When Jamaica’s Wealth Is Wrapped In Weed

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 25: Marijuana plants grow at Perennial Holistic Wellness Center medical marijuana dispensary, which opened in 2006, on July 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously voted to ban storefront medical marijuana dispensaries and to order them to close or face legal action. The council also voted to instruct staff to draw up a separate ordinance for consideration in about three months that might allow dispensaries that existed before a 2007 moratorium on new dispensaries to continue to operate. It is estimated that Los Angeles has about one thousand such facilities. The ban does not prevent patients or cooperatives of two or three people to grow their own in small amounts. Californians voted to legalize medical cannabis use in 1996, clashing with federal drug laws. The state Supreme Court is expected to consider ruling on whether cities can regulate and ban dispensaries. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Jamaica’s Wealth – It has been five years since Jamaica embarked on the road to establishing and building out a legal ganja and Hemp Industry. The goal has been for the development of an orderly industry where the plant and it’s by-products are used for medical, therapeutic, and scientific purposes. There was much optimism at the start of the journey about the great prospects to be reaped in light of Jamaica’s history with the growth of the plant. But this has seemingly turned into despair, disappointment, and despondence for several players in the sector who’ve bemoaned publicly the slow pace of development.

But with the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) now forecasting a 9 to 10 percent contraction in the local economy for the current fiscal year is this industry in a position to make its mark and contribute to economic recovery and growth? The cannabis licensing authority is the agency mandated to create regulations to guide the industry and issue licenses. Permits and authorization for the handling of ganja and hemp.

We sat down with its legal officer and director of research, development, and communication to gauge the current direction of the agency. Felicia Bailey provided an overview of the current state of the industries and activities now taking place.

And the cannabis sector was one industry that did not go down during COVID-19. International reports suggest growth in the global industry was out-pacing that of 2019. Reid says Jamaica can be no different as the local industry is resilient.

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