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Government tight-lipped over UK cannabis law talks
David Burt, the Premier, insisted failure to give Royal Assent to the legislation would “destroy” Bermuda’s relations with Britain
The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
Monday, June 6, 2022
Ministers are refusing to say if there were any breakthroughs on the stand-off with London over the Government’s flagship cannabis legislation during top level talks with a senior British official. Ministers are staying quiet despite the matter leaving Bermuda on the brink of a constitutional crisis. Paul Candler, the Overseas Territories Director at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, visited Bermuda for talks after Rena Lalgie, the Governor, effectively stalled the Cannabis Licensing Act and called for discussions on the matter between Hamilton and Westminster. The Government has been unusually tight-lipped on the issue since the Governor reserved giving Royal Assent to the Bill – a move just short of rejecting it. (See also: Canadian law may signal way out of constitutional impasse) -
Politicians in Copenhagen voted yes to the cannabis pilot project
"For us, the most important thing is that the state can gain control"
Berlingske (Denmark)
Saturday, June 4, 2022
A majority in the Citizens' Representation in Copenhagen voted yes to a proposal for a cannabis pilot project. The politicians voted for the municipality's administration to put together a proposal, which the government must decide on. The idea is to make Copenhagen an experimental city for the legalization of cannabis. There have been attempts to get legalization through for years, but successive governments have said no. Now the idea has again been given the green light. (See also: Today, a new proposal for the legalization of cannabis will be up and running in Copenhagen) -
Morocco’s cannabis regulation agency Is “open for business”
Morocco’s agency in charge of regulating cannabis-related economic activities has begun operations
Morocco World News (Morocco)
Friday, June 3, 2022
Following its first meeting yesterday, Morocco’s cannabis watchdog agency is now officially operational. The agency is set to oversee the cultivation and use of cannabis for medical and commercial purposes. The milestone comes months after the country adopted provisional legislation in 2021 to regulate the cultivation and industrial use of cannabis. Chaired by Morocco’s Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, the agency deliberated on a number of measures relating to the agency’s internal organization including management of its 2022 budget. On the list of the agency’s responsibilities is overseeing activities along the cannabis production chain, starting from acquiring seeds to the marketing and export of cannabis-based products. (See also: Morocco to ensure ‘positive impact’ on legal cannabis growers) -
Decriminalization a good step, but safe supply key: chief coroner
“We have lost far more people to drug toxicity over the COVID pandemic than we have to COVID"
Times Colonist (Canada)
Thursday, June 2, 2022
To stop toxic-drug deaths, governments must provide a safe supply of drugs with the same urgency that they provided people with COVID vaccines, says B.C.’s chief coroner. “We have lost far more people to drug toxicity over the COVID pandemic than we have to COVID,” Lisa Lapointe said. Including the death toll for May, there have been more than 10,000 drug poisoning deaths in B.C. since 2016, when opioid overdoses were declared a public health emergency, she said. While decriminalization alone won’t save lives, said Lapointe, it could when paired with a regulated safe supply of drugs for people dependent on their use. (See also: MPs vote against bill to decriminalize small amounts of drugs across Canada | ‘We are losing a whole generation of Canadians’: Bill to curb toxic drug deaths defeated) -
Rural dagga farmers – the same ones highlighted by Ramaphosa – say they'll be 'criminalised' by new laws
Chief among the group's concerns are the myriad of "arbitrary" limitations on plant size, numbers of plants, and concentrations of cannabinoids
Business Insider (South Africa)
Thursday, June 2, 2022
Traditional cannabis growers in the rural Eastern Cape, the same ones assured of inclusion by President Cyril Ramaphosa, are objecting to proposed laws aimed at regulating the use and possession of the plant. South Africa's cannabis industry received a major boost from the Constitutional Court's 2018 ruling that decriminalised private and personal use of the plant. The landmark ruling has been followed by an uptick in commercial ventures and the development of a Cannabis Master Plan tasked with industrialising the plant, tapping into a R28 billion sector and supporting up to 25,000 jobs. The Umzimvubu Farmers Support Network (UFSN) argues that the Bill, in its current form, would "criminalise the amaMpondo cannabis farmers" and threaten their livelihoods instead of them benefiting from new frameworks. -
NSW Attorney-General proposes $400 fines instead of court for drug possession
The pilot would give police the discretion to issue two $400 infringements, with those penalties waived if users undertook health interventions
news.com.au (Australia)
Thursday, June 2, 2022
NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman has proposed a diversion scheme that would see people caught with drugs hit with a $400 fine instead of being taken to court. The proposal would implement one of the recommendations from the Special Commission of Inquiry into Ice, which released its final report in 2020. Mr Speakman said in March he was “disappointed” his government hadn’t done more to implement the findings of the inquiry, which had cost more than $10 million to produce. “Sadly illicit drug use is widespread in our community – for example statistics suggest that one in seven Australian men in their 20s have used cocaine in the last 12 months. The current approach is clearly not working.” (See also: NSW attorney-general urges drug law pivot) -
Small-scale possession of illicit drugs will be decriminalized in B.C. starting next year: Ottawa
Adults will be able to possess small amounts of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA
CBC News (Canada)
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Adults in British Columbia will be allowed to possess small amounts of some illicit drugs starting next year, the federal government announced — a move that marks a dramatic shift in Canada's drug policy. The federal government says Canadians 18 years of age and older will be able to possess up to a cumulative 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA within British Columbia. The announcement is in response to a request from the province for an exemption from the law criminalizing drug possession. Critics take issue with low threshold amount, delay in implementation and potential for discrimination. (See also: British Columbia will decriminalize drug possession | B.C. decriminalization plan won't do much to stop toxic drug deaths, says chief coroner) -
Cannabis policy changes in Africa are welcome. But small producers are the losers
For state authorities, policy changes are aimed at opening avenues for scarce foreign exchange revenue critically needed to boost stagnating economies
The Conversation (Australia)
Monday, May 30, 2022
Many African states that persecuted citizens for cannabis related offences for years are now promoting legal cannabis production. Over the past five years 10 countries have passed laws to legalise production for medical and scientific purposes. These include Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Ghana, Eswatini, Rwanda and Morocco. South Africa has also legalised the private growing of cannabis plants by adults for their own personal consumption. The cannabis policy liberalisation in Africa has been brought about by two main factors. One is the lobbying by local activists. Cannabis use is still criminalised in most African countries. The other factor is the emergence of the global legal cannabis industry projected to grow to nearly US$200 billion by 2028. -
How the punishment for drugs possession in Norway is changing
Norway's Attorney General recently issued new guidelines for how the authorities should handle drug possession charges
The Local (Norway)
Monday, May 23, 2022
The Attorney General announced updated guidelines for how the police should work with drug possession charges. The Attorney General has said that drug addicts should not be prosecuted for having drugs for personal use. The Supreme Court has said that this advice applies to those found with up to five grams of heroin, amphetamine or cocaine. Lawmakers also say that those caught with “modest exceedance” of this limit should receive a reduced sentence or punishment. The Attorney General has advised that fair exceedance would be a quantity of narcotics of up to ten grams. Three recent rulings in the Supreme Court, which saw three drug addicts handed reduced sentences or no punishment at all for being in possession of drugs, prompted the new guidelines. -
Is Austria set to legalise cannabis use?
A case in the Constitutional Court could bring changes to the ban of cannabis for personal use in the country
The Local (Austria)
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Austria has a very complex system when it comes to its drug laws and regulations, but in short: no, cannabis is not legal in the alpine country. People are not allowed to consume, buy, sell, or grow the plant (growing it at home has some very strange specifications, such as it must never be allowed to bloom). However, since 2016, a person caught with a small quantity of cannabis could face only small charges, similar to traffic violations. The country’s constitutional court is evaluating a private petition by Paul Burger, a 26-year old Viennese. He was caught with a half-burned joint at the end of 2020 by two police officers in plain clothes.
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