Act 9072 sponsor Clifford Joseph finishes third in St. Croix primary, advances to November

August 1, 2026. Senator Clifford A. Joseph, who carried the bill that became the territory’s intoxicating hemp law, finished third in the St. Croix Democratic primary for Senate and advanced to the November 3 general election.

Joseph drew 2,445 votes. Senator Kurt Vialet led the district with 3,539, and Senator Kenneth “Kenny” Gittens took second with 2,677, according to results published by the Virgin Islands Consortium on election night.

Seven candidates from each district advance. The qualifying seven on St. Croix:

• Kurt Vialet, 3,539
• Kenneth “Kenny” Gittens, 2,677
• Clifford A. Joseph, 2,445
• Nemmy Williams-Jackson, 2,200
• Lisa J. Charles, 2,026
• Hubert L. Frederick, 2,013
• Jose “Besse” Gonzalez, 1,707

Lynda “Nikki” Brooks finished eighth with 1,548 and did not qualify. Dwight “Mike” Cartier drew 625, Omar B.U. Henry 515, and write-in candidates 145.

In the St. Thomas-St. John district, Senator Avery Lewis led the field. The Consortium reported on August 3 that four votes separated the final qualifying spot.

Why the St. Croix result matters for hemp

Joseph sponsored Bill 36-0105 in the 36th Legislature. Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed it as Act 9072 on January 23, 2026. The law bars the sale, possession, or manufacture of delta-6, delta-8, delta-10, and THCA products without an Office of Cannabis Regulation license, and it created an Intoxicating Hemp/Artificially Derived Cannabinoid Retailer category on the title 19 chapter 34 license list.

He has treated the measure as a signature item. In a June 16 interview with the Consortium, Joseph listed it among his first-term wins.

The law is still being built out, and the pieces that would make it operational are not finished. The Cannabis Advisory Board reviewed the first draft of the Act 9072 rules at its July 30 meeting, according to the St. John Source. Those rules have not been published for public comment. No Intoxicating Hemp Retailer License has been issued. The inventory-surrender mechanism in Section 3 remains blocked, following the Temporary Restraining Order Chief Judge Robert Molloy of the District Court of the Virgin Islands entered in February.

Joseph chairs the Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety in the current Legislature. Committee assignments for the next one have not been set.

What to watch

• November 3. The general election decides the 15 seats of the 37th Legislature, which convenes in January 2027. Whatever rules the Office of Cannabis Regulation adopts under Act 9072 will land in front of that body, not this one.
• September 15. The current OCR license application window closes. Manufacturing and Research and Development categories are open for the first time.
• The Act 9072 public comment period. The board’s draft has to be published before it returns for adoption. No date has been announced.

The CBD legality guide tracks what remains legal to sell in the meantime.