Jamaica To Help Small Farmers Enter The Cannabis Industry

Jamaica is making it easier for its small business owners and farmers to enter the cannabis industry.

The Cannabis Licensing Authority of Jamaica (CLA) announced in late June that its special permit policy is in an advance stage of completion and consultations with interested parties have begun.

The goal of the CLA is to lower industry barriers by granting a “low-cost” two-year cultivation permit to small farmers in order to help them transition to licensed growers.

For the special permit, the CLA is proposing that all fees will be fifty percent (50%) less than the current fee for a cultivator’s (Tier 1) licence.

For example, the cost of the permit would be $1,000 as opposed to $2,000.00, which is the current cost for a Tier 1 cultivator’s licence (1 acre or less).

The policy also proposes that the applicant for the Special Permit can still apply for and benefit from a waiver, deferment or a payment plan if he or she is still experiencing challenges in paying the reduced fees.

In addition, special permit holders are allowed variations to the existing infrastructural requirements.

Jamaica Licenced Cannabis Association (JLCA) president Hardley Lewin stated that the policy “is a great leap forward."

“We all need to work together," Lewin said. "It is one space, one industry.”

CLA chief financial officer Lincoln Allen also praised the policy.

"Trust, commitment and a shared vision are key to building this industry," Allen said. “In the same way that it takes a village to raise a child, it requires an entire country to build an industry."

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