Tyler Koslow
A closer look at the changing country.
When
people think about Jamaica, marijuana is one of the first things that
comes to mind, and for good reason. The Caribbean island nation is home
to the legendary Bob Marley, the ambassador of stoner culture, good vibes, and good weed,
and the country’s Rastafarian population uses cannabis as a sacramental
tool. Still, the Jamaican government has been hesitant to
internationally embrace the longstanding cultural phenomenon between its
people and ganja for quite some time.
Currently,
everyday Jamaican locals are allowed to possess up to two ounces of
cannabis, while those practicing Rastafarianism have much more lenient
laws. That leaves the medicinal system, which is really just for the throngs of tourists.
The fear of international scrutiny has caused the government to set up a
medicinal system, as it didn’t want to give the impression that it’s
promoting recreational use of a substance that many countries still consider to be a dangerous drug.
But as cannabis becomes socially acceptable in more of the United States and throughout the world, this fear has subsided. Jamaica’s recently developed legal cannabis regulations
are finally starting to take advantage of their internationally
recognized cannabis culture, as well as the medical research that has
come about as a result of that culture.
One man poised to take this new regulatory system by storm is Courtney Betty, CEO of the Timeless Herbal Care,
a Canadian medical cannabis company that has positioned itself in
Jamaica for the advantages in research and development. Betty is the
former Crown Attorney for the Department of Justice in Canada, and
worked closely with the Jamaican government 15 years ago to deregulate
its telecommunications services. His longstanding relationship with the
country has given him insight into what these regulations will do for
Jamaica on a local and international level.
“The
biggest challenge for Jamaica has been fear of reaction of their
international partners. This has crippled Jamaica’s movement so far,”
Betty says. “So this [new legal framework] is really breaking away from
those chains, and in my view, the international community is not going
to come in and create any negativity for it. But that has been the
biggest fear, that going down this path would, for example, impact on
international aid for the country.”
The
Jamaican government passed these new regulations earlier this year, but
setting up this new system and processing applications for licensing
has delayed the inevitable. But that hasn’t stopped the cannabis
industry from setting up home base in Jamaica. Events like CanEx,
one of the largest cannabis conferences in the world, have helped bring
this much-needed international attention from the global cannabis
industry. The organizer of the conference, Douglas Gordon, has faith
that the Jamaican government will do what’s right for its struggling
local economy.
“Once
Jamaica fully appreciates the scope of this industry and its potential
impact to the nation, I am fully convinced the government, business
leadership, and the wider community will fully support a more aggressive
expansion in the industry,” Gordon says. “Jamaica has been the poster
child and represents the ‘cool’ in the market. To forego economic
participation would be a travesty of the highest order.”
The
new regulatory system will bring immense benefits to both locals and
international cannabis companies. Jamaica’s struggling economy stands to
benefit greatly from the international companies getting involved with
the country’s cannabis. “If done correctly, legalization will have a
significant financial benefit to the Jamaican economy,” Gordon says.
“The benefits will come from jobs, new businesses, research and
development, tax revenues, and GDP growth.”
Timeless
Herbal Care was among the first to apply for a license in Jamaica, and
the company plans to reinvigorate the island’s historic cannabis culture
and faltering economy. Cannabis companies from both the United States
and Canada plan to bring high-end retail experience developed in their regions to the island.
“A big part of it is the local industry,” Betty explains. “We’ve partnered with O.penVAPE,
out of Colorado, to bring all of that experience and all of those
products to Jamaica, and also to connect with customers. In Jamaica, we
want them to have the same experience and the same products as you would
in Colorado, except now it’s utilizing local Jamaican marijuana.”
Not
only will these newfound cannabis regulations improve the local economy
by creating jobs and improving agriculture, they will also enhance the
cannabis industry as a whole. The Jamaican government made sure that its
new regulatory system is welcoming to international companies, and will
allow for more research
and development from both a production and medicinal standpoint. On top
of that, Jamaica’s legal framework will allow companies to branch out
into the budding, but still heavily-restricted global market.
“The
legal framework that Jamaica has in place is strategically positioned
for companies that want to reach international markets to use Jamaica
for that research and development and even from a production
standpoint,” Betty says. “Whether you want to go to the European market,
the Caribbean, Latin American, wherever, Jamaica has that ability for
companies. It’s especially beneficial for companies in the United States
that are not allowed to even go across state borders.”
Now
that cannabis is becoming legally commodified around the world, the
Jamaican government finally feels comfortable enough to embrace its
country’s culture and perhaps its most profitable agricultural product
without fear of international scrutiny. Not only will foreign cannabis
companies have a supportive place to call home, but they will also learn
from the history of cannabis use in Jamaica, especially for medical
purposes. The plant has been long ingrained into the island’s culture,
and with that has come a number of medical remedies that have remained
secretive in light of stigmatization.
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