CLA reforms widen access to cannabis trade permits

The Cannabis Licensing Authority has made it simpler for ordinary Jamaicans to secure permits to take part in the lawful cannabis trade, according to Delano Seiveright, state minister in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Seiveright spoke at the dedication of the CLA’s offices on Haining Road. He said the Authority recognises ganja’s substantial medicinal, scientific and economic value, and that recent policy changes are opening regulated pathways for more people to enter the sector.

Among those measures are special community permits and transitional special permits. Seiveright said the reforms are broadening lawful options for traditional cultivators and communities while keeping firm regulatory control in place.

Maurice Ellis, president of the Ganja Growers Association, said several of the adjustments match positions the association has pressed for more than a decade. Growers have called for an amnesty and for an alternative development programme so farmers can bring their operations into compliance. Ellis said the government has begun to answer that appeal and to tackle the issue.