Frequently Asked Questions

The applicant must be an Isle of Man registered company. The company must have at least two on-island directors and must nominate a Responsible Person as the GSC’s main contact.

People taking part in the application must be 18 or over. Only applications that meet all of the criteria in the guidance will succeed.

For a With Use licence you must also show a clear, legal export route to market — where the product will go and what it will be used for. The destination country may require its own licence.

This framework licenses specified cannabis activity for export. It does not authorise other uses on the Isle of Man. For anything outside this regime, contact the Department for Enterprise.

Key people connected to the applicant are subject to background checks. Drug-related and other relevant convictions are covered in Can I apply if I have a criminal conviction?

Yes. Please note that while declared sanctions and convictions will be assessed on an individual basis, any persons with relevant convictions related to dishonesty or drug-related offences will not be issued with a licence. Please note you must also declare convictions deemed spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 2001.

A Without Use licence is a licence which allows the cultivation of Industrial Hemp that will require the complete destruction of all the active parts of the plant.

Crops may only be planted on cultivation sites approved by the GSC. Please note approval may be required from other agencies and the GSC may expect this is done prior to the submission of any application.

The site may not be located near residential areas, schools, main roads, pedestrian areas or areas of cultural importance.

To speak with the licensing team please contact canna@gov.im

The party intending to carry out licensed activity must apply. Proof of agreement to utilise any proposed area or premises will be required to ensure that the location is being lawfully used. The applicant should also provide details of any lease agreements in relation to the land.

Yes, provided that they meet the location and security requirements. The application form contains a section in which the applicant can provide information about their proposed site(s). Please note that for each site, a plan of the area or premises must be provided.

All proposed locations should be listed on the application form.

Yes. All buildings should adhere to any planning or agency requirements related to the land in question. Applicants are responsible for seeking out permissions to change the use of their land and/or buildings.

The GSC requires licence holders to detail how they will keep the site contained and protected from trespass, destruction or theft.

Not under a High THC Cultivation or Industrial Hemp licence. Those licences are female plants only. You must show how you will prevent male and intersex plants being grown. Any male, intersex or pollinated female plant must be removed and destroyed as soon as it is found, and that destruction must be recorded.

A Research licence allows indoor cultivation of male and female plants, including for breeding and seed production. Tighter biosecurity is required so pollen cannot reach other sites. Under a Research licence you may sell seeds, seedlings and live plants. Bulk biomass sales are not permitted on that licence alone.

If you need males for breeding and also want to sell biomass commercially, you need both a Research licence and a High THC Cultivation licence.

Full rules are in the cultivation and research guidance.

Yes, you may import or export cannabis seeds in the Isle of Man and for this process alone no licence from the Isle of Man GSC is required. However, it should be noted that seeds being imported or exported from outside of the Isle of Man or the UK will need an accompanying phytosanitary licence as per guidance from the Department of Food and Agriculture - Guidance link

A licence lasts for one calendar year from issue.

The licence holder should notify the GSC as soon as possible to manage the winding down of operations.

For Import/Export queries please email: DFLU.ie@homeoffice.gov.uk

For domestic licensing queries (relating to licensing in the UK) contact: DFLU.dom@homeoffice.gov.uk

Home Office FAQs can be found here: Drugs licensing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

The GSC will accept crowd funding as a funding model for medicinal cannabis licenses, providing the follow practice is followed:

1. Crowd funding must be via a regulated broker - regulated by the FSA (IOM) or FCA (UK)

2. The licence holder/applicant is responsible for ensuring that the broker has an appropriate on-boarding process for the investors.

3. The licence holder must have a standard operating procedure for the on-boarding of the business relationship with the broker - as it would with any business relationship and its work force

4. It is the responsibility if the licence holder/applicant to ensure that the broker is aware of the Isle of Man requirements, specified in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2008 (POCA), regarding dual criminality - no funds can be used in the Island that have been derived from an activity unlawful on the Island

An investor is any person or company that puts money into a cannabis licence or applicant, other than as a customer. The amount invested does not matter, and it does not matter whether the investment pays a return.

Investors are key persons under the Misuse of Drugs (Cannabis Licences) (Data Processing) Regulations 2022. They must complete a Simplified Personal Declaration Form (SPDF) and are subject to the customer due diligence checks in Schedule 3, including identity, address, source of funds and source of wealth.

This is separate from a shareholder. A shareholder with 5% or more of a private company, or 20% or more of a public company, is a different key-person role and uses the full Personal Declaration Form.

Crowdfunding investors still count. See Can I use crowdfunding for investment?

The SPDF and integrity guidance set out what must be submitted.