CITIVA, a leading developer of cannabinoid research studies in numerous countries, including Jamaica and the United States, will take part in The Cannabiz Business and International Investors Conference Jamaica 2016. The Conference has named Josh Stanley as one of its speakers and Josh will be an integral part of the Conference as he explains CITIVA's current research and its impact on the cannabis industry.

Stanley and other CITIVA associates will be available during the conference to speak directly to consumers, researchers and the press about CITIVA's ongoing research. In addition, they will discuss their ongoing support of the medical cannabis industry, and their vision of a licensed partnerships seed-to-sale model.

Will 2016 be the year for Ganja internationally, as we move towards the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) 2016?

The issue of ganja played very prominently in our society in 2015 with some advocates trumpeting the dawn of a “new green golden kingdom”, while some opponents predicting the doom of our youths to the “green demon”. However, a sober analysis of the situation will reveal that even though there were indeed some victories in relation to how we treat with ganja in Jamaica, there is still a lot more to achieve and pitfalls to be mindful of in relation to our policy on establishing a fully legally regulated ganja industry.

Ganja strides in 2015:

SAN JUAN – The Cannabis Licensing Authority of Jamaica has begun the draft of interim regulations governing the cultivation and sale of marijuana for medicinal, research or religious purposes, the Ministry of Industry said Friday.

The start of the process comes nine months after the marijuana-decriminalizing amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act went into effect last April and follows a series of consultations with key stakeholders.

“The impending implementation of the interim regulations will pave the way for the Authority to begin the issuance of licenses, permits and authorizations in keeping with said regulations,” the ministry said in a statement.

Members of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), KOPAC and Dioscorides Global Holdings (DGH) were joined by the Minister of Health for the Czech Republic recently to announce the establishment of a new research center, the International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute (ICCI) – intended to foster evidence-based exploration with a modern scientific approach to refine the therapeutic applicability of cannabis-based medicines in the Czech Republic. ICCI will identify, coordinate and support global research priorities for the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid treatments through a multidisciplinary evidence based approach that incorporates innovative tools and approaches.

The cover art for Peter Tosh's 1976 Legalise It album, with the Stepping Razor smoking a chalice in a marijuana field, was a strong statement of rebellion. Now, the way things are shaping up with the moves to commercialise marijuana in Jamaica, it may just turn out to be the picturesque epitome of a sick joke on the social class which has most strongly advocated for and sustained the production of marijuana and music in this country.

National Security Minister Peter Bunting says the police have arrested 14,000 fewer persons for possession of marijuana.

The announcement comes months after the government enacted changes to the Dangerous Drug Act which decriminalised possession of small quantities of marijuana.

He says the decrease in the number of arrests for drug possession means 14,000 fewer persons were consigned to the fringes of the economy.

Bunting pointed out that before the changes, persons criminalised for ganja possession could not get a United States visa, for example, or get a job.

A NEW record label in Las Vegas makes its entrance in the music business with a nod to cultivators of the ‘good herb’.

Big Ganja Farmer is the name of a rhythmproduced by Angel Play Records, which is based in Nevada’s most populous city.

The beat is driven by four songs from Jamaican artistes who live in the gambler’s paradise: singers Ras Kronik (Love The Weed), Michael Black (Betta Get Hi) and Nature Makonnen (Big Ganja Farmer) and deejay General Jah Mikey who contributes That’s The Way.

Released in late 2015, Big Ganja Farmer is produced by Brian Pappageorge, principal of Angel Play Records.

Millions of people around the world are familiar with the hypnotic rhythms of reggae that originated from Jamaica, a small colonial island in the Caribbean Sea. Reggae is what propelled the ideology of Rastafari to the world through the melodious, socially conscious tunes of Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller, and Peter Tosh. Jamaican culture is most commonly described as rooted in Africa because the majority of the population is of African descent. However, a deeper analysis will find that the Hindu culture has had an immense, largely unacknowledged influence on Jamaican culture and the early stages of Rastafari.

Just days after the launch of New York’s medical marijuana program, theUniversity at Buffalo has announced a new research initiative into medicinal cannabis in partnership with Citiva LLC.

With $1.65 million in funding from Citiva, UB’s Center for Integrated Global Health Sciences will work to develop new approaches to advance the study of medicinal cannabis and lead to greater knowledge on the therapeutic efficacy of cannabinoids in medicine.

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In 2001, Portugal decriminalized heroin, cocaine and cannabis. It remains a crime to profit from the sale or distribution of illegal drugs, but the user was not criminalized for possession. If a person is found with less than a 10-day supply, they must meet a three-person Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction, usually made up of a lawyer, a doctor and a social worker. The commission will recommend treatment, a minor fine or, as in most cases, no penalty at all.  

In 1990, one per cent of the Portuguese population was addicted to heroin. Portugal now has the lowest addiction rate of illegal drugs in all of Europe. After 14 decriminalized years, overall rates of drug use, drug addiction, drug overdose, HIV and accidental death have all gone down.