Development of marijuana industry being blocked - says former PM

Patterson, a former Prime Minister of Jamaica has slammed the country's current government for bureaucratic hurdles, that remain in the way of establishing medical ganja and hemp industries.
 
Patterson, who was speaking late Wednesday at the launch of  eight new medicinal products made from marijuana, said he was annoyed at efforts to block the development of the industry.     

“In a case that has come to my attention where there was an attempt to lodge a document pertaining to this matter in one of our ministries and the person who took it was told that it can’t be lodged in the absence of  a meeting with a senior technical officer who would not be available until early next year.  That simply can’t cut it, let’s get serious, either we want production or we want beaurucratic blockages, both cannot co-exist," he said.

The former Prime Minister said efforts to delay the development of  a medical ganja industry in Jamaica, will result in the country losing its competitive edge with the product.
     
He said the current market for medical ganja in the U.S. which is US$2.5 could reach over J$8 billion in two years.
    
In the meantime,  Patterson said the legislation needed to facilitate a ganja industry, must be passed with haste, even if  it means Parliamentarians meeting twice weekly.
 
Minister of  Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Phillip Paulwell, in response, vowed to lead the charge to change what he referred to as dated marijuana laws.

Paulwell promised to be the main advocate in Cabinet to get the approval to move ahead on the new statute, and get it to the House as soon as possible.