THE Cannabis Licensing Association (CLA) has authorised its first legal transhipment of cannabis through the country.

This after the green light was given for a consignment of cannabis to be moved through Jamaica from Caricom counterpart St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to Germany. This saw Jamaica serving as a point for transfering cannabis from one vessel to another to facilitate the journey to its final destination.

SVG recently received the requisite import permit from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArm) to legally export drugs to Germany.

This latest exercise sets the stage for Jamaica to become a hub for the transshipment of cannabis for medical purposes.

“The CLA has been facilitating local export of medical cannabis since 2018, so facilitating the transshipment of cannabis from another country is just another service we can offer, and this will be further strengthened on the promulgation of the regulations for import, export, transit, and transshipment,” commented interim chief executive officer (CEO) at the CLA Daenia Ashpole.

Ashpole noted that in recent years, the CLA has issued approximately 113 authorisations for export to local companies in the cannabis industry, some 60 per cent of which were issued last year. She however noted that in accordance with the promulgated regulations for import, export, transit, and transshipment of cannabis, the entity has put in place interim measures to ensure the legal trans-border trade of cannabis.

The CLA, an agency of Government was developed to establish and regulate the local ganja and hemp industry. The body created by the Dangerous Drug Act, has powers to make and enforce regulations for licences, permits and authorisations for the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale and transportation of ganja, for medical, scientific and therapeutic purposes.

Since November 2018, the CLA said that it has given authorisation for local companies to export ganja and hemp buds, seeds, oil/resin, and tinctures. These authorisations have been destined for countries including Canada, Australia, Israel, Zimbabwe, the Cayman Islands, USA, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, and England.

According to chairman of the CLA LeVaughn Flynn, the approval to transship cannabis through the country aligns with vision of the CLA, which seeks to strengthen stakeholder collaboration and drive economic activity.

“The CLA has been coalescing other government and private sector agencies in preparation for the regulations which will promote economic momentum.

“We have been working with the Civil Aviation Authority, Montego Bay Jamaica Airport Ltd, Norman Manley International Airport Ltd, the Jamaica Constabulary Force – Narcotics Division, Airport Police and Canine Division, Jamaica Customs Agency, AJAS Aviation Services, and the Plant Quarantine Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to craft standard operating procedures for the management of import and export of cannabis so that when the regulations are promulgated the processes will already be in place from our end,” Flynn said.