2 months ago
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Jamaica’s largest pharmacy chain, Fontana, is now selling magic mushroom products but remains silent on whether it will also be expanding into medical marijuana, or cannabis.
Psychedelic mushrooms are unregulated but not prohibited in Jamaica, while the retailing of medical ganja is also legal but policed, the latter substance having long been decriminalised, with the first dispensary emerging in Ocho Rios over six years ago.
The mushroom products at Fontana are available in the form of chocolates, capsules, and vegan gummies. They are sold behind the counter, so shoppers won’t see the products on display.
“It is only sold at the pharmacy, and ID must be presented to purchase. Our teams were extensively trained on the products and the process to sell them,” said Anne Chang, CEO of Fontana Limited.
“So, the display doesn’t have the product,” she said. “You have to be 18 to purchase with proper ID.”
The company has been selling the products for a few months at all of its seven locations, Chang said.
The supplier is a local company called Patoo, which says its products are compliant with the requirements of both the Bureau of Standards Jamaica and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Mushrooms exist in a sort of grey area that requires no licensing. The psychedelic product, which contains a property called psilocybin, has long been on offer in Jamaica, mainly as a therapeutic or wellness remedy. Mushroom products are also sold through retail channels, including cannabis dispensaries.
When asked about plans to expand its offerings to sell cannabis, which would require Fontana to be licensed by the Cannabis Licensing Authority, Chang was non-committal.
“We are always exploring our options,” she said.
As for the current arrangement regarding the magic mushroom products, Chang said they agreed to the placement of the product as Patoo’s branding and company ethos aligned with Fontana’s.
“They came with a very clear plan and strategy,” she said.
The Patoo brand is held by Fractal Journeys Limited, which in turn is owned by Jamaica-based Rose Hill Health Holdings Limited.
Patoo is a small outfit with five staff and an advisory team, co-founder Kevin Bourke said in an interview with the Financial Gleaner.
The deal with Fontana offers reach into a wider consumer base for wellness solutions, according to Bourke, who is also the head of marketing for Patoo.
Fontana is Jamaica’s largest pharmacy chain with outlets in Kingston, Mandeville, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Portmore and Savanna-la-Mar. The chain generated $6 billion in revenue over nine months ending March 2024, from which it made $510 million in profit.
It has become the first major pharmacy in the country to distribute legal psychedelic products, but selling only Patoo-branded mushrooms at this point in time.
“Jamaica has evolved into a sanctuary for those pursuing inner healing,” Bourke said in a press release, adding that Patoo’s products provide “alternative plant-based remedies” for consumers.
Fontana’s Chief Operating Officer Ray Therrien similarly noted that the psilocybin-infused products “provide safe and effective plant-based alternatives for wellness”, while noting that Fontana was “excited to make these groundbreaking solutions accessible across Jamaica”.
Bourke said the mushroom industry is growing, although its size remains unknown. The company also exports its products, and continues to focus on research and development.
“Jamaica is the nucleus of our business,” said Bourke.
“We also have a location in Oregon, USA, where it (psilocybin) recently became legal. While we are looking to expand we are still a Jamaican company,” he added.
Patoo is self-funded but remains open to equity or debt investments.
“Our energy is open to having strategic partners. It is an emerging industry, but we are open,” Bourke said.
The company earns from the sale of its branded products along with wellness retreats, where visitors hold sessions with trained practitioners.
Patoo products are available through more than 30 retailers in Jamaica, including legal dispensaries, resorts and wellness retreats. Bourke would not comment on the price range, but calls to retailers indicate that a Patoo chocolate bar generally sells for $6,500.
Jamaica is one of the few countries globally where the cultivation, sale, and consumption of psychedelic mushrooms are legal, Patoo stated in the press release.
The company, which started in 2018, is one of the most recognised mushroom brands on the island, even as Canada-based cannabis entities vie to enter the space.
Patoo’s co-founders include Bourke, who is a former director of KLE Group, and Charles Lazarus, a member of the reggae band Roots Underground. Both serve as inaugural advisers on the Jamaica Psilocybin Mushroom Industry Technical Committee that falls under the Bureau of Standards.
There are plans in progress to standardise the mushroom sector. A report to that effect is expected to emerge out of a working group that was set up late last year by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.
Additionally, the University of the West Indies has been spearheading research on the mental health and wellness effects of Jamaica’s psilocybin mushrooms since 2021. In February of this year, UWI said its Faculty of Science & Technology had made “promising discoveries” and was preparing to disseminate the findings of the research.
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