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Photo above is of Courtney Betty, President and Chief Executive Officer of Timeless Herbal Care.
DENVER, Colorado — Timeless Herbal Care, a Canadian nutraceutical and pharmaceutical company, based in Jamaica, has formed a ground-breaking alliance with Denver-based O.penVAPE, the largest consumer cannabis brand in the US.
The association marks the first time in history an international collaboration has been created to produce cannabis-infused products outside of the United States. The partnership is projected to generate over US$100 million in revenue in the first 10 years.
Timeless Herbal Care, which scientifically produces medical marijuana products, planted the first legal cannabis plant, alongside the Jamaican Minister of Justice, the Hon. Mark J. Golding, on April 20, 2015, on the University of the West Indies campus.
According to Toronto-based lawyer Courtney Betty, President/CEO of Timeless Herbal Care, “Timeless has been there from the very beginning, and we will continue to play a leading role in establishing Jamaica as the medical marijuana hub of the world.”
According to the company’s website, “Timeless Herbal Care is uniquely strategically positioned in Jamaica. This provides us access to cost effective research and development, procurement of raw material, and the legal framework to export internationally”.
In January of this year, it was reported widely by Toronto media outlets that Former Ontario Conservative Premier, Ernie Eves, had joined Timeless as its Chairman of the Board.
At that time he was reported as saying, “Everybody presumes that medical marijuana means sitting around smoking pot and that really isn’t what it’s all about.
“There’s something like over 140 different types of marijuana, which not many people appreciate and different strains are used to treat different conditions and illnesses. I think it could be quite a high-growth area in terms of medicinal use.”
Timeless Herbal Care is well positioned as Jamaica steps “ahead of the curve,” he added.
And it was also reported, in January, that former Liberal premier, Dalton McGuinty, was hired as a senior adviser by business consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers.
On February 24 of this year, the Jamaica government made it legal for residents to carry up to two ounces of marijuana, and grow up to five plants per household.
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, MD, has noted the importance of marijuana tourism, based on its success in Colorado.
In 2014, Colorado began sales of cannabis to adults 21 and over. Over the same time period, visits to Colorado increased by 7.4%, 185% greater than the national average, with a total of $18.6 billion dollars (USD) spent in the state.
Jamaica had 2.8 million tourist visits in 2014, representing an increase of 8% year over year. 1.4 million Americans are projected to journey to Jamaica in 2015, with over 28,000 eligible to participate in the newly legal Jamaican medical cannabis program. One of the attractions for travelers is the reciprocity offered in Jamaica for medical marijuana cardholders.
O.penVAPE brings massive consumer reach to the partnership with a combination of advertising and social media touching over 2.2 million consumers.
The partnership with O.penVAPE is projected to generate over 10,000 additional tourist visits per year.
The alliance with Timeless Herbal Care puts a high priority on driving tourism and creating jobs, both of which are vital to the Jamaican economy.
Additionally, a portion of the profits created through sales of medical cannabis will be directed towards non-profits, benefitting education and research in Jamaica.
According to O.penVAPE’s Chief Business Development Officer, Chris Driessen, “We are thrilled to partner with Timeless Herbal Care to usher in the new era of medical cannabis regulation. We are fully committed to helping the Jamaican people monetize one of their most precious natural resources, ganja.”
O.penVAPE is recognised as the leader in cannabis extraction technology in the US, currently operates in nine states, and distributes products through a network of affiliates licensed to sell O.penVAPE cannabis, oil-filled cartridges, vaporizer devices and related products.
