A few local marijuana growers are furious after hearing that a corporation has been given permission to bring cannabis from Canada into Jamaica.
Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, president of the Jamaica Cannabis Licensed Association, encouraged farmers to symbolically “holster [their] weapons and keep [their] powder dry” in a WhatsApp message to the “Jamaica Cannabis Industry Forum” WhatsApp group. He said that the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) was aware of the outrage generated in the local sector as a result of the most recent event.
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Lewin authored, “I learned and later confirmed that the CLA Board has approved the importation of ganja into Jamaica from Canada. A licensed (sic) applied for & was granted the necessary permits. I will not fault the licensee, but I find it disturbing & indeed scandalous that we could allow imports from a state to which we cannot export.”
He continued, “I have had a meeting with the Chairman of the CLA, and he recognizes the angst in the industry. It is anticipated a full review will be done. Please holster your weapons and keep your powder dry.”
Lewin acknowledged that he was the person who informed the industry’s key players about the newly issued license in an exclusive interview with the OBSERVER ONLINE media.
“I brought this to the attention of our members and the industry. And also, to the CLA; who confirmed it. I made a lot of noise about it because I am very angry that a country that does not allow Jamaican imports or exports from Jamaica into their market could be granted permission to export to Jamaica,” he noted.
Former police commissioner Lewin has urged industry participants to maintain their composure, stressing that he has been informed that the situation and the CLA’s entire point of view would be reexamined.
But, several of the 60 people who make up the four-year-old WhatsApp group have declared that they have no interest in following Lewin’s advice.
These stakeholders believe that now is the moment to act more forcefully.
A group member who requested anonymity attacked the CLA, alleging that it has been working to impede the development of the regional sector and traditional producers.
Lewin said that he thinks the issue with the CLA’s critique of the organization’s general treatment of traditional producers is the amount of time it has taken to obtain support for certain groups.
“I think the traditional farmers are trying to seek a way to get into the legal market. And there are a number of things involved, including costs. And I know that the CLA has been working on what they call a transitional arrangement, which is in the draft; and we even commented on it. So, what the problem is, is that we have not seen that [the draft arrangement] come to fruition.
“But also, they should note that there are a number of things available to small farmers, like deferment of certain fees and so on, in order to encourage them. But this transitional arrangement was meant for them to get into the market and transit them into getting a license of their own. It’s a work in progress, you will obviously have to find out from the CLA where they have reached with that, but it has been very slow in coming and there are many challenges within the industry.”
The importation of ganja is permitted under Part II Section 4 of the Dangerous Drugs Act, with the caveat that the importation license may only be given to the holder of a current cultivator’s license, processing license, retail license, or research and development license by the CLA.
According to the legislation, an import permit may also be provided to a government agency or institution with proper accreditation that has been given permission by the Authority to conduct analyses on marijuana to guarantee product safety and adherence to national and international quality standards.
