Not only catering to local demand, Kaya,

Jamaica’s first medical marijuana company, officially became an exporter of

cannabis oils to The Cayman Islands – completing its first shipment on Wednesday

(Feb. 5).

Speaking with BUZZ, Chief Ganja Officer (CGO) Balram Vaswani said the shipment, one of three orders by Blue Water Medical Supplies which is based in Grand Cayman, comprises Cannabidiol (CBD) oil and full spectrum oil for sublingual assumption.

As explained by Vaswani, “protocol

regulating international trade in cannabis extracts and tinctures of cannabis

products, oils and tinctures are allowed for legal consumption in Cayman with a

prescription, however, no cultivation or production are permitted on the island”.

Quoting the Law Relating to Narcotic Drugs (1961),

as amended by the 1972 protocol, the Kaya CGO further disclosed that all

products must be imported with the approval of the Chief Medical Officer.

Vaswani told BUZZ that Kaya Extracts had been in conversation with relevant parties in the Cayman Islands for the last two years, and, hopes to offer the UK dependency more products based on its needs.

“This export consists CBD Oil and Full Spectrum Oil for Sublingual Assumption. However, as the market evolves there, we hope to offer other extracts based on the requirements of their industry,” he said.

Kaya Extracts is also eyeing an expansion into

markets in Barbados and Trinidad by the third quarter of 2020.

Additionally, Vaswani explained that Kaya

has secured a major import permit from Zimbabwe, to supply that country with “seeds

for a breeding programme”.

Having entered the Jamaican market in 2018,

Kaya currently operates a marijuana farm in St Ann and three herb houses – Drax

Hall, Falmouth and most recently Kingston.

When asked about Kaya’s expansion, Vaswani noted

that based on its current trajectory the company could commence exports to

Germany if it meets its Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification

guidelines as stipulated by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica.

“Based on each new herb house or Caribbean country we expand to, that determines the continued expansion at our cultivation faculty and [we] are working towards GMP certification at Kaya Extracts so that we can qualify for exports to Germany by the end of the year,” he told BUZZ.

Kaya Extracts, Jamaica’s first, fully

licensed Jamaican medical cannabis company, boasts processing facilities for

products such as marijuana oil, hash, resin, tinctures and topicals.