Shaw reiterates focus on cannabis industry for medicinal purposes

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw (right) shares in a photo opportunity with from (left) Former Executive Director of the Jamaica Diaspora Institute, Professor Neville Ying; Chairman of J. Wray and Nephew, Clement Lawrence and Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Her Excellency, Ambassador Audrey Marks. Occasion was the 8th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on June 18.

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, is reiterating that Jamaica is focussed on the growth of the cannabis industry for medicinal purposes.
“I know there is a concern for recreational (use) but we are focussing on medicinal cannabis because of the vast potential that is in cannabis, everything from the cannabidiol (CBD) oil, right up the chain,” he said.
The Minister, who was part of a panel discussion, was addressing members of the diaspora on day three of the 8th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, on Tuesday (June 18).
It is estimated that by 2025 the projected market value of medical cannabis will be over US$13 billion.
Meanwhile, Minister Shaw told the Diaspora that he will be targeting the United Nations Green Climate Fund, which is based in South Korea, for funding support for a fruit-tree planting programme.
He outlined that one million fruit trees will be planted each year accumulating to a grand total of five million in five years, which, he said, will have a number of environmental positives including reducing the country's carbon footprint.
The Minister also noted that the fund will be targeted towards the establishment of a special irrigation system for small farmers.
“You give a small farmer, who typically has quarter of an acre or half an acre some tanks. These are placed on the hillside and the farmer is given drip irrigation lines which then go into the fields,” he said.
Mr. Shaw also told the diaspora that 2,000 acres of land has been identified in Mitchell Town, Clarendon, to boost the production of castor bean cultivation.
Held from June 16-20 under the theme: ‘Jamaica and the Diaspora: Building Pathways for Sustainable Development’, the conference, which is convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, is connecting Jamaicans from all over the world, for dialogue and development of concrete actions in areas of national importance.
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