Ganja is part of Jamaica’s solution – Minister Shaw

Hon. Audley Shaw (right), Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, greets Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, at the 3rd Annual Global B2B Cannabis Conference & Expo, CanEx Jamaica, held at the Montego Bay Conference Centre on Friday, September 28, 2018.

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, the Hon. Audley Shaw, has identified the cannabis industry as part of the solution for the Jamaican economy.

Addressing the 3^rd Annual CanEx  Jamaica Global B2B Cannabis Conference and Expo in Montego Bay on Friday,  September 28, Minister Shaw told conference goers that as the Minister responsible for building the industry “I have engaged all stakeholders in our society,” and sent the strong message: “GANJA IS NOT THE PROBLEM, IT IS Part of Jamaica’s Solution”.

He added: “I have created a team to ensure that the tremendous benefits to our farmers and the opportunities for them are maximized.   For many of our farmers, being part of a regulated legal industry will help to raise them and their communities to a high level of prosperity.”

Minister Shaw said he had recognized the challenges of the farmers and had created a framework where they can work together in cooperatives to be able to sell to a licensed producer to create value-added products. Cabinet, he said,  had already authorized two pilot projects, the first being with the Maroons in Accompong.

Outlining Jamaica’s long history of creating medicine from plants, including the pioneering work of scientists such as Dr Manley West and Dr Henry Lowe, Minister Shaw said his mission as the responsible minister was to “restore Jamaica’s leadership in the medical marijuana space internationally”.

In order to reap the benefits of the industry, Mr Shaw announced that additional resources were to be provided to the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) to strengthen the work of the regulatory agency.

Other Government initiatives being planned include increased access to lands for the cultivation of marijuana; provision of improved access to investment funds; increasing staff complement to improve operational efficiencies and the completion of regulations for hemp.

Participants from 22 countries attended the three-day CanEx Jamaica Conference and Expo, which included presentations from some 50 speakers, such as  former Mexican President Vicente Fox and US television personality and advocate for medicinal marijuana, Montel Williams, along with others from the local and international community.

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