A farmer nicknamed Breezy tends marijuana plants growing illegally in Jamaica's central mountain town of Nine Mile in August 2013. (David McFadden, Associated Press file)

Denver pot firm to consult in Jamaica under decriminalization plan

The prospect of decriminalized marijuana in Jamaica has caught the attention of a Denver cannabis consulting firm.

United Cannabis Corp. said it owns a 50 percent stake in the newly created, Jamaica-based Cannabinoid Research & Development Co. Ltd.

United Cannabis officials said the enterprise will seek to “help restore the purity of (Jamaican marijuana) strains and standardize the breeding process.”


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Jamaica has drafted legislation to decriminalize marijuana, a cultural icon of the Caribbean island, even though its use and cultivation is illegal.

“I have visited Jamaica during my 20-year career cultivating medical cannabis, and have long championed their decriminalization of marijuana,” said Earnest Blackmon, CEO of United Cannabis. “With that milestone clearly on the horizon, we formed CRD to formally establish our presence in Jamaica.”

United Cannabis was formed earlier this year under a plan to provide marijuana cultivation consulting services and license its “seed-to-sale” business model.

Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948, sraabe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/steveraabedp


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Jonathan Lamb, left, and Michael Ortiz of Like Minded Productions are shown in front of their mural outside of The Herbal Cure marijuana shop on Tuesday, July 15, 2014. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

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