Growth & Jobs | Local company secures rights for first-ever legal exports of THC to US, Brazil

Local cannabis company Pure Jamaican and its GMP-certified, licensed pharma manufacturer Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals are elevating Jamaica’s role in the global cannabis supply chain by legally exporting proprietary pharmaceutical products with cannabis derived THC, as well as hemp derived CBD and other cannabinoids, to the United States, Brazil and other major international market.

The permissions to export Pure Jamaican pharmaceutical products containing THC to the US were

granted by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health & Wellness (MOHW) to Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals

pursuant to valid corresponding import permits received from the US Drug Enforcement

Administration (DEA), a release outlined.

The products were shipped to a DEA-licensed facility in the US for successful analytical testing.

Once the DEA approves the rescheduling of THC from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 in the US, as is widely anticipated, Seven-10 intends to request DEA permits to ship Pure Jamaican

pharmaceutical THC products from Jamaica to patients in the US, subject to valid doctor

prescriptions and all relevant DEA, FDA and state pharmacy distribution regulations.

Meanwhile, Seven-10 has already begun shipping Pure Jamaican’s Botanicos™ pharmaceutical

tinctures with THC and other cannabinoids directly to patients in Brazil, pursuant to ANVISA

import permits. Together, Brazil and the US represent populations of more than 500 million

people, providing tremendous potential demand.

Scott Cathcart, CEO of Pure Jamaican and Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals said, “This is a proud

moment for Jamaica, and for our group of companies. Jamaica has long been associated with

‘ganja’ but never before in this context as a producer and legal exporter of THC as a

pharmaceutical-grade medicine. As the only company in Jamaica licensed for pharmaceutical

manufacturing of cannabinoids, we are proud to be leading the way to elevating the role of Jamaica

in the global cannabis ecosystem.”

President of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Shullette Cox, noted that “The

growth of the cannabis industry for medicinal purposes has been a priority of the Government of

Jamaica and particularly, the export of value-added products from Jamaica. The success of Pure

Jamaican and Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals is applauded as JAMPRO continues to facilitate the local

medicinal cannabis industry and ensuring its role in driving the growth of exports.”

Dr Ellen Campbell Grizzle, chief regulatory and compliance officer of Pure Jamaican and

Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals, and former dean of the College of Health Sciences, UTech said, “This

is a labour of love and not easy. Jamaica has 52 per cent of the world’s medicinal plants in our small

island nation, and we are very proud to be exploring ways to identify new botanical medicines to

bring health, wellness, new exports and economic growth to our country.”