Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, speaking at the virtual launch of the Cannabis Standards hosted by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, under the theme ‘Empowering the Cannabis Industry Through Standards’, at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) has developed and established seven standards for adaptation, which will provide guidelines and safeguards to protect consumers as well as assist companies with positioning their operations for the export market.

The BSJ, an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries developed the standards as part of efforts to strengthen and support the cannabis industry in Jamaica.

Addressing the virtual launch of the Cannabis Standards on July 15, Minister of State in the Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green, said the standards are an indication of the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the relevant polices and legislative frameworks are in place to facilitate the safeguarding of both stakeholders and consumers.

Mr. Green also commended the work that the Bureau has put in to have the standards promulgated.
“I am very pleased that the Bureau in the development of these standards really took an all-inclusive and all-encompassing approach. I have to commend a really strong technical committee, made up of academia, members from the Bureau, growers, licensees and a wide cross section of players in the cannabis industry that were brought together and who were seized with the urgency of now. They really worked around the clock to ensure that we have these strong standards,” he said.
Minister Green pointed out that Jamaica prides itself of not only being the first in the region to embark on a formal medicinal cannabis industry but is continuing to lead the region in developing standards of this nature.
He informed that globally, the cannabis industry is still in its growth phase and as such these international standards will build on the small body of work already achieved and, will help to drive further development of standards across this very important industry.
“For us as Government, this is a part of building a strong resilient medicinal cannabis industry. Not only an industry that operates here in Jamaica but is global in its focus and outreach. We believe that we not only have the best cannabis in the world but that we also have the capacity, the capability and the talent to develop the medicinal products that the world needs right now,” he continued.
Mr. Green further stated that the global research in the benefits and use of the cannabis plant has propelled an increased rise in global demand for which Jamaica is uniquely positioned to meet the world’s demand by developing one of the greatest assets of our agricultural industry, which is Jamaican-grown ganja.
“We are focused on exporting our cannabis and cannabis products to the entire world. We are quite clear that in order for us to have a seamless system of exports, people must be assured that the cannabis that is grown here and its products are safe and are of the highest standards. Hence, these standards that we are now introducing are aligned to the global best practices,” Mr. Green added.
The Standards are:
• JCP 6: 2020 Jamaican Standard Code of Practice for Processing and handling of cannabis for medical, scientific and therapeutic use.
• JCP 7: 2020 Jamaican Standard Code of Practice for the Cultivation of cannabis for medical, scientific and therapeutic use.
• JS 347: 2020 Jamaican Standard Guide for the Packaging and labeling of consumer resin medical cannabis products.
• JS ASTM D8196-18: 2019 Jamaican Standard Practice for Determination of Water Activity (aw) in Cannabis Flower.
• JS ASTM D8219-19: 2019 Jamaican Standard Guide for Cleaning and Disinfection.
• JS ASTM D8245-19: 2019 Jamaican Standard Guide for the Disposal of Resin-Cannabis Raw Materials and Downstream Products.
• JS ASTM D8250-19: 2019 Jamaican Standard Practice for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems for Cannabis Consumable Products.
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