KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) has announced that it will be ready to accept applications for ganja licences for Monday, April 4, 2016.

The regulations that will allow for the granting of licences have now been drafted and are currently being reviewed ahead of finalisation and approval, which is expected in the next two weeks, a news release from the Cannabis Licensing Authority said Monday.

The regulations, according to the release, will immediately allow for the publishing of application forms as well as the furnishing of information to potential licensees on eligibility criteria and the terms and conditions of licences.

“Under the regulations, 11 types of licences across five main categories will be made available to interested persons – cultivator, transportation, processing, retailing, and R&D – ensuring coverage over the entire value chain for the medicinal marijuana industry,” the release stated. “The regulations make special provisions for small farmers, cooperatives, and small-scale processors to participate in the industry with distinct requirements and licensing fee structures in place.

“Residency requirements and local participation in companies have also been included as a critical component of participation in this nascent industry,” the release continued. “Licences will also be available for importation for research under conditions stipulated by the CLA.

The CLA said as a special concession to ensure the participation of small growers in the new industry, it will waive the upfront payment of licensing fees for this category of licensee for the first year of operations.

Once the interim regulations have been agreed, the Authority says it will continue its consultations, including the hosting of a series of town-hall meetings across the island, where it hopes to gather additional information to refine the licensing regime and build-out the full industry management framework that will underpin the emergence of Jamaica’s new, legal ganja industry. With this done, the Authority says it expects to be able to put forward an expanded and more comprehensive set of regulations by May 2016 that will seek to address other areas of the industry.

“We made a commitment to the people of Jamaica that the cannabis industry would be in place by the end of the fiscal year, and we will meet that commitment,” said Dr Andre Gordon, chairman of the CLA.