THE Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) is upbeat about the future of Jamaica’s legal ganja industry which has grown significantly since introduced just over 10 year ago.

The CLA recently reported a 63 per cent increase in the value of the industry in 2025 to $10 billion, compared to 2024 when it was at $6.2 billion and its Chief Executive Officer Farrah Blake told the latest Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange that this was not by chance.

According to Blake, the CLA has been working towards the growth by preparing the farmers with practices and guidelines that have helped to reduce significant crop loss, while making changes to the regulations to widen access for small-scale farmers and strengthen the country’s participation in the global market.

Blake also noted that Jamaica’s brand as a world leader in the cultivation of the plant could have contributed to the growth.

“Jamaica is world-renowned for ganja, we have a presence everywhere as far as ganja is concerned. There is a feeling that quite a bit of our tourists come to Jamaica expecting to have a ganja experience. If it is that we have the ability to impart that experience legally, then we will find a solution,” said Blake.

She underscored that the CLA is now on a drive to get more farmers licensed and that should lead to further growth in the industry.

Blake pointed to the ongoing islandwide road shows which forms part of initiatives the CLA has embarked on to attract traditional small ganja farmers to the legal industry.

The road shows are designed to expand participation in the sector as well as to guide applicants and promote the Cultivator’s Transitional Special Permit Programme, which provides a phased pathway for traditional cannabis farmers to transition into the regulated industry while working toward full licensing compliance; and the Special Community Permit Programme, which enables groups of small-scale farmers and growers from traditional cultivation communities to participate collectively in the regulated sector through a simplified and more accessible framework.

Blake said the road shows are a source of education for the public and an opportunity for officials of the CLA to meet face-to-face with people who want to enter the regulated industry.

“If there’s assistance needed to complete the forms, we’re there to do that. If there’s assistance needed to determine whether or not these farming programmes are for you, we can give that advice. We can also give advice about the existing licensing products that we have,” Blake told Observer editors and reporters.

The CLA was formed in 2015 after the amendment of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which created regulations to guide the development of an orderly legal ganja and hemp industry in Jamaica, for the use of the plant and its by-products for medical, therapeutic and scientific purposes.

Amendments to the regulations were introduced in April to build on the regulatory framework.

“To respond to evolving global trends and the need for a more inclusive and efficient regulatory environment, amendments to the previously created interim regulations became necessary. Through stakeholder discussion — meaning suggestions, criticism, problem identification — a number of changes were identified that would aim to modernise the legislative framework, streamlining processes, and introducing measures to expand participation while maintaining Jamaica’s adherence to international obligations,” Blake said then.

At present the CLA has registered 110 retailers across the island and it expects that number to grow with recent changes to the entry requirements.

Director of licensing and applications at the CLA Walter Melbourne told the Monday Exchange that a sharp reduction in the application fee from US$3,000 to US$150 is one of the measures implemented to make it easier for traditional ganja farmers to enter the formal sector.

“There is no more payment needed once you have qualified. And then we will basically hold your hand until you reach a state where you can make the transition into the regular programme. So in a sense, the amendment to the regulation, in 2026 is actually creating a pathway for the small man,” said Melbourne.

He argued that the CLA’s inclusive nature is reflected in its willingness to support those who may have the technical expertise of cultivating ganja but lack the academic skills to register for the appropriate licences on their own.

Chief executive officer of the Cannabis Licensing Authority Farrah
Blake addressing the latest Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.
(Photo: Joseph Wellington)