• The war on drugs breeds crafty traffickers

    It is as though we have had a decades-long policy of selectively breeding supertraffickers and ensuring the “survival of the fittest”
    The New York Times (US)
    Monday, March 26, 2018

    Politicians often escalate drug war rhetoric to show voters that they are doing something. But it is rare to ignore generations of lessons as President Trump did earlier this month when he announced his support for the execution of drug traffickers. This idea is insane. But the war on drugs has never made any sense to begin with. Executing a few individual smugglers will do little to stop others because there is no high command of the international drug trade to target, no generals who can order a coordinated surrender of farmers, traffickers, money launderers, dealers or users. The Donald Trump of 2018 should take a lesson from the Donald Trump of 1990 when he said: “We are losing badly the war on drugs. You have to legalize drugs to win that war.”

  • Solving the Dutch pot paradox: Legal to buy, but not to grow

    “Right now, you are allowed to buy the milk, but you can’t know anything about the cow”
    The New York Times (US)
    Sunday, March 25, 2018

    In the Netherlands it is illegal to grow more than five cannabis plants for recreational use in what has long been seen as Europe’s marijuana capital. And the Dutch national police actively seek out and shut down hundreds of operations a year. While licensed coffee shops have the right to sell small amounts of recreational cannabis and hash to buyers older than 18, they have to rely on the black market to acquire their wares in bulk. The government is taking steps to address the situation. It has proposed a pilot program to explore the effects of legalizing. “To make the system logical again is to also tolerate the production of the cannabis,” said Paul Depla, the mayor of Breda and an outspoken proponent of legalization. (See also: )

  • Cannabis: le parlement veut expérimenter

    Le Conseil des Etats souhaite modifier la loi sur les stupéfiants. Le but: permettre des projets pilotes de vente de cannabis
    Tribune de Génève (Suisse)
    Vendredi, 23 mars 2018

    Des projets pilotes de distribution de cannabis devraient pouvoir être menés en la Suisse. Le Parlement maintient la pression après un premier niet fédéral. Une commission du Conseil des Etats a soutenu une initiative de son homologue du National. Le Conseil fédéral est prêt à revoir la réglementation. En novembre dernier, l'Office fédéral de la santé publique (OFSP) a refusé d'autoriser une étude scientifique de l'Université de Berne sur les effets de la régularisation de la vente de cannabis sur les consommateurs et sur le trafic de stupéfiants à Berne. D'autres villes comme Genève, Zurich, Bâle ou Bienne avaient manifesté leur intérêt pour cette expérience.

  • If cannabis is getting stronger, why aren't cases of schizophrenia rising?

    It remains contested whether a cause-and-effect relationship between smoking cannabis and schizophrenia truly exists
    The Conversation (UK)
    Friday, March 23, 2018

    Most people who smoke pot enjoy it, but a smaller proportion experience psychotic-like symptoms, such as feeling suspicious or paranoid. The question that polarises researchers is whether smoking cannabis is associated with a risk of developing psychotic problems, such as schizophrenia, in the long term. Of course, cannabis use is common, while schizophrenia is relatively rare, affecting less than one per cent of the population. Even if cannabis use were to double the risk, over 98% of cannabis users would not develop schizophrenia. Researchers have to tread carefully in evaluating the evidence and avoiding scaremongering. (See also: How we could make cannabis safer for users)

  • Norway's drug policies 'could set example for rest of the world'

    Drug policy in the Scandinavian country is no longer a criminal matter but one of public health
    The Independent (UK)
    Thursday, March 22, 2018

    Norwaynorway’s drug laws could be an example for the rest of the world, leading healthcare and police figures from around the world have said. Drug policy in the Scandinavian country is no longer a criminal matter but one of public health - a move that has been widely praised by experts. Now 20 international policymakers and stakeholders from 10 countries have outlined a number of further reforms to ensure the policy platform can work as an even better template for other countries to follow. In a joint letter sent to Norway’s health minister, Bent Høie, they provide a number of suggestions to minimise the stain of drug use on society.

  • “Belgian cannabis policy is failing”

    Time for a new Belgian cannabis policy?
    The Brussels Times (Belgium)
    Thursday, March 22, 2018

    Violence and health problems are on the rise: according to figures produced by 15 scientists, the current Belgian cannabis policy is having harmful consequences for society. Researchers from the University of Leuven (KUL) and the University of Ghent reviewed Belgium’s cannabis policy. In their report Time for a New Belgian Policy on Cannabis? they conclude that the implementation of this policy has worthy motives, but it has failed in its main objectives. Letizia Paoli, a lecturer in Criminology and the Coordinator of the Working Group on the Cannabis Policy, based at KUL, said, “The number of drug-dependent users is increasing, as are the negative consequences for society.” (See also: Antwerp among top three EU cities with drugs in wastewater)

  • Government's cannabis bill faces live-or-die vote in Senate today

    Upper house could throw wrench in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan for full legalization by summer
    CBC News (Canada)
    Thursday, March 22, 2018

    The government's cannabis bill faces outright defeat in the Senate if it can't secure enough support from members of the Red Chamber. According to an agreed timetable, senators will hold a vote at second reading of the bill today. If the opposition Tories cobble together enough votes to defeat C-45, the legislation would be effectively dead — meaning the government would have to restart the entire legislative process in the House. If that happens, a summer timeline for legalization becomes much less likely. (See alsdo: Senate gives approval in principle to bill to legalize recreational marijuana | Trudeau government avoids defeat on key pot bill vote)

  • Kava circles keeping young males away from alcohol and gangs, researcher says

    Kava circles also help bridge the communication gap between generations
    Manukau Courier (New Zealand)
    Thursday, March 22, 2018

    A narcotic beverage from the Pacific Islands is being used to counter prejudices about people who use drugs. "Kava is our culture. We lose kava, we lose our culture," Edmond Fehoko says. There is a lot of research on kava from health, agricultural and medicinal perspectives, but "no one has explored the social, cultural importance of it", Fehoko says. Born in New Zealand, of Tongan heritage, Fehoko went to his first kava circle at 14. Now he's trying to change the view that kava circles aren't a "waste of time," but a space for cultural affirmation. "There about 50 to 100 kava clubs in South Auckland alone. In Auckland, you're looking at almost 20,000 kava drinkers a weekend."

  • Trump calls for death penalties for drug dealers as focus of opioids plan

    Trump’s policy rollout focuses on punishment for dealers and traffickers but doesn’t propose new legislation to combat the crisis
    The Guardian (UK)
    Monday, March 19, 2018

    Donald Trump called for some drug dealers to receive the death penalty in a new opioids policy rollout. “We’re wasting our time if we don’t get tough with drug dealers, and that toughness includes the death penalty,” he said. Some states already charge drug dealers with murder if customers overdose. Drug-induced homicide laws, which emerged in the 1980s, are being used more frequently because of the opioids crisis, according to a November 2017 report by the Drug Policy Alliance. However, there is no evidence that such laws reduce drug use. (See also: Trump’s proposal to execute drug dealers has some fearing people of color will be harmed most | Jeff Sessions’s memo asking federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for drug traffickers)

  • Mexicans are buying legal weed in California, reversing a century-long trend of drug smuggling

    The changing flow of America's marijuana trade signals a shift in Mexico's overall attitude towards cannabis
    Merry Jane (US)
    Sunday, March 18, 2018

    mexico borderDuring the past century of cannabis prohibition, a steady flow of illegal marijuana has been smuggled across the border from Mexican farms to American stoners. But as increasing numbers of U.S. states are legalizing cannabis, the flow of Mexican weed to the States has begun to slow, and is now even reversing, thanks to middle-class Mexican citizens who are crossing the border to sample some of California's premium pot. Medical and recreational cannabis dispensaries in San Diego and other nearby cities have reported seeing more and more Mexican citizens traveling to check out their wares.

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