AACE INTERVIEW: Jimmy Yu of Herbs / Jamaica

Jimmy Yu is the VP of Business Development for Herbs Jamaica, we are envious of his location, one of the best growing climates for cannabis and with a long history in the cannabis community. My first view of the plant was the film “The Harder They Come” with Jimmy Cliff. The film popularized reggae to the mainstream and a new movement began on the mainland for the search for the good herb. Herbs Jamaica respects the past and the rich history that Jamaica has in cannabis and will be providing jobs and commerce to Jamaica to provide to this growing legalized world.

How have your views on cannabis changed?

It's certainly evolved since I joined Herbs in 2017. Prior to entering the industry, I viewed cannabis as purely recreational and one dimensional where consumers only seek the "high" (myself included). Fast forward to today, I see cannabis as this highly misunderstood multidimensional thing with therapeutic, medical, and recreational sides that needs to be explored and studied further.

What was the impetus of that change?

I was fortunate enough to meet cannabis patients and hear about their positive accounts with cannabis as part of their treatment. That really shifted my paradigm on cannabis. I began to see the different layers of positive impact, both emotionally and financially, made on an individual-level with patients themselves, to their families and loved ones on a community-level. That really fired up my passion to keep learning and changing my views on cannabis.

How did you enter the cannabis industry? 

Back in early 2017, I got a text out of the blue from my childhood friend and now-CEO, Anthony, asking if I had any interest in joining the founding team of Herbs Jamaica as a technical adviser utilizing my experience working in industrial production facilities. The following week, I hopped on a plane to Jamaica and started my journey into the cannabis industry where I began meeting local farmers and learned how they mastered growing in their unique micro-climates and their insights on Jamaica's longstanding relationship with cannabis. From that point on, I continued learning everything about cannabis through a combination of self-teaching and mentorship from experienced cannabis professionals and eventually started leading the business development initiatives in Jamaica. Currently, I've been preparing and looking forward to opening our first two stores in Jamaica in early 2020. 

Did you do research into the cannabis before entering?

Yes, I scrubbed YouTube and Google for everything cannabis-related at the beginning, but I really started to understand the plant better once I started cultivating plants of my own. 

How does your family feel about your cannabis businesses?

They have generally been very supportive (understatement). All things considered, they took it pretty well even when I told them I would be leaving to Jamaica to help start a company in a new industry.

What is the most frequent question you are asked about cannabis?

"Are you hiring a product tester?" 

What is your favorite way of ingesting cannabis?

Old fashioned joints! I have to inspect the package, then the flower, smell it, grind it up, and really appreciate the time and effort that went into the product. It’s all part of the ritual.

Where do you see the cannabis industry in five years?

More sustainable. The big elephant in the room with cannabis production is how energy-heavy it can be when grown in fully-indoor facilities. It's estimated that energy spent to produce one single joint is equivalent to 18 pints of beer and for indoor facilities, and roughly 79% of that energy goes to recreate the optimal growing conditions for cannabis such as lighting, humidity/temperature control, and airflow. (Energy Policy 2012, DoE) I suspect we'll see a trend of production being shifted to countries like Jamaica, Thailand and South Africa where producers will leverage their natural climatic advantages to cultivate in a way that's more sustainable and cost-efficient. 

Why do you think some Asians are against cannabis?

It is still viewed as taboo in most Asian communities and that's led to a lot of misunderstanding and stigma surrounding cannabis. I believe as Asian cannabis professionals, we all play an active role in de-stigmatizing and normalizing cannabis use every time we explain a little about what we do to our Asian peers. Also, as legalization rolls out further into Asian countries I suspect that would help a lot with de-stigmatizing cannabis.