MINISTER of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton says the final recommendations to guide the development of the regulations for the ganja industry will be completed by the end of September.

Speaking at a press conference recently, the minister said the stakeholders have been working diligently and meeting with consultants to ensure that Jamaica has a path-breaking contribution to international best practices for the global cannabis industry.

A lecturer from the University of Technology (UTech) is calling on ganja researchers to stop politicising the ongoing studies into the weed's medicinal properties, and to provide accurate information so health-care workers can properly counsel pregnant mothers who have used the substance.

Paulette Larmond, lecturer of the Caribbean School of Nursing at UTech, made the call during a public forum on ganja, which was held during the second biennial Nursing and Midwifery Research Conference at the Holiday Inn Resort and Spa in Montego Bay on Friday.

KINGSTON, Jamaica –  Jamaican narcotics agents have seized a load of marijuana found hidden in two shipping containers at wharves in the Caribbean island's capital.

In a Sunday statement, Jamaican police say investigators found 10 duffel bags stuffed with over 1,000 pounds of compressed marijuana in a shipping container destined for Suriname. Another container destined for the Netherlands had nearly 75 pounds of pot.

No arrests were made.

Jamaica is believed to be the Caribbean's largest producer and exporter of pot. Plants are grown mostly on the sides of mountains, swampy areas or hidden among other crops.

KINGSTON – Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton, says he expects to receive final recommendations to guide the development of the regulations for the ganja industry by the end of September.

Development of the regulations represents the first steps towards establishing a successful and globally competitive medical marijuana industry in Jamaica.

The Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015, which became effective on April 15, provides for the creation of a Cannabis Licensing Authority, to develop the regulatory framework for industrial hemp as well as ganja (marijuana) for medical, therapeutic and scientific purposes.

It is also responsible for the issuing of licenses, permits and authorisations in keeping with said regulations.

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Jamaica's ministry of industry, investment and commerce has hired BOTEC Analysis as a consultant for the development of regulations to guide Jamaica's nascent medical marijuana and industrial hemp sectors. At the end of the consultancy, BOTEC Analysis will submit to Jamaica's Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) a final report with regulatory recommendations, which will include, but are not limited to, licensing, market sizing, taxation, and organizational structures.
 

SAN JUAN – Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce has proposed four different sets of levies on medicinal marijuana and is eager to receive feedback from the population, an official confirmed to EFE on Friday.

The ministry has proposed a licensing fee and income tax as well as cultivation, distribution and sales taxes.

“As with every other food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical product, the new cannabis products will have to meet specific relevant health, safety and environmental requirements, as well as the required standards for product quality, labeling and packaging,” Minister Anthony Hylton said in a statement.

Cannabis tourism is booming. Excited by the end of prohibition many travelers are choosing to spend their vacation dollars to experience cannabis where it’s legal and have fun while doing it. Entrepreneurs are popping up to serve that need. One of those entrepreneurs is with us today, Sean Roby of Bud and Breakfast. Welcome to CannaInsider Sean.

Sean: Hey Matt thanks for having me.

Matthew: Sure thing. Sean to give listeners a sense of geography, can you tell us where you’re located in the world today?

Sean: Sure, I live in Boulder, Colorado. Our website is international though. So I could be anywhere on the planet and still function pretty good.

Jamaicans want to capitalize on a homegrown industry, but who will see the profits?

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Eventually, the 2,500-gallon steamer that sits empty at a massive warehouse in Brown's Town, Jamaica, will be pumping out spicy sauces infused with marijuana.

At least, that’s what Maurice Ellis is hoping.

The Jamaican business owner of Sun Spice Seasonings cannot help but grin as he admires the machinery he has already packed into his future seasoning factory. He imagines his will be a highly lucrative business in the coming years. 

“It’s budding with excitement — pun intended,” he said, giggling. “I mean, there [are] huge opportunities now opening up.”

THE passing of the amendment of the Dangerous Drugs Act 2015 in February has laid the foundation for the development of the policy framework governing a ganja industry in Jamaica.

WE await with bated breath the announcement that the ruling People's National Party (PNP) Government and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have agreed to de-politicise the crime portfolio and to work jointly to combat this crippling disease.

What such an agreement will mean more than anything else is that Jamaica can, at last, be united in the fight against this scourge which has inflicted so much pain, sorrow and economic loss on our beautiful country. It will also bring home the legions of our compatriots who want to live and do business in their homeland but fear the untamed wrath of the gun.