MycoMeditations Joins Business Leaders and Government Health Officials in Jamaican Psilocybin Industry Working Group

CEO Justin Townsend appointed to executive committee on standardization of business practices for the psilocybin sector in Jamaica

TREASURE BEACH, Jamaica, Dec. 18, 2023 MycoMeditations, a world leader in legal psilocybin-assisted therapy retreats, is pleased to announce the inclusion of CEO Justin Townsend in the Jamaican Psilocybin Industry Working Group (JPIWG), a recently announced official body established by Senator the Honourable Aubyn Hill, Minister of Industry Investment and Commerce (MIIC), under the auspices of the Bureau of Standards of Jamaica (BSJ).

"I'm deeply honored on behalf of the MycoMeditations team to be asked to participate in this official working group," said MycoMeditations CEO and Head Facilitator Justin Townsend. "Psilocybin is a fact of life in Jamaica. The formation of this group is a recognition that both retreats and commercial products have become more widely available in recent years and that in order for this growth to have a positive outcome, industry, healthcare professionals, and government will have to coordinate their efforts going forward."

For this growth to have a positive outcome, industry, healthcare professionals, and government will have to coordinate their efforts going forward.

The working group is chaired by Senator Dr. Saphire Longmore, a government Senator and Consultant Psychiatrist who facilitates psilocybin use in her practice. Longmore in 2020 tabled a private members motion in the Senate of Jamaica calling for the standardization of the country's psilocybin industry.

"The Jamaica Psilocybin Industry Working Group is being established to study and understand the production and distribution arrangements, recommend suitable methods to facilitate, enable and encourage the standardization of practices and the growth of the psilocybin industry in the country. Clear consideration must be given to public education and the proper growing, processing and use of the product," says the official statement from the Jamaican Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.

According to the Ministry, the work of the JPIWG will last for a period of up to six months, by which time a full report will be submitted to the MIIC for consideration. Official recommendations will be made to the Cabinet of Jamaica after this period.

As the potential health benefits of psilocybin continue to be recognized and validated by the international research community and efforts to decriminalize and legalize psychedelic substances evolve globally, MycoMeditations looks forward to helping set a new standard for openness and cooperation between industry and health and government officials in advancing these processes.