• The Chitta economy: How the business of drugs works in Punjab

    The distribution networks could be patronised by not only rogue police personnel but also influential politicians
    The Economic Times (India)
    Saturday, September 1, 2018

    In the last few years, while the business and economy in the state kept sliding, the drugs trade flourished. With addicts turning peddlers and several reports of political patronage to the drugs trade, chitta became a veritable business in Punjab. The business of drugs sprawls from the poppy fields of Afghanistan to the farms of rural Punjab and drawing rooms of Ludhiana and Chandigarh, involving a vast variety of actors such as the unemployed rural youth, urban rich brats, spoilt college girls, bored housewives and even cops. Punjab's drug problem is not restricted to the typical demographic of unemployed youth. It is rampant across divides such as class, gender, age and geography. No wonder, the Punjab government recently ordered all its employees to undergo drug tests.

  • Canopy Growth CEO: We're not the Amazon or Google of pot yet, but we want to be

    Canopy Growth is well ahead of its rivals in becoming the leading brand in legal marijuana
    CNBC (Canada)
    Friday, August 31, 2018

    Canopy GrowthBruce Linton CEO Bruce Linton told CNBC Friday the cannabis company is well ahead of its rivals in becoming the leading brand in legal marijuana but still needs to improve. "When I need to find information, I use Google. When I think about web services, I use Amazon," said Linton, whose Canada-based company has partnered with names such as Snoop Dogg and alcohol leader Constellation Brands. "There's going to be a dominate leading company and we are not that yet," Linton added in an interview. Marijuana stocks have been booming as investors await the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada in October. (See also: Canopy CEO sees bigger potential for pot in medicine than booze)

  • Gandhi’s plea to legalise soft drugs gains support

    The MP had sought an amendment to the NDPS Act and pushed for a debate on the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill
    The Tribune (India)
    Thursday, August 30, 2018

    MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi’s demand for legalising soft drugs, including poppy husk, opium and marijuana, is gaining ground. Earlier, the idea was endorsed by a few scholars, including economist Dr SS Johl and former Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Dr SS Gill. Three farmers’ organisations — BKU (Lakhowal), Khushal Kisan Welfare Society and Unnat Kissan Welfare Society — and some truck unions have held several public meetings in support of legalisation of these drugs. Dr Gandhi wants cultivation to be government-regulated. He said it could be started on village common land instead of farmers’ own land. (See also: Patiala MP urges farmers to disobey government to cultivate poppy)

  • Inside the Trump administration’s secret war on weed

    The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee wants to counteract positive marijuana messages and identify problems with state legalization initiatives
    BuzzFeed News (US)
    Wednesday, August 29, 2018

    The White House has secretly amassed a committee of federal agencies from across the government to combat public support for marijuana and cast state legalization measures in a negative light, while attempting to portray the drug as a national threat, according to interviews with agency staff and documents obtained by BuzzFeed News. The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, as it’s named in White House memos and emails, instructed 14 federal agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration this month to submit “data demonstrating the most significant negative trends” about marijuana and the “threats” it poses to the country. (See also: Here's why Trump can't beat pot)

  • Brain scans show how cannabis extract may help people with psychosis

    Cannabidiol reduces the brain activity linked to hallucinations, delusions and other forms of psychosis, research has found
    The Guardian (UK)
    Wednesday, August 29, 2018

    Brain scans have revealed for the first time how a substance found in cannabis plants may help people with psychotic disorders by dampening down abnormal brain activity that arises in the patients. A single dose of cannabidiol, an non-intoxicating extract of the plant, reduced unusual patterns of neural behaviour linked to hallucinations, delusions, and other symptoms of psychosis, researchers found. The impact of the substance has raised hopes that medical preparations of pure cannabidiol, or new drugs based on the compound, may be turned into effective treatments for young people who develop psychosis but do not respond to existing therapies.

  • Canada approves roadside saliva test for cannabis that doesn't measure impairment

    If someone has THC in their system and isn't high, they could still be prosecuted under Bill C-46
    The Georgia Straight (Canada)
    Tuesday, August 28, 2018

    The federal government says that "combatting impaired driving is a top priority". But today, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould approved a roadside cannabis test that doesn't measure impairment, yet will still lead to criminal charges against motorists. The Dräger DrugTest 5000 reader works with the Dräger DrugTest 5000 STK-CA (collection kit) to detect the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, and methamphetamine. It does this with a saliva test, which will be administered by law-enforcement officers. Vancouver lawyer Sarah Leamon questioned the effectiveness of the Dräger DrugTest 5000 in assessing impairment.

  • New study suggests schizophrenia might actually lead to cannabis use

    Not just the other way around
    Vice (Australia)
    Tuesday, August 28, 2018

    The notion that weed and schizophrenia are somehow related is by now a “water is wet” kind of non-statement. Scientists have been telling us for years that bongs aren’t good for the brain, and that heavy cannabis use—especially among adolescents—increases the risk of developing a psychotic disorder. But new research indicates our understanding of the relationship might have been one-sided. Because schizophrenia, in fact, may be contributing to your desire to get high. A study, published in Nature Neuroscience, states from the outset that “Cannabis use is a heritable trait that has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes.” (See also: Scientists identify 35 genes associated with cannabis use)

  • City launches consultation on four designated cannabis consumption sites

    Festivals and events in Calgary may also apply to provide a designated cannabis consumption area, similar to a beer garden
    Calgary Herald (Canada)
    Monday, August 27, 2018

    With Canada-wide cannabis legalization less than two months away, city hall wants to know how Calgarians feel about four areas it’s proposing as designated spots where people would be able smoke pot in public. If approved by council, the four areas would be exempt from the city’s Cannabis Consumption Bylaw regulations, which prohibit smoking, vaping and eating marijuana products in public. The city will launch a public engagement process on Monday and provide the locations of the proposed sites. The proposal to allow designated pot zones was approved by council in late June, following concerns that a blanket public ban on cannabis use would leave those living in non-smoking multi-family dwellings with no place to consume the drug, which becomes legal on Oct. 17.

  • Lebanese cannabis farmers hope legalisation may bring amnesty

    For now, there is little likelihood of a rapid move towards legalisation
    Reuters (UK)
    Monday, August 27, 2018

    The contrast between the vibrant green of a cannabis field and the arid land nearby in Lebanon's Bekaa valley has for years raised a dilemma for the area's impoverished farmers. Cannabis is hardier, less thirsty and cheaper to grow than the region's other main crops like apples and potatoes, but it is also illegal - for now. Parliament will consider legalising its growth for medicinal use, but in the Bekaa, some people are unconvinced there will be a meaningful change. "It is like giving a dog a bone because people are hungry and can't bear it any more," said a cannabis farmer. "But whether they legalize it or not, the most important thing is to give an amnesty," he said. Farmers face prison terms of five years. (See also: How good is Lebanese cannabis? Scientists seek herbal remedies)

  • Netherlands ‘market leader’ in production and trade synthetic drugs

    The Netherlands should also talk to China which is the source of most of the chemicals used in the production of synthetic drugs
    Dutch News (Netherlands)
    Monday, August 27, 2018

    The Netherlands is world leader in the production and trading of synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and amphetamines, with total turnover up to 2017 estimated at €18.9bn, according to a report by the Dutch police academy. The estimate is conservative and the real amount is likely to be ‘many times higher’, with the national turnover of synthetic drugs thought to be between €3bn to €5bn. Good infrastructure and a central geographical position make the Netherlands a good place to base both legal and illegal business. (See also: Dutch ecstasy, amphetamine production among world's largest | Much less ecstasy used (and produced?) in the Netherlands than recent report suggests | Dutch drugs gangs are moving into crystal meth, police say)

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