Medical cannabis company Jacana, its eyes firmly set on becoming an “oasis” in New Kingston, officially opened a new store in the business district last weekend.

Located in the newly refurbished New Kingston Business Centre on Grenada Crescent, the store offers more than 20 strains of “high-quality organic cannabis and wellness products” synonymous with the Jacana brand.

“Jacana definitely wanted a footprint in the heart of Kingston, and New Kingston has always been known for the hustling, bustling…the energy centre of business and night life and entertainment. We found that this location in the New Kingston Business Centre was a perfect fit for us and our objectives and goals. The place is beautiful…it’s been renovated and the flow is great. We thought that was a great fit for the brand,” Jacana’s Vice-President Marketing & New Business Development Kevin Bourke told the Jamaica Observer on Saturday.

“We want to be a cultural hub in New Kingston. People can come and chill out and get their organically grown medicine, whether that’s CBD (cannabidiol) from our wellness line, or cannabis or vapes depending on what the preference is. We’re really excited to be here and we have some excited stuff coming,” Bourke added.

Launched in 2018, Jacana is a global medical cannabis company, which states that it utilises the power of nature to “transform lives” by cultivating, developing, and distributing certified medical cannabis internationally.

At the core of Jacana, Bourke added, is a deep value for quality, nature, heritage, sustainability and community.

The New Kingston location brings to three the number of boutique stores operated by Jacana, the others being in Upper Manor Park Plaza on Constant Spring Road and Portmore Town Centre in St Catherine.

Kwame Hall, managing director of Jacana who was also at the launch, told the Observer that the expansion is “purely beneficial” to the cannabis industry and Jamaica at large.

“The way I think about this industry is the more, the merrier. Being a new industry, competition, at least the way we view it, isn’t typically competition in other markets where you’re just gobbling a market share from each other. It really is quite a large industry,” he said.

“It’s just that it’s an industry that has been in the dark for so long. And now, there are people that are actually coming over into the regulated space and it’s in everybody’s best interest to ensure that patients in Jamaica have access to safe, high-quality medicinal cannabis. Here in New Kingston, we’re looking to tap into that corporate client base into the cannabis space,” added Hall.

Meanwhile, Bourke said people responded very well to the first two locations and the same is expected in New Kingston.

“The feedback has been great. Portmore is an epicentre within itself. It’s like another country… it’s a bustling pace and we found our footprint there. We also have future ones coming out on the north coast, which we will keep as a secret for now. We’re the premium cannabis in Jamaica and we want to continue that path and allow Jamaica to fly that flag globally,” he said, emphasising that the company’s CBD products have already entered the global market.

“We have some exciting stuff with some strategic partnerships globally, but it’s all for Jamaica to fly the proud flag of being the leader in cannabis and CBD globally.”

Hall touted the advocacy of influencers, especially those in the entertainment industry who have been championing the cause and underscoring necessity of the herb which, he believes, has been unjustly scrutinised over the years.

“The data will bare this out and time will bare this out… we believe we are the number one cannabis brand in Jamaica, and aspire to be a global brand. It’s just complete validation to see such long-time cannabis advocates align with a premium cannabis brand like ours,” said Hall.

Added Bourke: “We have a lot of advocates with the brand Jacana. The fraternity is wide, and we have a lot from the entertainment industry. Jesse Royal is our brand strategist, and we work closely with Jesse to get the message across. He’s more than a brand ambassador, he’s a strategist. Massive inroads have been met globally about what cannabis does. You can’t really doubt science. Through all of that, and because it is becoming legal in more jurisdictions globally, people are really logging on.

“We are positioned very well because our products are super premium and we take our work seriously. We have GMP labs, we are all organic and right here in Jamaica, so the investment was made so that we can be a real global player. We’re playing our part and being responsible about it and it’s still educational. You have to educate every customer that comes in the store. We’re committed to educating and it’s always good to keep the net wide for potential customers of Jacana moving forward.”