• Legalisation of cannabis 'only solution to crime and addiction problems'

    Report by Adam Smith Institute says UK’s drug strategy 'has failed in its core aims' and urges government to legalise cannabis
    The Guardian (UK)
    Monday, November 21, 2016

    Cannabis should be legalised in the UK, according to a report that has the backing of several cross-party MPs including the former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. Current cannabis policy in Britain is a "messy patchwork" of legislation intermittently enforced by regional police and an embarrassment, says the report by the free-market thinktank the Adam Smith Institute. The government must recognise that legalising the Class B drug is the "only workable solution to the problems of crime and addiction in the UK and modernise and legalise", the report says. (See also: Cannabis legalisation 'could raise £1bn a year for UK')

  • Turning weed to wine, helping Bekaa farmers go straight

    Hashish is widespread in the valley with many relying on it for their livelihood
    The Daily Star (Lebanon)
    Saturday, November 19, 2016

    lebanon cannabis grapesHashish cultivation is widespread in the Bekaa Valley with many relying on the illegal crop for their livelihoods. In an attempt to curb the illicit trade, the Lebanese authorities periodically raid the area to destroy the crops and arrest its producers. Many think the hashish business is easy and profitable, but this is untrue. In the dry land of the Bekaa Valley, hashish plantations are an alluring option for many in the poor, often lawless region. While police raids have not been frequent since the onset of the war in Syria, the price drop that followed the closure of the border means the business is still difficult. While authorities have repeatedly pledged to help farmers find an alternative source of income to hashish, to this day the Coteaux d’Heliopolis Cooperative remains the only one providing a credible solution.

  • Paiboon stands by delisting pot, krathom plan

    Controlling the use of krathom requires cooperation from the authorities who can educate people to prevent abuse
    The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
    Saturday, November 19, 2016

    Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya from Thailand is standing firm in his aim to remove krathom and marijuana from the narcotic drugs list and treat them as medicinal herbs. He believes the move is necessary because the government has failed to curb them. Gen Paiboon said the strict law against consuming krathom and marijuana has proved unsuccessful, so it is time to "rewrite the law, making krathom and marijuana herbs". "But the law must make clear a legal way to use them," he said, adding that successfully eradicating these plants will not end drug problems.

  • Deaths involving fentanyl rise as curbing illicit supply proves tough

    Keeping up with the inventive chemists sounds nearly impossible
    NPR (US)
    Friday, November 18, 2016

    To get in front of production, the State Department and a group of U.S. senators asked the United Nations in October to add to the list of tightly controlled substances two key ingredients used to make fentanyl. Clandestine labs across China are the main source of the illegally sold fentanyl. Producers then ship the drug to Mexico, where drug cartels mix it into heroin or press it into tablets that look like prescription pills for anxiety or pain. The powder or pills are delivered to dealers, or directly to users, via the Internet or darknet, an online area used for illegal purchases.

  • Jeff Sessions could reverse years of progress on marijuana policy

    Drug reform advocates have a few concerns about President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general nomination
    The Huffington Post (US)
    Friday, November 18, 2016

    Jeff SessionsPresident-elect Donald Trump has nominated hardline drug policy reform opponent Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to be Attorney General of the United States, a move that sent shockwaves through the marijuana legalization movement. If confirmed, Sessions would sit atop the DOJ, the federal agency that oversees federal prosecutors and enforces federal law on the plant. Trump has said he would respect states’ rights on the issue, but Sessions' track record of opposing marijuana reform is deeply troubling to people who favor progressive drug laws. (See also: Trump’s pick for attorney general: 'Good people don’t smoke marijuana' | Jeff Sessions on marijuana and civil asset forfeiture)

  • The war on drugs has failed: doctors should lead calls for drug policy reform

    Evidence and ethics should inform policies that promote health and respect dignity
    British Medical Journal (BMJ)
    Monday, November 14, 2016

    bmjThree United Nations treaties, the oldest from 1961, seek to "advance the health and welfare of mankind" by prohibiting the non-medical use of some drugs. To this end, countries criminalise producers, traffickers, dealers, and users at an annual cost of at least $100bn. But the effectiveness of prohibition laws must be judged on outcomes. And too often the war on drugs plays out as a war on the millions of people who use drugs, and disproportionately on people who are poor or from ethnic minorities and on women.

  • Berlin likely to semi-legalize marijuana

    Marijuana advocates argue that they're just trying to bring the law in line with reality
    Deutsche Welle (Germany)
    Saturday, November 12, 2016

    hanfparade-berlin-2016bA coalition of political parties in the German capital agreed to push for partial decriminalization of cannabis. The initial effects will be limited. Berlin's Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party agreed to seek a "scientifically monitored pilot project for the controlled distribution of cannabis to adults." The initiative could be a step toward getting marijuana decriminalized. In the past attempts by city districts to legalize pot foundered on the Federal Intoxicants Law, which bans cannabis. The city, which is also one of Germany's 16 federal states, has better chances for success. (See also: Neuer Senat will Cannabis aus Apotheken - nicht aus Coffee-Shops)

  • Marijuana reform went 8 for 9 on the ballot this week

    It could be the tipping point
    The Washington Post (US)
    Thursday, November 10, 2016

    us-21-percent-recreationalMarijuana reform won in eight out of the nine states where it was put on the ballot, the strongest signal to date that the public is ready to embrace change and put the harsh prohibitionist policies behind them. One of the biggest surprises was in Massachusetts where voters approved the measure by a strong 54-46 showing. With the votes in Massachusetts and Maine, reformers have won their first major legalization battles on the east coast. Those victories could set the stage for efforts to legalize marijuana in other New England states via state legislatures. (See also: The opportunities and pitfalls for the legalized marijuana industry)

  • California scrambles to implement new recreational pot law

    Proposition 64, which allows California adults to possess, transport and buy up to an ounce of marijuana, won passage with 56% of the vote
    Los Angeles Times (US)
    Wednesday, November 9, 2016

    Passage of marijuana-legalization initiatives in California and other states this week has given momentum to a national movement to decriminalize pot, but that could change with the election of Republican Donald Trump as president, activists said as state officials scrambled to make the new rules work. The cannabis industry also took stock of the massive market California represents, while police agencies, prosecutors, state regulators and tax collectors took steps on the day after the election to accommodate the new law. (See also: What will happen to your weed under Donald Trump)

  • Marijuana legalization won big on Election Day. It will keep winning

    Marijuana legalization is looking more and more inevitable with every election
    Vox (US)
    Wednesday, November 9, 2016

    In California voters approved legalization. The country’s most populous state and biggest economy will allow people to buy marijuana for recreational use and, most importantly, let for-profit companies come into supply pot. There is a difference between local medical pot shops and the burgeoning marijuana industry that can rise from full legalization. A report from the investment bank Cowen estimated that legalization in California alone will triple the size of the current $6 billion legal pot industry within a decade. Another report from ArcView Market Research estimated that legalization in California would create a $6.5 billion market by 2020.

Page 242 of 471