Cannabis Licensing Authority begins work on Alternative Development Programme
Among the programme’s stipulations are the tagging of plants under a track and trace mechanism
Friday, April 14, 2017
The Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) has commenced work to implement an Alternative Development Programme (ADP) to include Jamaica’s traditional farmers in the developing ganja industry. The programme aims to prevent and eliminate the illicit cultivation and channel them through legal streams. Hyacinth Lightbourne of the CLA acknowledged the challenges which traditional small farmers encounter in accessing the regulated market. They might be forced to remain in the illicit market due to the exclusionary nature of the regime. "If traditional farmers are excluded, then one of the fundamental reasons for developing this industry would have failed, as the programme is intended to provide a legal alternative for those who traditionally cultivate illicit crops," she said.
