First legal Marijuana planted on UWI grounds

By Pedro Forte
ISSA CFN, ISSA SET
It was a tree-planting ceremony with a difference.
This time, the Justice Minister and other officials were on hand for the official tree planting of the first-ever marijuana plant. The ceremony follows the legalization of planting marijuana (under controlled conditions and legal situations) under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015, a recent law which makes way to develop the medicinal marijuana industry. Jamaica stands to gain real economic growth if the science then can lead t exports some onlookers have said.
The first legal cannabis plant was gently planted on the grounds of the University of the West Indies Mona campus. The Government of Jamaica has agreed that the UWI can cultivate marijuana for medical research purposes and “set the pace for the development of a legal cannabis industry.”
Justice Minister Mark Golding also attended the ceremony.
“The university has a fine team of scientists across different scientific disciplines. Now that they can actually cultivate for research purposes, we can expect that the outcomes of the endeavours will be more profound, and with the economic opportunities that this will bring, we see this as part of what, I hope, will be a transformational industry for Jamaica,” he said.
Jamaica’s recent legislative changes include partially decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of medical marijuana.
“I want to know when you start to do the experimentation, and what is found in the plant, we have to start this way, so that we can set the stage for full commercialization,” Science Minister Philip Paulwell said.