Local cigarette distributor Carreras Ltd yesterday made it clear that it is not actively considering the introduction of a marijuana cigarette, neither locally nor globally.

The company issued the clarification in response to this week’s Sunday Observer lead story which reported Managing Director Marcus Steele responding to the newspaper’s query as to whether Carreras has any plans to enter the cannabis market if it were to be legalised.

“We are making no assessment of the marketplace, despite the burgeoning local cannabis industry,” Carreras said. “The company will continue to place focus on its core business of marketing and distributing tobacco products, and in other markets, electronic nicotine delivery systems and other potentially reduced risk products, which are actively being developed and distributed by BAT in markets across the region as well as globally.”

BAT (British American Tobacco) is Carreras’ parent company.

Carreras reiterated that its principal concern is “the threat of the illicit trade in cigarettes that is not only fuelling the scourge of organised crime in Jamaica, but continues to rob the Government of billions of dollars in revenues”.