Jamaica Launches First Medical Ganja Firm

A Jamaican scientist hopes the birthplace of Bob Marley can also spawn a thriving medical marijuana industry. Medicinal chemistry expert Henry Lowe has launched a venture called MediCanja, which aims to create and export health products derived from Jamaica's famous marijuana, which is illegal but widely consumed on the island, Reuters reports. Lowe, who plans to focus on isolating medicinal compounds in the plant, believes finding a legal use for the crop known locally as ganja could transform Jamaica's struggling economy. "Given Jamaica's history with ganja, we could be the hub for medical ganja in Latin America and the Caribbean," he says. (More Jamaica stories.)