Jamaica forging cannabis partnership with Harvard

WESTERN BUREAU:

Audley Shaw, minister of investment, industry, commerce, agriculture and fisheries, says Jamaica has entered into a major partnership with the Harvard International Phytomedicine and Medical Cannabis Institute to settle the matter of medical cannabis dosages and other keys issues.

Shaw, who was speaking at the recent CanEx Jamaica Business Conference and Expo in Montego Bay, St James, also revealed that a team from Harvard will be visiting Jamaica between September 30 and October 2 to conduct an informational tour to key facilities that are heavily involved in research related to cannabis and other medicinal plants.

“Through this partnership, the opportunity exists for clinical trials to be conducted, which will help in settling dosage issues, as well as the commercialisation of products to be developed,” said Shaw, who was one of the keynote speakers.

Shaw said that the partnership with Harvard forms part of the Government’s Alternative Development Programme, which is a key channel through which Jamaica will embrace and transition small cannabis cultivators to the regulated economy.

According to Shaw, players in the cannabis industry anticipate that through this arrangement, Jamaica will have greater participation in the nutraceutical and other industries.

“In addition to improving the capacity of our local farmers, we are also focused on creating partnerships and synergies that will redound to our improved global competitiveness in the cannabis industry,” noted Shaw.

The CanEx Jamaica Business Conference and Expo, which is in its fourth staging, is billed as the premier cannabis conference in the Caribbean and Latin America. It brings together industry professionals from more than 30 countries who are examining the legal cannabis industry, including banking and finance, medical cannabis, and other industry-related challenges.