SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — While a key stakeholder in the cannabis industry continues to call for an amnesty to regularise farmers operating outside the regulated sector, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Senator Aubyn Hill has sounded a cautionary note. He pointed to the complex international legal landscape in explaining his stance on the matter. “I have to remind you all that ganja is a Schedule 1 drug.
It’s the same thing as fentanyl, the same thing as cocaine. It’s in the same category as heroin. It is seen as a bad drug,” the minister stressed.
He was addressing a Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce and Industry meeting at the Hotel Commingle in Savanna-la-Mar on Wednesday. He gave a breakdown on the implications for international trade and travel. “Even today, because it’s a Schedule 1 drug, if you fly in the airspace of the United States, you are illegal.
You see what happened to those guys out there in the sea? That can happen to a ganja plane flying in the airspace of the United States, legally,” warned the minister. He further emphasised that strict compliance with international drug laws is essential to maintaining Jamaica’s standing in global trade.
Hill was responding to questions posed by Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) board member Verald Vassell, better known as Ras Iyah V. The Westmoreland ganja advocate — who served on the CLA board from 2016 to 2021 and returned in 2024 — has consistently pointed to the need for an amnesty to transition illicit farmers into the legal medical cannabis industry. During Wednesday night’s meeting Ras Iyah V highlighted what he said was continued harassment farmers face at the hands of the police.
“As the minister in charge of the CLA, what are the plans? Because I know the regulation has been amended recently. But what are the plans, the road map, and if you can explain how this is going to work?
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