware to go print ID cards and do all of that. That’s a lot of extra steps that I told you we don’t have the time to do when we’re trying to buy furniture and telephones.
Alex Valvassori: Well, that is so much kind feedback, Joanne, and we really appreciate that. And, of course, we’re so proud of all the work we’ve done to help your team. And, you know, I can’t help but think back on my time first entering the industry when, this was, you know, way back in 2014, and I was in Colorado at the time. There was no online process.
If you wanted to register as a patient, you had to literally, you know, print something out and put it in a mailbox and hope it got to the health department. Or you had to go walk your applications into the marijuana enforcement division. So, I’m so glad you guys aren’t drowning in paper and returned mail and all that nonsense.
So that is that is great to hear. You know, something else I wanted to ask while we have you is about hemp, to change gears a bit, and hemp is something that I read about every day. You know, of course, the farm bill, inadvertently or depending on who you ask inadvertently, created a market for products, some of which are intoxicating. And so, I’d love to know kind of what that market looks like in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and also curious to know if that’s something that your team is involved with.
Joanne Moorehead: My biggest concern in that arena is the ability to have some sort of regulation around the hemp products that are that have psychoactive elements and access that, you know, at least at least some labeling regulations or, you know, packaging restrictions, some sort of standardization so that, you know, individuals who are not looking for that are not accidentally using substances that they that they didn’t intend to. That’s a huge concern for me just in general, and I think we are seeing here the same struggle. Right? So, there’s a lot of conversations, I think, with our legislators, about what may or may not need to be added to the law to, you know, just bolster enforcement activities and make sure that not to restrict anybody from selling hemp if they want to sell hemp, but to make sure that we are doing our best to provide safe products out in the market for individuals.
And I think at the moment, hemp is a separate division here, and there’s a lot of debate about whether it should remain separate.
You know, I’m I have enough work to do at OCR without trying to play the role of a senator, so I will leave that to those very smart individuals to figure out what needs to be done. I do I mean, you know, there are lots of other states where they’ve bundled lots of other similar categories. I know I can’t remember which states, so I’m not going to pretend. But there’s, you know, some states that have tobacco and alcohol and cannabis altogether.
Some that have, you know, hemp and marijuana together. There’s so, you know, I think there are models out there and very clearly, you know, hemp and cannabis in the Virgin Islands, we overlap in a lot of ways. If somebody is selling something and it’s not really hemp, the only other thing it could be is cannabis.
So, you know, there is a lot of overlap and, you know, it makes sense. But I hope to see without restricting the ability of those entrepreneurs to be able to be in the hemp space, I do hope for a little extra regulation just to make sure that we have products that’s safe for consumption out in the marketplace.
Alex Valvassori: Well, I I’d say, Joanne, you’re certainly not alone in those struggles. And I think everyone’s still trying to figure it all out.
So, it’ll be interesting to see what shakes out here over the course of the next year or two. You know, I’d love to conclude our conversation by, allowing you the opportunity to share some advice with our listeners. And now that you’ve been at it for a year, Joanne, you know, first, I’d love to understand what advice you might have for regulators who are new to this. I in fact, I was just on the phone yesterday with a brand new regulator, new to the job in the last few weeks, and they were very overwhelmed.
And so, I’d love to hear from you. If you if you could speak to yourself a year ago or the or the gentleman I spoke to yesterday, what would be your advice?
Joanne Moorehead: I kid with my guys. So, I brought on some new employees and the first, probably their first month, at the end of every week, I’d be like, is your brain tired yet? Is your brain busting yet? Because if it’s not, then we’re not doing the job.
Like, I think for the person that you were speaking to, I just think that it comes with the territory. Like, I cannot imagine somebody just coming in and just feeling like, oh, easy. This is easy peasy.
I do think it is a little overwhelming for just about everybody. I will say that I absolutely every person that I have encountered in the cannabis space is just they’re great people. Everybody is willing to help.
Everybody’s willing to be a resource. Everybody’s willing to, you know, enhance and add names to my network and my Rolodex. Do people know what Rolodex is anymore? I mean, I’m aging myself.
But, you know, I organizations like CANNRA, which is the Cannabis Regulators Association, is phenomenal.
I can’t imagine anybody in the regulatory space not seeing real benefits of being that being a member of that organization.
Tile you guys have been great. And, you know, now that we have executed a contract here with Metrc in the Virgin Islands, And I know that, you know, even talking to Metrc about Tyler and integrating that work, they’re like, oh, yeah.
We’ve done that before and, you know, so, Tyler folks, you guys have been a great resource for me and, Metrc as well. You know, it’s really, I think, not that big of a group of people, right, in the grand scheme of things in the in the United States.
And I think that I haven’t met one person yet who’s not super friendly and willing to help and assist in any way. So, you know, I can tell you for a fact that the last six months, the state of California’s Department of Cannabis Control has been amazing, amazingly helpful for us. So, you know, I just it’s you got to sort of make a couple connections, and I think then the world starts to open up in terms of the network. That really is my best advice for whoever it is that you spoke to that’s new in the space.
But I’m looking forward to expanding. I’m looking forward to, you know, meeting more people in the space as well, but that’s been my saving grace for sure.
Alex Valvassori: I guess my last question on the topic of advice is what advice you would have for industry participants, licensees, folks locally in the US Virgin Islands who are invested in this market.
What is the advice you have for them, especially as it relates to making your life easy as a regulator? If you could say one thing to everyone, what would be that thing?
Joanne Moorehead: I think, you know, I do lots of public meetings and things like that, but I and I say the same thing all the time. Again, we are a small market, a small place. By law, our market is even further condensed because of caps on licenses.
So just ask questions before, like, you know, before you go do something, just reach out and ask the question. Let’s see how we can do it. I mean, I can tell you for sure that a lot of our potential licensees and people who are interested in being in this space spent hours and hours talking to me, and those conversations help to drive what I do, what we do in the office. You know, there is a balance between doing what we think and doing what will work and making sure that the two sort of click.
You know, in school, the academic work, the textbook is different sometimes than the practical application of what you learn in the textbook. And so, in my using that analogy, the law is our textbook. Right? The law is the theory, and then we have to apply this theory into real life.
And so, I don’t think we could do that in a way that is sustainable and makes sense and is feasible and beneficial to everybody without the participation of all of the folks who want to be in the industry. I think they are critical piece of the conversation. And so luckily for us in a small place, that’s easy to do. I have lots and lots of conversations personally with lots and lots of people, but I definitely think that those opportunities are by far and away, some of the most beneficial just for the office to move forward and to understand what’s happening in real life outside of the sort of the textbook.
So that would be my biggest advice. Just reach out just, you know, for or form an organization or, you know, an association of cannabis entrepreneurs or cultivators or whoever, whatever your interest is. And, you know, there’s enough space, I think, for everybody to be successful and to get what they want out of the industry, but it doesn’t work if we’re not speaking to each other, the government, the regulatory side, and the industry side. So, hopefully, we we’re working towards establishing a great rapport here in the Virgin Islands. I’m looking forward to fully open doors. I can’t wait. It’s going to be great.
Alex Valvassori: Wonderful. Well, Joanne, you’ve been so generous with your time today, and we really enjoyed having you on the podcast. Tremendous work you guys have done this last year and so excited to see what’s ahead. So, thank you for joining us today.
Joanne Moorehead: Thank you so much, Alex, for having me and Tyler Tech. I speak to Tyler Tech every week through my account manager, and I love her to death. So, I hope you guys come visit. The USVI is always open. No passport required.
Alex Valvassori: I would love it. I’m going to share this episode with my boss as soon as we have it out there.
Joanne Moorehead: Oh, yeah. You know, you don’t have to come just for the cannabis. I’m just saying. You can come anytime. We’d love to have you.
Alex Valvassori: Well, thanks, Joanne, and take care.
Joanne Moorehead: Thanks, Alex. Have a good one.
Josh Henderson: As we heard today, launching a new government program, especially in a developing industry, comes with unique challenges and unexpected lessons. Joanne’s story offers a first-hand look at what unexpected lessons.
Joanne’s story offers a first-hand look at what it takes to stand up an agency, navigate public perception, and keep operations running smoothly with the help of the right tools and partnerships.
If you’d like to learn more about the topics discussed in today’s episode, be sure to check out the show notes for additional resources. And we’d love to hear your thoughts. Fill out the survey linked in the show notes or reach out anytime at podcast@tylertech.com.
And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast so you never miss an episode. For Tyler Technologies, I’m Josh Henderson. Thanks for listening to the Tyler Tech Podcast.