KINGSTON, Jamaica — Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Karl Samuda, says the Government and the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) will not be pushed into making hasty decisions on the licensing of entities to grow the drug for medical use.

Samuda said the Government promotes research of marijuana and he would work with Energy Minister Andrew Wheatley to seek to process applications more quickly.

However, emphasising that his ministry had responsibility for the cannabis industry, Samuda said the Government would not violate regulations out of haste.

The minister, in his Sectoral Debate contribution this afternoon, said as of May the CLA had received 212 applications from 86 applicants, two of which had been withdrawn.

He said 26 conditional approval letters had been issued and 70 applications were awaiting documents and the payment of application fees.

Samuda said two tier one licences had been granted, one for processing and the other for cultivation of marijuana.

Yakum Fitz-Henley