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Changing drug use forces cities to come up with new solutions
Switzerland is still far from the nightmare that made the open drug scenes in Zurich famous throughout Europe in the 1990s
Swissinfo (Switzerland)
Wednesday, October 4, 2023Swiss cities
are adapting their drug policies in the face of new forms of drug use. Thirty years after the open drug scene in Zurich, experts say it is time to act. New ways of acting must also be developed because of new types of drugs, according to the organisation Addiction Switzerland. The arrival of ready-to-consume “crack rocks” in Geneva two years ago broke the relative stability of the drug landscape and consumption patterns in that canton, Addiction Switzerland deputy director Frank Zobel said. In addition, drug use in public spaces is on the rise again throughout Switzerland – from Geneva to Basel, Lausanne, Chur and Zurich. Mini-drug scenes are the result. This is related to the very high availability of cocaine. (See also: Geneva struggles with crack-cocaine epidemic) -
Himachal eyes pot of gold under grass
The cannabis plant and its many products, such as hemp, ropes and fabric, were part of hill life before a ban was enforced in the 1980s
Times of India (India)
Sunday, October 1, 2023
For almost 40 years now, cannabis cultivation has been a crime in India. But that has never stopped farmers in parts of Himachal’s Kullu, Chamba, Sirmaur, Shimla, Mandi and Kangra districts. In fact, the premium on quality charas only serves as an incentive for them. But the hush-hush nature of cannabis farming could end if the Himachal government goes through with its plan to legalise the plant for medical and industrial use. The idea isn’t new. In 2018, former Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur had made a similar announcement. But it was only in April this year that the government brought a resolution to the state assembly to legalise cannabis. The panel headed by Himachal revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi tabled its report in the assembly on September 22, and described legalisation as a ‘game-changer’ for the state. -
Genève lance son essai de vente légale de cannabis
L'ouverture d'une "cannabinothèque" est prévue pour décembre à Vernier, dans le canton de Genève
RTS (Suisse)
Vendredi, 29 septembre 2023
L'essai-pilote de vente régulée de cannabis entre dans sa phase concrète dans le canton de Genève. Courant décembre, une boutique spécialisée devrait ouvrir dans le quartier de Châtelaine à Vernier. Le processus de sélection d'un millier de volontaires commence dès ce dimanche 1er octobre. Les personnes intéressées peuvent s'inscrire sur le site de l'association ChanGE. Les critères suivants sont exigés: avoir 18 ans révolus, consommer déjà régulièrement du cannabis, s'engager à participer à des entretiens avec des chercheurs et remplir périodiquement des questionnaires. -
The predatory perils of cannabis legalization in Jamaica
Medicinal marijuana markets present a major economic opportunity for Jamaica. Without steps to combat inequities, traditional ganja growers will be left behind
NACLA Report (US)
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Jamaica revised its ganja laws to build a legal medicinal cannabis industry with the hopes of exporting to the world. Many assumed that Jamaica, and the historically marginalized traditional ganja growers, including the Rastafari, would finally be able to cash in on the green gold rush in an industry one venture capital firm called in 2018 “the most compelling opportunity in the history of capitalism.” Today, it may come as a shock to some that the island infamously associated with prolific cannabis cultivation and consumption reported a shortage in 2021 and recently became an importer of Canadian cannabis. As a result, the most vocal opponents of Jamaica’s cannabis reforms are no longer the police or conservative church congregations, but the traditional growers and Rastafari themselves. How could such a seemingly transformative opportunity “go up in smoke” so quickly? -
Cannabis brain effects study struggles to attract black UK users
Fears findings will represent only white population if too few people of colour take part
The Guardian (UK)
Sunday, September 24, 2023
A major study into the effects of cannabis on the human brain is at risk of being partially thwarted because too few black users have agreed to take part. White people have come forward in large numbers offering to get involved in King’s College London’s £2.5m study of how the drug may contribute to paranoia and psychosis in some users but not others. It is hoped the project will pave the way for wider medicinal use and make illegal recreational use safer. However attempts to recruit black and Asian people who smoke, vape or eat marijuana have been met with suspicion over how data about illegal drug use will be used and distrust of the establishment. -
Potential cannabis associations to receive harm reduction training by next November
In June, it was revealed that 26 groups had applied for cannabis association licences
Malta Today (Malta)
Saturday, September 23, 2023
The Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) will be organising the first training on harm reduction for those Associations which have reached an advanced stage of application to form a 'Cannabis Harm Reduction Association'. This was announced during Malta’s second ministerial conference on the legislation concerning the responsible use of cannabis with representatives from Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic discussed developments related to rules and laws on the use of cannabis that is not for medical or scientific purposes. The Maltese Parliament partially legalised the recreational use of cannabis in December 2021, allowing the possession of up to seven grams of cannabis and the growing of four plants at home. -
Thailand to clamp down on cannabis use in major U-turn on drug policy
Prime minister Srettha Thavisin has said the drug will be for medical use only, adding that problems arising from drug use have been ‘widespread’
The Guardian (UK)
Friday, September 22, 2023
Thailand’s new prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, has said his government will “rectify” its cannabis policy and limit its use to medical purposes within six months. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis after it delisted the marijuana plant as a narcotic last year, leading to a boom of cannabis cafes and weed dispensaries in popular tourist destinations such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya. However, the failure to pass legislation to regulate its use has opened a legal vacuum in the country. Thailand’s new leader, a real estate tycoon who came to power in August, said there has been an agreement among the coalition government about the need to change the law and ban its use for recreation. (See also: Cannabis in Thailand: New PM against recreational use) -
Tilburg, Breda launch legal cannabis trials in December
The wietexperiment was first approved by the senate in 2019 after several years but has since stalled for a variety of reasons
Dutch News (Netherlands)
Friday, September 15, 2023
The Dutch government’s long-awaited legal cannabis experiment will kick off in Tilburg and Breda on December 15 when two licenced growers start supplying the cities’ cannabis cafes, or coffee shops. Health minister Ernst Kuipers said three growers would take part in the first phase of the project, but one will not be ready in time, he told MPs in a briefing. The two cities’ cannabis cafes will be able to continue buying from their current illegal sources in this first phase but that situation will end after six weeks. Then only licenced growers will supply the stores, offering a wide range of different products. In total, 10 producers have been licenced to grow marijuana and produce hashish for the 10 cities taking part. Amsterdam has also applied for coffee shops in the capital’s district of Oost to be included in the project. -
Expecting cannabis boom, New York lays down the rules
The New York Cannabis Control Board approved a package of regulations that included licensing requirements for distributors, dispensaries and others
The New York Times (US)
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Cannabis regulators in New York approved a package of regulations that laid the groundwork for an expansion of the state’s emerging cannabis industry. The rules, approved by the Cannabis Control Board, outline licensing and operation procedures for different types of businesses in the industry, including dispensaries and delivery services. The state legalized marijuana for adults age 21 and up in March 2021. No state besides California draws as much business and consumer interest in cannabis as New York, experts say. And regulators expect applications for thousands of new businesses. The new rules establish requirements for the licensing of eight types of businesses: plant nurseries, cultivators, processors, cooperatives, distributors, dispensaries, delivery services and microbusinesses. -
Marijuana rescheduling falls short of expectations on Biden
Under its current scheduling, marijuana is rated at the most stringent level — as a Schedule I controlled substance — on par with methamphetamines and more severe than fentanyl
The Hill (US)
Friday, September 8, 2023
The Biden administration’s recommendation last week for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reschedule cannabis marked one of its most significant steps related to the president’s ambitious campaign promise to decriminalize cannabis use. But advocates and policy experts say rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) does not address the plethora of racial justice issues caused by current cannabis laws. Moving cannabis to Schedule III means that the federal government acknowledges it has medical uses; it doesn’t change its status as a prohibited substance. Many worry that rescheduling could amount to the Biden administration saying, “OK, we did something and now we’re done.”
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