ALTHOUGH cannabis imports remain temporarily suspended, Jamaica will eventually have to reopen its market to foreign ganja if it hopes to expand exports, the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) has acknowledged, arguing that reciprocal trade is necessary to foster growth within the industry.

According to Dr Nadeen Spence, chairwoman at the CLA, while the agency understands the importance of first establishing a strong local market for traditional ganja farmers to thrive, true industry growth eventually requires the resumption of foreign imports.

“The important thing to note is that trading operates under the principle of reciprocity. So we can’t expect to always close the markets to people coming in but we want them to open their markets to us. So that is not a sensible trade practice to expect,” said Spence, who was speaking at a Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper’s head office in St Andrew.