The Cannabis Licensing Authority says it is unaware of any restrictions on the importation of Jamaican cannabis into Canada.

It says Canada was the first country to which local authorities requested and received export authorisation, and those have been followed by other export authorisations over the years with nine being granted.

According to the Authority, if Canada refused permits for products from Jamaica, it is not aware of the consignments or the reasons for the refusal, as no request for permits to export to that country has been received since 2020.

It says an export authorisation is only issued to an entity after it has furnished an import authorisation from the receiving country and that authorisation is subsequently verified by Authority as legitimate.

It further says the company to which the import authorisation was granted is registered with the Companies Office of Jamaica, but it did not name the company.

The Cannabis Licensing Authority says the material concern of the local ganja farmers is not the granting of the authorisation for importation, but rather the granting of an authorisation to allow an import from a country, that has been said to have declined to accept imports from Jamaica.