Citiva to take local cannabis higher

Citiva Medical, a research company specialising in safe and effective cannabis-based products, is making strides in Jamaica.

In July, Citiva forged a partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, to identify which combinations of cannabinoids are effective at treating specific diseases and symptoms.

"Hopefully, with the help of UWI, Citiva can begin to understand how and why cannabis has been effective at treating the various disease states we've seen success with," said Josh Stanley, founder and CEO of Citiva.

"We are excited to partner with Citiva; they have done so much to advance this industry and people's understanding of the potential benefits of cannabis," said UWI principal Dr Archibald McDonald.

Citiva created a local subsidiary, Citiva Jamaica LLC, to focus solely on developing the Jamaican medical cannabis research and production markets. This was made possible by a recent change in Jamaican law with overwhelming support from the public, which makes cannabis a legally recognised therapeutic agent as well as a legal focus of study.

Public education

Stanley introduced Citiva's expert team at an information session held over the summer. The team includes Jack D'Angelo, MD, chief medical officer; David Rothman, head of the continuing medical education programme; and Shaun Crew, chief agronomist. In attendance was a diverse crowd of UWI students and professors, doctors, representatives of the Rastafarian community, and several farmers from the Ganja Growers Association.

Public education was of high importance to the audience, as well as the development of randomised, controlled trials that would validate the observational and anecdotal findings related to the active compounds in the cannabis plant.

Citiva will be providing training and skills for numerous jobs pertaining to horticulturists, scientists, health-care providers, technicians, growers, and numerous other staffing positions.

Among the research that will be done in Jamaica, Citiva has come to an agreement with the Diabetes Association of Jamaica to focus on the medical benefits of cannabis in Type 2 diabetes.

A close partnership with the Jamaica Epilepsy Association will also have benefits for local health care as Citiva seeks to provide cannabinoid treatment to every child afflicted by this neurological condition in Jamaica.