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Narcotics Control Board approves delisting of cannabis
Under the new rule, people can grow cannabis plants at home after notifying their local government
The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
The Narcotics Control Board meeting has endorsed the Public Health Ministry's latest draft list of narcotic substances, in which all components of cannabis no longer appear as a Category 5 narcotic substance. After the meeting, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said this decision is in line with the government policy to promote the use of cannabis for medical, research and educational purposes. It also complies with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's order to have people benefit from cannabis. However, cannabis extracts must have less than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) by weight. With cannabis legalisation being a flagship policy of Mr Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party, he said the party will propose a draft bill on the issue to the House of Representatives. -
Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace is on a mission to legalize cannabis
And Amazon just got behind her
Forbes (US)
Tuesday, January 25, 2022The r
epresentative from South Carolina introduced a bill to end federal pot prohibition and says legalization is an issue that unites America—“just like apple pie.” In November, the 44-year-old freshman Congresswoman, who represents South Carolina’s coastal swing district spanning Charleston to Hilton Head, introduced the States Reform Act, a bill that would end the federal government’s 85-year prohibition on marijuana. Mace is certainly not the first politician to introduce a cannabis legalization bill, although it’s been impossible to get one passed by both chambers of Congress. But Mace already has one of the most powerful conservative groups in the world in her corner: Charles Koch’s Americans for Prosperity. And now she has one of the world’s largest companies supporting her bill: Amazon. -
'Malta will not become another Amsterdam': cannabis authority chair
"We will make sure to provide people with all the relevant research so they are able to take responsible, evidence-based decisions"
Times of Malta (Malta)
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Psychotherapist Mariella Dimech has been appointed the first executive chair of the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis. She tells how she plans to stifle the black market and raise awareness on cannabis use in Malta. "Back when I worked at Caritas I was concerned that legalisation would create a ‘free for all attitude’. I had just come back from rehabilitation training in the US, where we were taught a zero-tolerance, punitive approach towards drug rehabilitation. And I was very adamant about it during my time as programme coordinator at Caritas. But I learned from experience that it’s not the only way to go about it. And I now believe that a harm-reduction approach is also necessary." (See also: Cannabis may be legal. But it’s not a ‘free-for-all’: Mariella Dimech) -
Drogenbeauftragter über geplante Cannabis-Freigabe: "Ein Ritt auf der Rasierklinge"
Der Drogenbeauftragte der Bundesregierung, Burkhard Blienert, warnt vor Schnellschüssen bei der geplanten Legalisierung von Cannabis
Frankfurter Rundschau (Germany)
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Mit der kontrollierten und regulierten Abgabe von Cannabis in Deutschland werden wir europäische Geschichte schreiben. Denn als größtes EU-Land sind wir beispielgebend für andere Staaten. Das Thema ist extrem komplex und voller Fallstricke. Es macht keinen Sinn, jetzt die Legalisierung übers Knie zu brechen, wenn dann wenig später die Verkaufsstellen wieder schließen müssen, weil wir etwas vergessen haben. Das ist kein Gesetz, das man so einfach aus dem Ärmel schütteln kann. Es gibt aber schon zahlreiche Vorarbeiten, auf die wir aufbauen können, etwa der Entwurf der Grünen für ein Cannabis-Kontrollgesetz. (See some relevant quotes in English) -
French political left light up an enormous parliamentary doobie
France is Europe’s biggest consumer of cannabis, according to a report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
RFI (France)
Sunday, January 16, 2022
French MPs discussed a bill this week to legalise the consumption of cannabis. Proposed by the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI), it is not expected to find government support, but several recent polls show public opinion shifting in favour of legalisation. Caroline Janvier and Jean-Baptiste Moreau from the ruling LREM party were among MPs from five parliamentary groups in support of a bill which would "legalise the production, sale and consumption of cannabis under state control". A similar proposal put forward by Esther Benbassa from the France Unbowed party back in 2014 was rejected. -
Cannabis companies facing 'crossroads' selling off stores, farms and warehouses
Companies are at a "crossroads" as they come to terms with the profitability, viability and challenges of the industry
CTV News (Canada)
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Cannabis companies are selling off growing facilities, stores and warehouses as they try to better align their offerings with demand. Industry observers say demand for cannabis is high, but there are so many assets available for sale right now because companies have misjudged what consumers want. They say companies are looking to off-load properties as they cut products and pivot toward items more likely to fly off the shelves. Many have realized their business plans are not sound and that demand for particular products is well below their expectations, leaving them with a glut of pot to sell. Others are struggling to stand out as the number of pot products for sale in the country swells, craft cannabis' share of the market grows and illicit sales remain strong. -
No complete ban on cannabis, medical use allowed: Centre to Delhi High Court
The Centre also submitted that cannabinoids are not a first-line treatment and cautioned against the huge risk of diversion of cannabis for non-medical use
The New Indian Express (India)
Monday, January 10, 2022
The use of cannabis is not completely banned in India as its medical and scientific use is allowed under the law, the Centre has told the Delhi High Court, which refused to advance the date of hearing of the plea seeking to legalise its use on various grounds including medicinal purposes. The bench headed by Justice Rajiv Shakhder refused to allow the early hearing application by the petitioner Great Legalisation Movement India Trust which contended that there were reports to suggest that cannabinoids helped in countering the impact of COVID-19. The petition, which is listed for further hearing in March, has challenged provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act which prohibit the use of cannabis and has contended that the drug has medicinal and industrial benefits. -
Rotterdam port cocaine seizures hit new high, total street value over €5bn
Police also arrested 198 people who were waiting or were involved in removing the drugs from sea containers
Dutch News (Netherlands)
Monday, January 10, 2022
Customs officials based at Rotterdam port seized cocaine with a street value of over €5bn last year, or a total of over 70 tonnes of the class A drug, the public prosecution department said. A further two tonnes was found at other ports and at Schiphol airport. In total, seizures made in 2021 were up 75% on 2020. In September, European policing organisation Europol published a report saying the increased use of shipping containers to conceal drugs has made the high volume ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg the new epicentre of the European cocaine market. While Antwerp is the biggest arrival port for cocaine, most of the drug is ‘is likely intended for organisations operating out of the Netherlands, from where the cocaine is further distributed to other European destinations, Europol said. -
How likely is it that Sweden would ever legalise cannabis?
Three youth branches of Swedish centre-right parties asked the government to consider decriminalising cannabis
The Local (Sweden)
Thursday, January 6, 2022
One of the overarching goals of the Swedish drug strategy is a totally drug-free society. Since 1988 it’s been a criminal offence not only to possess cannabis, but to use it too. Street prices have declined in recent years (a gram of cannabis now costs about €11) and the strength and availability of drugs has increased. Sweden conducts thousands of drug seizures a year, but the vast majority of drug convictions are for possession or use. As drug use and deaths continue to increase, the Public Health Authority has called for an inquiry into Sweden’s ban on drug use, arguing that they do not know enough about the effects of the legislation. But the government has said no. -
Sadiq Khan drug ‘decriminalisation’ plan ‘does not go far enough’, say experts
Over 12 police forces already have diversion like this in place for all drugs, not just cannabis
Evening Standard (UK)
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Sadiq Khan’s proposed plan to end the prosecution of young people caught with cannabis in three London boroughs “does not go far enough”, according to experts. It was reported this week that the Mayor of London is considering a new pilot scheme in the boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley that would see any under-25s caught with small amounts of cannabis redirected to education or counselling services instead of facing arrest. Experts in the fields of criminal justice and public health have welcomed the move. But Professor Alex Stevens, professor of criminal justice at the University of Kent, has called for the Mayor of London to be more ambitious with his proposals. (See also: A drugs-related criminal record is often more harmful than the drug itself)
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