The Jamaica Cannabis Licensing Association, CLS, is urging on the government to immediately impose a temporary ban on all cannabis importation.
The Chairman of the Association, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, is further calling on the government to use the period to talk with the industry and other stakeholders to formulate an appropriate policy on the issue.
The former Police Commissioner says the Cannabis Licensing Authority, CLA’s claim of being unaware of the restriction that Canada has placed on commercial importation of cannabis from any state, defies credibility.
He says the Authority, in its recent response, skillfully avoided the use of the word ‘commercial’, which would define the purpose for which 140 kilograms or almost 309 pounds of cannabis would be imported.
According to Rear Admiral Lewin, the nine export authorisations into Canada were related to samples of Jamaican products that were sent for testing, not for sale in the Canadian market.
Mr. Lewin says the CLA has not received any requests for permits to export to Canada since 2020, because in the case of samples for testing, most tests are done here.
He says in the case of commercial quantities, Canada will not issue an import permit to a licensed producer in Canada.
