The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech., Ja) in partnership with Ganja Labs, LLC, USA have officially broken ground at the site of the first state-of-the art Medical Marijuana Research Grow and Extraction facility located across from the historical silos on the North East of the University’s Papine campus.

It follows UTech, Jamaica’s receipt of a licence on May 14, 2015 to cultivate marijuana for scientific and medical research.

According to Acting President, Prof. Colin Gyles acknowledged the work being done by the University-wide UTech, Jamaica Cannabis Collaborative group in executing the terms of the University’s licence to grow and research the plant for medicinal purposes. He says “with the current global interest in research and commercialization of cannabis and hemp for medicinal, cosmoceutical, nutraceutical and functional foods, UTech, Jamaica intends to improve Jamaica’s capacity to reap the social and economic benefits that are expected to be realized from this nascent industry.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of Ganja Labs, LLC, USA, Balram Vaswani, says the research facility will include laboratories for indoor and traditional outdoor growing conditions for medical marijuana. He says twenty-eight strains will be grown and tested for efficacy in medicinal use – 7 indica, 7 sativa, 7 hybrids, and 7 high CBD strains in the first phase of the pilot project.

Vaswani says small farmers across the island could also benefit from the research at the facility. He says special comparative research and experimentation will be done, including on nutrients and various methods of pharmaceutical extraction.

The first plants will be planted on December 1, 2015 with the first crop expected by March 2016. The second phase will involve tests and extraction at the curing facility.