Jamaica is looking to take one more step towards becoming a major player in the global cannabis market.
Per Cannabis Wire
Wednesday, regulators announced one of the most significant revisions of cannabis cultivation and processing rules since the legalization of medical cannabis in Jamaica in 2015.
Specifically, the country’s Bureau of Standards released new rules governing cannabis for medical, scientific and therapeutic uses, to align with guidelines established by ASTM International, a standards organization. Until now, Jamaica’s quality control standards were largely nonexistent, and farmers primarily relied on traditional cultivation methods that fall short of rigorous quality control standards found in other cannabis markets.
The move, which is a part of a wider revamp of cannabis regulations led by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, aims to bring international best practices to its local cannabis industry in order to facilitate greater market access via exports.
“While we are a locally-based industry, we are globally focused,” said Floyd Green, the Minister of State in the Ministry. “We are focused on exporting our cannabis flower and cannabis products to the entire world. We are quite clear that for us to have a seamless system of exports, people must be assured that the cannabis that is grown here and the products produced here are safe and are of the highest standards.”