It has been a couple of years since Jamaica’s legislative forces approved a measure allowing patients to have access to medical marijuana. But now the progressive program is finally starting to take shape. The Caribbean island country recently opened its first medical marijuana dispensary — bringing legitimacy to the area’s deep-seated canna culture.
Kaya Farms is now officially up and running, according to a report from the Jamaica Observer. The facility, which is located in St. Ann, is, in some ways, a medical marijuana mega-service, featuring several different facets of cannabis wellness, including the Kaya Herbhouse, Kaya Spa, Kaya Café and Kaya Tours. It’s an endeavor that many believe will boost the local economy and, God willing, resurrect the spirit of the Jamaican Dream that some of the islanders claim has been hanging by a thread.
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“It has been an arduous journey for all involved in making this dream a reality. We cannot forget the Indians who brought the plant, the Rastafarians that fought to advocate it, University of Technology, Government officials on both sides and corporate Jamaica that have all helped to steer this through the political landscape,” said chairman and chief ganja officer, Balram Vaswani.
“It is an exciting step for me and the country as we move forward to build an industry which I am sure that we be side by side the Canadians, British and the United States. I’m sure as Jamaican farmers we can compete internationally as ganja becomes a commodity,” Vaswani added.
Although some reports surfaced last month suggesting that Jamaica was selling medical and recreational marijuana to tourists, this claim is untrue. The Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) recently issued a statement saying, we “would like to further reiterate the fact that all licences granted are for medicinal purposes only and not for recreational.”
This means anyone wishing to purchase cannabis from the Kaya facility must first have a recomedation from a doctor. But this aspect of obtaining legal weed while in Jamaica is not exactly a major snag.
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Similar to the set up back when California was medical marijuana only state, where anyone with a headache could get certified, Kaya has a doctor on site to provide potential patients with the documentation necessary to relish in the reefer without being forced into the black market. The facility is even equipped with a “smoking room,” so patrons can consume their cannabis purchases without ever leaving the farm.
The scene is much different than the medical marijuana programs in the United States. Both locals and non-Jamaican citizens (18 and older) can purchase up to two ounces of medical marijuana.
