The Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) has issued 44 ganja licences and 288 conditional approvals since its establishment in 2015.
President of the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Diane Edwards, in making the disclosure, said that the licences granted include 21 for cultivation, 13 for retail, six for processing, three for research and development, and one for transportation.
She noted that the licences at the conditional approval stage are awaiting actions from applicants.
“Some of those actions include readiness for pre-licence, site inspection requirements, and funding to satisfy infrastructure development and/or other approvals,” Ms Edwards explained.
She noted that the Authority has received 658 applications from 287 applicants to date.
“Medical cannabis is set to be a disrupter in the consumer goods space”
Diane Edwards, President, JAMPRO
Ms Edwards was speaking at the media launch of the CanEx Jamaica Business Conference and Expo on Tuesday (September 4), at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.
The JAMPRO President, during her address, said that Jamaica is poised to capitalise on the multibillion-dollar global medical cannabis industry.
“Medical cannabis is set to be a disrupter in the consumer goods space. More and more, we are finding CBD [Cannabidiol] infused products globally – in packaged food, beverages, beauty and personal care products and consumer health products,” she noted.
She said that as the industry evolves “understanding the future and placing the appropriate bets will determine the ultimate winners of the expanding and dynamic space”.
