State minister cautions cannabis farmers against permit and investment fraud

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s medicinal cannabis sector is widening, and state officials are telling traditional growers and would-be investors to stay alert to fraud, misleading claims and empty assurances.

Delano Seiveright, state minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, delivered that message on Friday when the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) formally opened its Special Cannabis Permit Road Tour at Newell High School in St Elizabeth.

“As the industry grows, so, too, will misinformation, confusion and people looking to take advantage of others,” said Seiveright.

He said the road tour aims to raise public understanding of how the Special Cannabis Permit works, strengthening openness and drawing more people into lawful roles in the regulated medicinal trade.

Invoking the familiar Jamaican caution “tek sleep and mark death”, he advised cultivators not to trust hearsay, bogus WhatsApp notes, social-media chatter or promoters pitching improbable permit or investment guarantees.

“Before you hand over your money, commit your land or sign documents, verify first. Ask questions. Get the facts directly from the Cannabis Licensing Authority,” he said.

Seiveright said authorities are sending the regulator into local communities so growers can hear reliable guidance in person, grasp how permits are obtained, and escape rumour mills and scam operators.

The island-wide campaign, he added, should brief cultivators, make licensing clearer, and open doors for business start-ups, capital, employment and stronger rural economies. The Government’s aim, he said, is to pull more Jamaicans into the formal economy through a contemporary, tightly supervised medicinal cannabis framework.

He linked the tour to two newly created permit tracks — the Cultivator’s (Transitional) Special Permit and the Special Community Permit — meant to lower entry hurdles and give seasoned growers and organised community groups workable routes into the legal market.

Those changes, Seiveright said, respect the skill of traditional cultivators while helping them move toward full compliance with national rules. Jamaica has issued roughly 200 licences spanning cultivation, retail, processing, transport and research, which he cited as evidence the medicinal cannabis field is maturing.

He also pointed to scope for foreign and local capital, new jobs, a stronger farm sector, more value-added production, higher exports and broader gains for countryside communities.

Seiveright thanked CLA chief executive Farrah Blake and her staff for the tour, and credited Senator Aubyn Hill, minister of industry, investment and commerce, with driving a slate of cannabis policy updates across the finish line.

Beyond the two permit types, the package extends cultivator permit terms, sets a uniform renewal path, covers employee identification, and creates law for cannabis delivery. Officials say the steps should cut needless obstacles, sharpen oversight and widen legal participation without lowering Jamaica’s regulatory bar.

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green, speaking at the same launch, committed his ministry’s full backing.

“Agriculture and medicinal cannabis are natural partners. Our ministry is fully committed to working alongside the Ministry of Industry and the Cannabis Licensing Authority to ensure that our farmers can access these new opportunities, understand the requirements, and participate confidently in the regulated industry,” he said.

After the St Elizabeth start, the CLA Special Cannabis Permit Road Tour will visit other major growing districts islandwide. Staff will outline the fresh permit options, offer technical help, and walk would-be applicants through the statutory process.