Sri Lanka to export cannabis to the United States

The Sri Lanka will launch its first official plantation to supply the local medical market and export to the USA, according to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health.

Rajitha Senaratne explained that the cannabis farm The 40-hectare plantation, located in Ingiriya, 60 kilometers to the east of Colombo, will be able to produce up to 25 tonnes a year, under military protection, and ensure a steady supply of high-quality cannabis.

«Many Ayurvedic doctors have complained about not having good quality cannabis for their preparations,» Senaratne told reporters. «Good cannabis is a vital ingredient in the preparation of traditional medicines.»

The market for traditional herbs currently depends on donations from the courts, which seize illegally cultivated cannabis or contraband cannabis.

By the time our doctors get their cannabis, It's about four or five years old and has lost its effectiveness,» says Senaratne.

The surplus production will be exported.

«My understanding is that there is significant demand in the US and several other countries. Cannabis is used by the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture tranquilizers and painkillers.»

The consumption and possession of cannabis is illegal in Sri Lanka, although it is widely cultivated in the country's southern provinces.