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MONTEGO BAY, St James - In a push to position Jamaica to profit from the lucrative psychedelics industry, CanEx Jamaica will be staging the inaugural CanEx Psychedelics Summit, sponsored by Silo Wellness and Ridgetop Lighting at the Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort and Spa here between July 15 and 16.
The summit brings together some of the brightest minds over two days, with psychedelics industry experts including Bruce Linton, chair of the Advisory Board of Red Light Holland Corporation, and chief executive officer of Cybin Corporation, Doug Drysdale, delivering keynotes.
St Vincent and the Grenadine's Minister of Agriculture Sabato Caesar and Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture Floyd Green will also share insight on the burgeoning psychedelics industry which is predicted to reach US$10.75 billion in value by 2027.
Other presenters scheduled for the summit include Dr Winston De La Haye, who will deliver a presentation entitled 'Psychedelics, the New Frontier in Psychiatry'; Dr Lorenzo Gordon, vice dean, Caribbean School of Medical Sciences; Dr Cliff Riley, COO of New Leaf Canada; Tesla La Touche, CEO of Aphrodite Health; and Global Drug Policy Analyst, Sara Brittany Somerset, among others.
"It is important to us to host this first psychedelic event in Jamaica, which is the only place in the western hemisphere where psychedelics are not illegal. There are many companies looking to establish a footprint here to do more research and develop the industry and we want to see more individuals and enterprises participating and benefitting from the anticipated benefits of the industry," Douglas K Gordon, founder of CanEx, told the Jamaica Observer.
Gordon explained that psychedelics have been shown to be important in the treatment of mental health.
"We're hosting this event because we want to connect thought leaders from government to industry. We look at the participation holistically, from indigenous cultures and practitioners, to the business, scientific and medical communities, they all play a role and impact the potential of the psychedelic industry. We see Jamaica having a real important opportunity to play an important role in the development of this whole industry."
He also explained that psychedelics include psilocybin (also known as magic mushrooms), LSD, ayahuasca, ibogaine and DMT amongst the different compounds, which "basically help to rewire the neural pathways in the brain."
"The research is very promising to show psychedelics effectiveness in helping people with clinical mental diagnoses, all the way through to folks suffering with anxiety or PTSD and other forms of trauma. In truth and in fact, we all have been impacted by traumas of different types, it could be sexual abuse as a child, it could be parental abuse, it could be a bad relationship that has affected you, a bad career choice that set you back; these things are built up in us over time, and they impact the way that we think, they impact the way that we act and what psychedelics allow us to do is to reinterpret the trauma so that it no longer impacts us the same way. They help us on the path to being our best versions of ourselves," Gordon stated.
Gordon is hopeful that the psychedelic summit will eventually emulate the success of CanEx Jamaica Business Conference and Expo, which will be hosting its fifth globally recognised cannabis conference come September.
"Mushrooms are of the soil, they're organic, they're natural compounds just like cannabis. So when you're looking at it from a more expanded perspective, you realise that the Earth has a lot more capacity to help us heal ourselves than most of us have ever appreciated. Through CanEx we want to facilitate the transfer and the broadening of education around the incredible power of natural, plant-based medicines. That's what cannabis is, that's what mushrooms are, and that's what's important for us to understand. The Earth holds a lot of potential to help us to heal ourselves and we need to make better use of those," he underscored.
Gordon, who is also CEO of Silo Wellness Inc, a Canada-based leading global psychedelics company, which recently announced the launch of Marley One, the first global functional and psychedelic mushroom consumer brand, in collaboration with the family of legendary musician Bob Marley.
The initial product offering includes a range of five functional mushroom tinctures with unique blends highlighting the brand's connection to Jamaica, including species such as cordyceps, lion's mane, chaga, reishi and turkey tail that offer a range of unique health and wellness benefits, from immunity and gut health to cognitive function and sleep enhancement, a news release from Silo Wellness revealed.
Silo has partnered with the family of the late reggae pioneer Bob Marley to launch Marley One, a functional mushroom line - tinctures incorporating mushrooms such as lion's mane, chaga, and reishi - while eyeing an eventual, legal, psychedelic product.
"As a family, we seek to use our platform to inspire positive change, and the launch of the Marley One mushroom brand, in collaboration with a pioneering company like Silo Wellness, allows us to do just that by marrying ancient wisdom with modern science," said Cedella Marley, CEO of Bob Marley Group of Companies in a prepared statement.
"It's our wish that these products will empower people to experience oneness with nature and the universe at large, and ultimately, achieve greater self-actualisation."