• Lowe wants public sector cooperation on ganja

    Lowe also reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that Jamaicans are clear on the rules of engagement concerning decriminalisation
    Jamaica Observer
    Sunday, March 1, 2015

    Executive Chairman of Medicanja, Dr Henry Lowe, is urging a spirit of cooperation between government ministries and agencies involved in the development of Jamaica's ganja industry, following the passage of the Decriminalisation Bill. He also urged persons to not become party to ganja related "get rich quick schemes and initiatives by unscrupulous individuals" that have, for example, resulted in serious financial loss and embarrassment for several investors in the United States and Canada.

  • Ketamine control plan condemned as potential disaster for world's rural poor

    Repeated Chinese attempts to tighten controls on drug described as ‘David and Goliath struggle’ between poor and rich countries
    The Guardian (UK)
    Friday, February 27, 2015

    A proposal that is about to come before the UN to restrict global access to ketamine, a drug abused in rich countries, would deprive millions of women of lifesaving surgery in poor countries, according to medicines campaigners. Ketamine, known to clubbers by a variety of names including ket, Vitamin K and Special K, is one of the most commonly used anaesthetics in the developing world. As it is injectable, it can be used in rural areas where anaesthetic gases are unavailable.

  • Caribbean leaders form marijuana commission

    Miami Herald (US)
    Friday, February 27, 2015

    Just days after Jamaica became the first Caribbean nation to decriminalize small portions of pot, leaders of the Caribbean Community agreed on the composition of a commission to examine marijuana legalization throughout their 15-member regional bloc. Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie, currently chairman of the group, said members expect the commission to “soon begin its work to look into the economic, health and legal issues surrounding the use of marijuana and to consult with stakeholders to get a view on the issue.” (Caricom Marijuana Commission)

  • Why Canada is no longer a leader in global drug policy

    Access to important innovations is unequal across Canada because of a lack of leadership at the federal level
    Globe and Mail (Canada)
    Friday, February 27, 2015

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s statement about the failures of Canada's drug policy is mostly on point. It’s just the last bit he gets wrong: “I think what everyone believes and agrees with, and to be frank myself, is that the current approach is not working, but it is not clear what we should do.” He’s wrong, because we know what we should do: Supervised injection sites; prescription heroin; medical cannabis dispensaries; crack pipe distribution; drug testing kits; Naloxone for reversing opioid overdose.

  • D66 devises plan to regulate Dutch marijuana production

    Regulating coffee shop supplies would also generate more tax income for the treasury and cut spending on the police and justice ministry
    Dutch News (Netherlands)
    Thursday, February 26, 2015

    Liberal democratic party D66 is introducing draft legislation to regulate the production and sale of marijuana in the Netherlands. D66 has called for regulation of the supply side for years and says this will not only save money but cut health risks to users. The current situation, in which officials turn a blind eye to the sale of small amounts of marijuana in licenced cafes but ban growing, cannot continue. The draft legislation does not legalise the cultivation of marijuana but will allow growers to apply for an exemption to the law under strict conditions.

  • Washington DC legalises marijuana possession and use

    The plan was overwhelmingly agreed in a referendum last November
    BBC News (UK)
    Thursday, February 26, 2015

    Washington DC joins Alaska, Colorado, and Washington state as the only places in the US that allow the use of the drug for recreational purposes. Residents and visitors to the city over the age of 21 can possess as much as 2oz (56g) of cannabis, and may grow a few plants at home. Buying and selling the drug remains illegal, as does smoking it in public. The change has created tension between the city's mayor and Congress. (See also: DC legalises recreational marijuana despite GOP opposition in Congress)

  • D.C. vs. Amsterdam: The Dutch strike back!

    As though being “like Amsterdam” would be a bad thing
    The Washington Post (US)
    Thursday, February 26, 2015

    When Mayor Muriel E. Bowser delivered her legalized marijuana guidelines, she tried to ease concerns of naysayers with promises that there are enough provisions to prevent things from getting out of hand. The District would not become like, gasp, Amsterdam. The Dutch aren’t happy and think the nation’s capital could learn a thing or two from the ostensible pot capital of the world. The Dutch Embassy, as the Washingtonian reported, wrote an article analyzing how D.C. and Amsterdam actually compare to one another. (But: Amsterdam city council calls for licenced marijuana production)

  • Despite U.N. treaties, war against drugs a losing battle

    Less than eight per cent of drug users worldwide have access to a clean syringe programme
    IPS
    Thursday, February 26, 2015

    As the call for the decriminalisation of drugs steadily picks up steam worldwide, a new study by the London-based charity Health Poverty Action concludes there has been no significant reduction in the global use of illicit drugs since the creation of three key U.N. anti-drug conventions, the first of which came into force over half a century ago. “Illicit drugs are now purer, cheaper, and more widely used than ever,” says the report, titled Casualties of War: How the War on Drugs is Harming the World’s Poorest.

  • Ganja law passed but awaits regulations

    An opposition MP said the country should seek to renegotiate some of the international treaties
    The Gleaner (Jamaica)
    Thursday, February 26, 2015

    The law effectively clears the way for the decriminalisation of two ounces of marijuana, making possession a ticketable offence. Under the amended law, the Rastafarian community will have the opportunity to use ganja as part of its religious sacrament. National Security Minister Peter Bunting told his parliamentary colleagues that the implementation of the new law would take some time, as regulations would have to be developed and the Cannabis Licensing Authority established. This oversight body would have responsibility for establishing a lawful regulated hemp and medicinal ganja industry.

  • Indonesia's executions: Drugs diplomacy in a diplomatic crisis?

    In 2007 the Indonesian constitutional court cited the international drug trafficking treaty of 1988 to justify such killings
    The Huffington Post (UK web)
    Thursday, February 26, 2015

    All diplomatic efforts earlier this month to save Brazilian and Dutch citizens from execution in Indonesia failed. Both were executed by firing squad. The harrowing final hours of Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira have since been revealed. Australia has been told that two of its citizens face imminent execution and nationals of the United Kingdom and elsewhere must now be losing hope. Indonesian Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo has said that 'nothing whatsoever' will stop the executions.

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