JAMAICA | PNP wants Auditor General to Examine Cannabis Authority's (CLA) Hiring Practices

KINGSTON Jamaica. August 9, 2024: The People's National Party (PNP) is calling on the Auditor General to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into public complaints and concerns raised by staff members of the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) regarding the alleged hiring practices within the agency.

In a statement today, Opposition Spokesman on Investment, Trade, and Global Logistics, Anthony Hylton,  notes that reports suggest individuals are being hired based on political affiliation rather than qualifications, leading to the abandonment of established human resource policies, including a committee dedicated to vetting employment applications.

Hylton highlighted public and staff concerns as evidence of mismanagement within the agency, which was established in 2015 for the development of the cannabis industry.

Hylton emphasised that, “the alleged dismantling of the guardrails set up to ensure integrity in the hiring, promotion, and separation of staff members opens the possibility of the agency being captured by individuals without the necessary credentials to manage a sensitive body such as the CLA, which is charged with enforcement responsibilities.”

He further stated that "the loosening of hiring and retention oversight at the CLA comes against the background of earlier attempts by the parent ministry to permit the importation of cannabis or its extract from Canada for questionable purposes”. He said this raised the question of the administration’s commitment to developing the industry locally.

The Opposition Spokesman said the PNP is concerned that the ongoing public controversies surrounding the CLA have exposed dubious human resource practices and compromised corporate governance frameworks, not only within the CLA but also across multiple agencies under the parent Ministry.

Consequently, the Spokesperson is urging the Auditor General to urgently investigate these allegations and publish the findings at the earliest possible time.

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