Sri Lanka will allow cannabis cultivation in its export zones under strict regulations only for export purposes, Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. He said the government had been continuing a process started in 2004 after all the necessary approvals, including from the Cabinet of Ministers, had been granted in the past.
"An institution has been established to start the expansion (of cannabis cultivation) under the Board of Investment (BOI)," Jayatissa, also the island nation's Health Minister, told reporters on Tuesday during the weekly Cabinet media briefing. He said permission is granted for the cultivation under strict safety procedures.
"This is the first time that such a situation has arisen and that the government has given the opportunity for export in this way," he said.
The cultivation will be under the strict regulations of BOI and Department of Ayurveda and they will be allowed only to export. Investors will also have to renew the cultivation licences every six months, Minister Jayatissa said.
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