Rub the leaf and inhale the fragrance, Michaelus Tracey is saying. The musky scent of this cannabis plant is distinctly different from the citrusy aroma of another that he is also holding.
To the untrained eye, the neat rows of flowering cannabis crops in front of us are indistinguishable from each other. Yet master cultivator Tracey can identify the separate varieties by their smell and the shape of their leaves.
Nine strains are being grown here at Pineapple Road, a farm deep in the countryside on the Caribbean island of Antigua. The warm temperatures, abundant sunshine, and high humidity make this prime territory for growing the plants. Intense trials were conducted to produce the various strains, Tracey explains. "We wanted different flavour profiles as well as different effects, but all with a medicinal value - something to help you relax, something to give you more energy, more pain relief, less anxiety."
Last year marked a decade since Jamaica decriminalised the recreational use of cannabis and legalised its production and sale for medical reasons. Several other Caribbean nations, including the twin island country Antigua and Barbuda in 2018, have since followed suit.
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