Jamaica to host CanEx Jamaica, a major cannabis conference

The CanEx Jamaica Business Conference and Expo will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Center from September 26 to 28. It will host more than 60 speakers and panelists, who will discuss the evolving landscape of medical cannabis, addressing legal, regulatory, and commercial issues, as well as potential investments in the health and wellness sectors. Nearly 150 exhibitors and sponsors—ranging from growers and suppliers to investment firms and media outlets—will be on hand to share their expertise. Organizers expect approximately 2,500 attendees from 30 countries across North, South, and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Australia.

CanEx founder Douglas K. Gordon promises a dynamic event featuring innovative ideas in the growing legal cannabis industry. «We realized there was a great need to connect Jamaicans who wanted to learn about the legal cannabis market with experts, investors, and various other stakeholders from around the world,» Gordon said. in an interview. «We recently launched smaller-scale events throughout the rest of the Caribbean, with the goal of stimulating discussion toward legalization and educating the public about the benefits of a legal cannabis market for a country in terms of health and well-being, as well as the economic opportunities that the legal cannabis industry can provide.».

Jamaica has a long history with the cannabis plant, including iconic figures such as Bob Marley, and more generally the Rastafarians, which will be part of the conference. «Rastafarian culture, music, and cultural symbolism naturally and powerfully connect Jamaica to the cannabis plant. We are working closely with a number of Rastafarian associations, small farmers, and other similar organizations across the island so that they can have access to and participate in CanEx.».

The medical cannabis market is indeed booming in the Caribbean. The first legal cannabis harvests took place as early as March 2018 in Jamaica Earlier this year, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines issued its first cultivation licenses for the production of medical cannabis, and a number of other islands, including the Barbados and the Cayman Islands will soon follow suit. The U.S. Virgin Islands, a Caribbean archipelago under U.S. jurisdiction, have also legalized medical cannabis, as have Antigua and Barbuda, was in the process of finalizing a bill to legalize cannabis for religious, medical, and scientific purposes last year.