First legal cannabis harvests in Jamaica

Two Jamaican cannabis growers have successively announced that they have harvested their first kilograms of legal cannabis.

The first, Kaya Farms, announced its recent harvest to a local newspaper. The freshly harvested plants must now be placed in curing and then trimmed before being processed into a cannabis oil-based medication.

The second one, Timeless Herbal Care, has issued a statement to announce their first legal harvest. This cultivation company was the first to apply for a cannabis research and development license, and has thus been legally cultivating cannabis for over 100 years.

«This is an important day for Jamaica, and a significant victory for the global medical cannabis industry,» said Timeless CEO Courtney Betty. «We look forward to converting our facilities to produce pure, natural cannabis oils, not only for the Jamaican market but also for the international market.»

Even though cannabis is an integral part of Jamaican culture, the cultivation and use of cannabis were prohibited throughout the 20th century until 2015, when the country legalized medical cannabis and decriminalized the recreational use of cannabis.

Since medical cannabis was legalized, the country has received hundreds of applications from companies looking to enter the cannabis industry, but it has been issuing licenses only sparingly.

The first cannabis sales are expected to begin in mid-March when the Kaya Farms dispensary opens. The Kaya Herbhouse will feature a wellness center and a café, which will sell medical and recreational cannabis to both locals and tourists. Kaya plans to open eight dispensaries on the island.

«As a Jamaican, I am deeply honored to be part of this historic milestone, through which our country can finally monetize this industry, just as Europe, Australia, India, China, and the United States have done,» Balram Vaswani told the Jamaica Observer.

Clearly, he has never been to France.