Epic Cannabis (EPICAN) has been granted two more licences for the processing and retailing of medical ganja.

This follows the one granted on October 18 by the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) to cultivate medical ganja.

The CLA had granted the license to cultivate medical ganja on June 1, 2017 and, after the completion of the internal security process, it enabled the licence to be officially issued on October 18, making the company the first in Jamaica to be able to commercially cultivate medical-grade ganja.

With these three licences in hand, EPICAN will now be the first to be able to go from seed to sale and begin operations at its scalable 43,000-square foot vertically integrated organic cultivation facility.

The company uses proprietary methods that meet international growing standards to produce a wide variety of all-organic, medical-grade Jamaican marijuana strains.

EPICAN was founded in 2015, and is owned and operated by Jamaicans. Its facilities include a 5000-square foot state-of-the-art extraction plant that is able to process and support its own organic cultivation output. These facilities are exclusively for cannabinoid and terpene extraction, identification and formulation for medicinal purposes within the Jamaican market. The sales will take place beginning in early 2018 out of its retail outlets — the first of which is in Kingston — to persons with a medical ganja card.

EPICAN is currently the only company that has the ability to via the licences and its facility, deliver from concept to consumer. This has further solidified its dedication and commitment to the scientific research of medical ganja. The company, founded in 2015, has been studying and identifying indigenous Jamaican strains of cannabis as well as analysing the ratios of cannabinoids and terpene profiles within those plants under an MOU with Jamaica’s Scientific Research Council (SRC).

“We are honoured and privileged for this opportunity to represent Brand Jamaica in this emerging industry and we commend the CLA for the tremendous job they are doing,” said EPICAN Chief Executive Officer Karibe McKenzie. “Because of our vertical integration, we are not only prepared but capable of guaranteeing and delivering products of the highest quality, potency and purity to patients in need of our services.”

EPICAN has also been involved in community events and conferences, including the iconic Rebel Salute — whereby the company showcases its extraction techniques along with the myriad product possibilities — as a part of the event’s Herb Curb. The company also sponsored Jamaica’s first cannabis conference, CanEx Jamaica, where various stakeholders came together for knowledge sharing, seminars, and other discussions, and networking.

McKenzie noted that EPICAN is also excited about sharing knowledge, and to that effect is also working on a small farmer development programme.

“EPICAN isn’t interested in corporatising the growing of medical marijuana. We want to help smaller operations and small farmers get their crops and practices up to par so they will be able to participate in the industry and deliver crops that meet global standards and continue to build on Brand Jamaica,” McKenzie said.

The CLA is still processing over 200 applications to cultivate medical ganja.

Jamaica, long famous for its relationship with ganja, decriminalised small amounts of the herb for personal use and established the CLA to regulate medical cannabis in 2015.