Regulations to support cannabis export coming – Green

WESTERN BUREAU:

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, says that by the end of the year, regulations will be in place for investors in the local medical cannabis trade to comfortably access international markets.

“As we are now, we have finalised our drafting instructions in relations to our export regulations. Those are with the Attorney General Chambers and we expect that before the end of this year, we will have export regulations for our legal cannabis industry,” said Green, who was delivering the main address at the grand opening of Epican Jamaica’s new medical cannabis dispensary on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in Montego Bay last Thursday.

“We are happy that we have a robust local market, a robust local medicinal market, and the players have shown that we do have an appetite for medical marijuana, but we also know that we need to take a part of the international market,” added Green.

He said that the export aspect of the business can only be successful if proper regulations are in place to ensure that the avenue is created to access the international market with sound guidelines.

“We can only do that if we put together export regulations that will make companies like Epican (Jamaica), who are growing (cannabis) in the wonderful Blue Mountain area, are able to export,” Green said.

Following the decriminalisation of ganja in Jamaica in 2015, a Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) to regulate and monitor the cultivation of medical marijuana was established. However, Jamaica currently does not have regulations to facilitate the exports of medical cannabis, which many believe has the potential to attract a very high price based on the quality of the local cannabis.

Despite the absence of the requisite export and import regulations, one company, Timeless Herbal Care, became the country’s first local company to legally export cannabis oil to Canada last year, with help from the Government. It received a special permit, which was issued by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and an import permit, which was issued by the Canadian government.

Green said his ministry is now moving to transform and strengthen the cannabis industry.

“There is another thing that I am very passionate about since I have come to the ministry. We have set up the Cannabis Licensing Authority to monitor and ­organise the industry and they have had their challenge, but they have also done their part. My job is to see how we can make it better, so we are on a robust drive now to ensure that we strengthen the CLA.” said Green said.