Canadian medical cannabis businesses see increasing opportunity in Jamaica.

Timeless Herbal Care, who are located in Jamaica, have made the first shipment of oil extracted from cannabis plants to Canada. The cannabis oil is to be analytically tested to ensure it is compliant with Health Canada’s safety regulations which includes pesticide restrictions. The testing will be completed by Synfine Research who are an affiliate of Toronto Research Chemicals (TRC). Both Synfine Research and TRC are licensed dealers with Health Canada.

Jamaica isn’t alone – other Caribbean countries have been paying attention to the emerging Global Cannabis Marketplace. Neighboring Cayman Islands has approved medical cannabis imports and sales in 2016. Furthermore, one month after decriminalizing cannabis earlier in 2018, Antigua and Barbuda started drafting legislation to legalize recreational and medical marijuana sales.

All this bodes well for Canadian cannabis companies. Canada is set to legalize cannabis on October 17, 2018 and experts are already predicting a massive shortage of cannabis upon legalization. This is due to the fact that many licensed producers in Canada are behind on production and wont be ready for legalization. Jamaica is a sun drenched island with lush vegetation and ideal conditions for growing cannabis year round. This could really help Canadian cannabis companies catch up supply with demand both locally as well as internationally. Canada is already the leading exporter of cannabis products globally and that could increase further with the help of countries like Jamaica.