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In Malta, confusion over cannabis law after doctor arrested for drug dealing
Under the new legislation the possession of up to seven grams of cannabis is completely decriminalised for adults aged 18 and over
Euronews (Europe)
Thursday, March 24, 2022Malta
has been rocked by the arrest of a local doctor, Andrew Agius, for distributing cannabis mere months after the island became the first in Europe to legalise the drug. Agius, 43, was arrested on March 10 and charged with drug trafficking for importing cannabis and selling it to his patients to relieve back pain. His lawyers have argued that the product contains a small amount of THC, the active content in cannabis, and is not a prohibited drug. The arrest has thrown into confusion Malta’s much-vaunted legalisation of cannabis, with NGOs and police unsure about what is illegal and what isn’t. On 14 December 2021, the Maltese parliament passed the controversial “Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis” Bill, with 36 votes in favour and 27 against. -
How the Netherlands became a global cocaine hub
The surge in trafficking through the Port of Rotterdam has coincided with spectacular violence
The Nation (US)
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
While the scale of the discovery was shocking, the fact of it was not. The number of cocaine seizures in Europe has been rising steadily, quadrupling between 2009 and 2019. With these hauls representing a fraction of what is actually being trafficked, Europe has become the “epicenter of the global cocaine trade”. Most of these shipments go through Antwerp and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which boast two of the continent’s largest ports. (Antwerp became the main cocaine hub after Rotterdam started tightening security, but an estimated 80 percent of Belgium-bound cocaine still ends up in the hands of Dutch traffickers.) For criminal groups, the ports’ world-class transportation infrastructure makes servicing the nearly 500-million-person European Union market as convenient for them as app-based delivery services are for their customers. -
Bipartisan Congressional lawmakers want Biden to push UN to end international marijuana ban
The measure also calls on U.S. officials to press the UN to “expunge and forgive penalties relating to cannabis for prior offenders"
Marijuana Moment (US)
Friday, March 18, 2022
A bipartisan duo of congressional lawmakers filed a resolution on Friday imploring President Joe Biden to wield his influence to get the United Nations (UN) to end the international ban on marijuana by removing the plant from the list of controlled substances in a global drug treaty. Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the measure as UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) wrapped up meetings for its 65th session this week in Vienna. CND in 2020 adopted a proposal to delete cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention, but it currently remains in Schedule I, precluding member nations from legalizing the plant. -
Cannabis law still reflects discriminatory practices: Andrew Bonello
Parts of the new law continue to reflect discriminatory practices of the past and replicates injustices and suffering for people who consume cannabis
Malta Today (Malta)
Thursday, March 17, 2022
The reform enacted by the Maltese government in 2021 Act No. LXVI to establish the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis and to amend various laws relating to certain cannabis activities, included strong provisions to safeguard public health, human rights, respect for personal freedoms and autonomy. Nonetheless, parts of the new law in Malta, including the de facto implementation of the law, continue to reflect discriminatory practices of the past and replicates injustices and suffering for people who consume cannabis. Unfortunately, the law has totally ignored the negative effects caused by criminalisation and continues to promote a stigmatised approach. (See also: Cannabis lobby slams 'regressive' Labour manifesto) -
Where do Indian bhang shops get their legal cannabis from?
The road to getting customers their government-approved high is fairly complicated
Vice (India)
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Shops selling bhang, have to obtain and frequently renew their licence from the local excise department before selling it in various forms, the most popular being the thandai. This is made by boiling a mixture of milk, sugar, poppy seeds, pepper, ginger, cloves, cardamom, almonds, pistachios, nutmeg, and rosebuds with bhang. For the government-licensed bhang shops, obtaining the raw material in the form of crushed leaves and stems is a rather straightforward process. The cultivation-distribution-sale chain is also not uniform in all the states. The NDPS Act allows states to formulate their own policies on distribution and cultivation, while steering clear of what is explicitly prohibited by the law. -
Politicians across parties propose 5-year cannabis pilot in Denmark
The program would allow domestic production and state-controlled retail
Mugglehead (Canada)
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Danish officials across five political parties have proposed a plan for an adult-use cannabis pilot similar to a program proposed in its capital city. Earlier this month, the proposal was presented in Danish Parliament instructing the government to start legislative work that will result in a bill that legalizes cannabis for five years. According to submitted documentation, that bill will look like one put forth in Copenhagen with sales at state-controlled outlets, and it’s legal for citizens to buy, possess, grow and consume cannabis for personal use. The proposed scheme would set up public outlets in municipalities wishing to join the program. Production would be legalized, and take place domestically in Denmark. -
L’avenir de la culture du cannabis sous les projecteurs à Tanger
Les centres et les instituts de recherche, et les universités sont appelés à s’engager à conserver les graines de cannabis
Maroc diplomatique (Maroc)
Lundi, 14 mars 2022
L’avenir de la culture du cannabis et sa relation avec le développement territorial a été sous les projecteurs, samedi à Tanger, lors d’un colloque international organisé par la revue Tidighin des recherches amazighes et développement. Les intervenants à cette rencontre, organisée en collaboration avec le transnational institute (TNI), sous le thème « Quel avenir durable pour les producteurs du cannabis au Maroc après la promulgation de la loi 13-21 relative aux usages licites du cannabis?« , ont souligné que le Maroc, à travers la promulgation d’une loi régissant les usages licites du cannabis, parie sur l’avenir et donne l’opportunité aux régions concernées et à leurs habitants de s’engager dans un processus de développement global. -
Herzog, Sa'ar call on convicted cannabis users to request clemency
The President and Justice Minister are working to decriminalize the personal use of cannabis and make it an administrative offense as part of a broader push to reform Israel's penal system
The Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Israelis who have been convicted for possessing or using cannabis for personal purposes were called upon to submit a request to have their criminal record erased, President Isaac Herzog and Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced. The call came after on February 9 a proposal was put forward to amend the Administrative Rules and Order law such that possessing or using cannabis will be designated as an administrative offense and will not warrant the opening of a criminal record. The clemency process in Israel requires that a person who wishes to erase his criminal record submit a request with the Justice Ministry, which then prepares a file and recommendation for the President to decide upon. -
Morocco ratifies decree to start legal cannabis industry
The decree authorizes the issuing of licenses in several Moroccan regions where it is legal to cultivate cannabis, as well as monitoring and regulating its production
Morocco World News (Morocco)
Friday, March 4, 2022
Morocco has ratified the legislative changes required to start the country’s promising domestic legal cannabis industry for medical and export purposes. The prospect of legalizing Moroccan cannabis products has long captivated investors in the rapidly growing global Cannabis industry, given Morocco’s historic reputation for quality cannabis production. Given Morocco’s various free trade agreements and expertise in cultivating the plant, the decree aims to move large parts of the illicit cannabis market out of the shadows, and into the spotlight of international investors and consumers. -
Ganja lobby turns heat on Gov’t in defence of small farmers
The 2015 passage of legislation had spurred “enthusiastic expectation for an inclusive ganja industry to be built from the ground up”, but that sentiment has given way to a sense of betrayal
The Gleaner (Jamaica)
Friday, February 25, 2022
The Ganja Growers and Producers Association Jamaica (GGPAJ) has called for an immediate two-year incentive programme for marijuana cultivators, especially for small, traditional, Rastafarian and indigenous farmers, many of whom have been excluded from the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA)-regulated industry. Richard Crawford, president of the GGPAJ, made the call at the seventh anniversary of the approval of the Dangerous Drugs Amendment Act. "It is is socially, morally, culturally and economically wrong that those persons constituting the small and traditional ganja cultivators.. who were hounded, beaten, prosecuted, arrested, convicted, criminalised for growing ganja.. are being left behind."
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