Bill To Encourage Development Of New Varieties Of Cannabis

The Government is seeking to encourage the development of new varieties of cannabis, under the New Plant Varieties (Rights of Breeders) Bill being developed by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, said consequent on the decriminalisation of cannabis in Jamaica and other jurisdictions, “we recognise that there is an urgent need for a legal framework that incentivises the development of new varieties of the plant locally and by Jamaican individuals and organisations”.

“Public and private plant breeders and researchers in Jamaica will be able to exploit the relatively low technological barrier needed to qualify for plant breeders’ rights. Over time, as new cannabis varieties stabilise and growers increasingly move away from cloning and more into breeding new varieties, the [plant variety protection] system will be pivotal for [safeguarding] seed-propagated cultivars,” the Minister added.

He was speaking during the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) webinar on ‘Plant Variety Protection and the Cannabis Industry’, on Thursday (February 24).

Senator Hill pointed out that cannabis contains more than 100 different chemicals, known as cannabinoids, noting that proprietary varieties of the plant are highly valued in the global industry.

“The Government, therefore, takes seriously the opportunities that exist nationally and globally for expansion of plant breeding in cannabis and other plant varieties,” he added.

Senator Hill advised that Jamaica, through JIPO, for which he has portfolio responsibility, has done considerable capacity-building work with the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) over several years, in preparation for the sui generis plant variety protection system.

UPOV treaties adopt a sui generis system of protection, which is unique to, or of its own kind, especially tailored to the needs of plant breeders.

The Minister indicated that UPOV’s Secretariat and Council have reviewed Jamaica’s draft law and confirmed that it is consistent with the organisation’s Convention.

Senator Hill thanked JIPO and UPOV’s Secretariat and Council for their commitment and support to Jamaica in providing technical assistance “to this point of achievement”.

“We look forward to continued cooperation and support from UPOV in the Ministry’s implementation of the new law and wish to assure JIPO, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and UPOV of the continued commitment of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce in this very developmental initiative,” he added.

UPOV administers an international system of intellectual property rights that protects plant breeders’ rights and encourages innovation in agriculture through the development of new varieties of plants.