By: Barrie Quappé MPA, RN, BSN – Consultant/Director:
The recent CanEx Cannabis Investment Summit was information on a platter, for the taking. Started by the Founder of CanEx, Douglas K. Gordon of Jamaica, he welcomed attendees by being very clear that this is an exciting new industry and urged that all involved are law abiding and ‘above-board’. He also cautioned that if any new Cannabis industry partners were tempted to “take short-cuts” to NOT go there because it would set this very promising new, legitimate, job creating industry way back and people have fought hard and long to bring it out in the open.
Likening the Cannabis industry as a fast-moving train, speakers at this conference urged investors to jump on right away, or you will miss this incredible, fast-growing new industry. They also noted that the Caribbean climate is the best climate for these plants and various speakers told of their investment in this fledgling industry, their properties, partners and products. It was a tell-all and see all (in power point – no products, sorry). Most of the speakers are based out of Jamaica but they work with global countries such as Italy.
A very interesting panelist was Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor/Strategist for the Government of Jamaica who showcased Jamaica’s Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA), which is an agency under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries whom were charged with establishing and regulating this new, legal ganja and hemp industry for Jamaica. It is a great source for other governments who don’t want to re-create the wheel and certainly Mr. Seiveright noted that they have learned lessons and revised as needed. Their website can be found here.
Several of Caymanian business owners were in attendance and as one of them put it, they attended with the goal of ‘learning’. Another wanted to see if there were any potential synergies with their current business.
I was enlightened as to the number of ‘healing’ products and those were made of the CBD only and not THC. One such company was Zimmer & Co. and their excellent speaker was their CEO Ms. T’Shura Gibbs. T’Shura did strongly recommend that anyone entering the industry must be very cautious. “Google me”, she suggested, saying that there are still persons of poor character and you must rule them out immediately. Here is a link to their website.
I was left with the impression that this possibly is a new industry but it would have to be entered into with careful research and government controls.
If these products can ease a patient’s burden naturally, I am all for it.
In 2016, the Cayman Island Government approved the use of medical cannabis oil but Mr. Prentice Panton, who was the only panelist from Cayman, noted his company had brought in CBD products, after the passage of this law and then the product had been ‘taken away’ by a government agency.
Perhaps Cayman is still figuring out how to regulate this industry. I was moved when another speaker, Wayne Isaacs, CEO of Green Stripe Naturals, noted how his farmers in Jamaica were experts at growing these plants and his company has brought them out of the shadows to work in a legitimate industry.
Something for Cayman to consider?