BioTrackTHC™, the leading provider of seed-to-sale software tracking solutions for marijuana businesses and government regulators, today announced partnerships that provide the company’s seed-to-sale medical marijuana tracking technology and training to the University of Technology, Jamaica and the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica. The two universities are growing medical marijuana for research purposes and are the only entities legally allowed to grow marijuana in the country until business licenses are approved.

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of Justice Senator Mark Golding has called on citizens to respect the police, particularly in relation to the recent amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act, which have introduced several important changes in respect to ganja.

"As a Government, we are not encouraging anybody to smoke ganja, especially the youth at school. In fact, we are coming up with a public education programme to say to the youth, yes the law has changed and some of the harsh penalties have been removed, but this is not something for kids as kids should not be smoking and they should not be drinking alcohol," the minister emphasised.

Senator Golding said the public education programme is necessary as the situation must be dealt with responsibly.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) will unveil its plans for cannabis research and will on Thursday receive its Ganja Research Licence.

This unveiling is scheduled to take place on the university’s Papine campus under the “Medical Marijuana Integration Day”.

The day’s activities will commence with an opening ceremony at 8:30 am, during which Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell will give an address.

Minister Paulwell is also expected to present the Ganja Research Licence to the institution.

NATIONAL Security Minister, says amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act, resulting in decriminalisation of specified quantities of ganja, are "most fundamental and far-reaching".

Bunting underscored this point while addressing a community meeting in Orange Hill, Western Westmoreland on May 8, to discuss the provisions of the new ganja legislation.

He noted that for "decades", the possession of small quantities of ganja has caused "friction" between the police and residents.

"Communities saw young men who they did not regard as criminals being arrested, fined, and sometimes sentenced for possession of ganja. It gave them criminal records ... eventually limiting their life chances," he noted.

Reggae superstar Bob Marley passed away 34 years ago Monday at the age of 36.

On Feb. 6 of this year -- which would have been his 70th birthday -- people around the world celebrated the impact Marley made during his time on earth by honoring his music and his beliefs. According to Reuters, Jamaicans remembered the musician with a jam session, and Marley's family is launched a "feel good social video movement" to honor Marley's vision of a better world.

Opposition senator Robert Montague has asked the Justice Minister to indicate what measures have been put in place to protect Jamaicans under the new ganja law.

In questions tabled in the Senate this morning, Senator Montague sought answers to how the police will verify that a substance found in the possession of an individual is in fact ganja.

He also wants to know what recourse is available to someone who is wrongfully ticketed for breaching the ganja law.

Senator Montague says the Justice Minister must indicate how the Police will objectively establish that someone is in possession of the allowable two ounces or less of ganja.

The Government has announced the members of the Cannabis Licensing Authority, to be chaired by Dr Andre Gordon.

Dr Gordon is a food technologist and a former president of the Jamaica Exporters' Association.

Minister with Responsibility for Information, Senator Sandrea Falconer, announced at this morning's post-Cabinet press briefing that the Cabinet has approved the board to comprise 18 people. 

Minister with Responsibility for Information, Senator Sandrea Falconer

The Cannabis Licensing Authority was established under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015 to regulate the hemp and medicinal ganja industry in Jamaica.

THREE-TIME Grammy winner Bunny Wailer, singer Denroy Morgan and members of the Mystic Revealers band were among the artistes who participated in Saturday's Global Ganja Motorcade/March.

The 74-kilometre trek from Emancipation Square in Spanish Town, St Catherine to Goodyear Oval in Morant Bay, St Thomas was reminiscent of the 1865 march of Jamaica's National Hero Paul Bogle.

"The motorcade was well supported with 40 to 50 vehicles," Maxine Stowe, music insider and ganja legalisation advocate, told the Jamaica Observer.

The Global Ganja Motorcade/March is Wailer's latest attempt to shed light on recent changes in Jamaican law regarding the use and production of marijuana.

The first was in 1996, while the second was on April 20 last year.

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), which was mandated to design a regulatory plan for the decriminalised ganja industry, has developed a 17-step scientific footprint proposal.

According to the BSJ, the new ganja industry, which will be standards-led and market-driven, will operate based on a tracking and tracing system.

"We will be tracking and tracing the processes involved from seed to sale," BSJ Chairman Professor Winston Davidson told The Sunday Gleaner.

SAN JUAN – The Jamaican government has named 16 people to constitute the Cannabis Licensing Authority, which will be in charge of approving licenses to cultivate marijuana for medicinal, research or religious purposes.

The Cabinet has approved the appointees, who were selected in a process involving government ministers, academics, faith communities and civil society groups, media outlets reported Tuesday.

Jamaica’s recently revised drug law, which decriminalizes marijuana for specific purposes, includes a provision for the creation of the CLA.

Early this month, the first two licenses for cannabis cultivation were issued to the University of Technology and the University of the West Indies.