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From prohibition to trailblazing: A brief history of modern cannabis activism In Malta
As it stands, unless Luxembourg or Germany beat Malta to it, this tiny little Mediterranean island may be the first European nation to fully regulate cannabis
Lovin Malta (Malta)
Saturday, November 27, 2021
It is ironic, but if Malta does end up legalising recreational cannabis, one quiet man from Wales may be the one to thank for it. Prior to 2011, there were passionate activists fighting for better cannabis laws on the island – but I, like many others of my generation, only got involved in organising and lobbying for legalisation after the brutal imprisonment of Daniel Holmes in Malta. After his story sent shockwaves throughout the cannabis community, making many of us believe the island was moving towards an ultra-conservative USA-style police state where people could face serious jail time for growing plants at home, a number of people began organising. -
The ‘cocaine collectors’ retrieving smuggled drugs in Rotterdam
As the volume of cocaine imported into the Netherlands rises exponentially, the methods used by the collectors are becoming more sophisticated too
BBC News (UK)
Friday, November 26, 2021
As the volume of cocaine trafficked into the Netherlands through the port city of Rotterdam increases, so too does the number of young men employed by criminal gangs to retrieve the drugs from among freight arriving from Latin America. These so-called "cocaine collectors" make around 2,000 euro (£1,680) for every kilo of cocaine they carry out. And this is a business that has exploded. "We first noticed them about two years ago," says Andre Kramer, who owns a container processing company in the port. "There was one or maybe two of them, and it happened once or twice a year. But in the past six months the groups of collectors have got bigger - 10 or 12 people gathered together, and it happens three or four times a week." -
Drug checking to be permanent after law passes third reading
Drug-checking services have been given the all-clear to keep testing the safety of illicit substances at festivals and other locations over summer
RNZ (New Zealand)
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Legislation confirming that such services can permanently continue, and expand, passed its third reading - replacing a temporary law that was set to expire at the end of the year. Health Minister Andrew Little said evidence showed pill-testing kept people safe, intercepting potentially dangerous substances before being consumed. The Drug Foundation, Needle Exchange and Institute of Environmental Science and Research have all been approved to carry out the testing. The government also announced a month ago it would contribute $800,000 towards national co-ordination of services, training of drug-checkers and providing information about drug harms. (See also: Drug-checking beyond festivals: Andrew Little wants support for the homeless; potential for medicinal cannabis) -
Germany's next government aims to legalise recreational cannabis
The German example could inspire other European countries
Reuters (UK)
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Germany could become the first European country to legalise cannabis and authorise its sale for recreational purposes, according to a coalition agreement for a new government struck by three parties. Many European countries, including Germany, have legalised cannabis for limited medicinal purposes. Others have decriminalised its general use, while stopping stopping short of making it legal. The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), Green and libertarian Free Democrats (FDP) agreed to introduce legislation during their four-year term to create the controlled distribution of weed in licensed shops. "We would evaluate the (weed) law after four years for social impact," the pact read. (See also: ‘Controlled distribution’: How Germany will legalise recreational cannabis) -
Getting closer! Final stage before Malta’s cannabis reform becomes law to start next week
“We have no intention of shelving this bill or reducing the rhythm and we’ll stick with the same pace”
Lovin Malta (Malta)
Tuesday, November 23, 2021It’s looking ever more likely that Malta will pass a landmark cannabis reform bill into law. The bill passed its second reading (the debate stage) in Parliament, with all government MPs voting in favour and all opposition MPs voting against. It will now move on to the final stage – the Consideration of Bills Committee, where MPs will discuss the finer details of the proposed law. And while bills can remain stuck at this stage for months, that isn’t the government’s intention with the cannabis reform. Reforms Minister Owen Bonnici said that the plan is for this debate to start next week, ideally on Monday. After it gets through the committee stage, the minister said he will present it for its third reading without delay, after which it will officially become law. -
‘We will give up ganja cultivation if MSP is guaranteed for agriculture produce,’ say Odisha villagers
Villagers hit the street in wake of massive crackdown launched by Malkangiri police
The Hindu (India)
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Despite knowing that they could be penalised under provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, for growing cannabis, villagers came out in the open to put conditions that they would stop cultivating the illicit crop if all Government welfare programmes were implemented in their locality. About 10,000 residents of 35 villages of Ralegada gram panchayats assembled at Dhuliput to put forth their 19-point demand. “We are not getting actual price for our agricultural produce. Most of the villagers of Ralegada and other neighbouring gram panchayats depend on cannabis cultivation. The money earned from cannabis cultivation helps us send our wards to distant places for education.” (See also: Ganja confiscation leads to overcrowding in Odisha jails | From Odisha to Rajasthan, cannabis trade on a new high) -
Burt: Bermuda has ‘no intention’ of tailoring laws to fit UK cannabis conventions
The legislation does not conform to the UK international obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs of 1961
The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
Monday, November 22, 2021
Bermuda’s Government had “no intention” of tailoring its laws licensing cannabis production to fit with the UK’s conventions allowing the drug for medicinal use only. David Burt, the Premier, reiterated that legislation for legal cannabis in Bermuda is set to go before the legislature in the current session of Parliament. The statement came after the Premier’s return from the Joint Ministerial Council in London between the UK Government and elected heads of the Overseas Territories' A question mark hung over the cannabis legislation, passed by the House of Assembly but turned back by the Senate in the last parliamentary session, as to whether it would receive Royal Assent. (See also: A way out of trouble on cannabis reform) -
ICC suspends PH drug war probe, warned of Duterte ‘ruse’
The Philippines formally requested to defer the investigation, saying the administration was already looking into allegations of extrajudicial killings and other atrocities
Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines)
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Human rights lawyers who accused President Rodrigo Duterte of committing crimes against humanity appealed to Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) not to halt the investigation of the thousands of killings and other atrocities in the government’s war on drugs. “We ask the ICC not to allow itself to be swayed by the claims now being made by the Duterte administration,” the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), which represents some of the victims in the brutal anti-drug campaign, said in a statement. The group urged ICC to deny the government’s request for a “deferral” of the probe and proceed with a full-blown investigation of the drug war atrocities so as not to dim the “glimmer of hope” that the families of thousands of victims of alleged extrajudicial killings would still get justice. -
Germany moves to legalise cannabis in economy-boosting bid after Merkel departure
Proposals for recreational legalisation of cannabis will also include expanded drug checking measures
The Express (UK)
Thursday, November 18, 2021
The political parties known as the "traffic light" coalition are pushing for a change in legislation meaning the sale of cannabis will be legal for consumption purposes. According to Der Spiegel a representative of the working group tasked with the policy change said: "We are introducing the controlled distribution of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes in licensed shops." The policy will be revisited after four years to assess its social impact. A survey, carried out by the Institute for Competition Economics (DICE), found that a legalised cannabis market in Germany could add around 3.4 billion euros in tax revenue to the nation's economy. It would also save the judicial system in the country around 1.3 billion euros every year. (See also: How Germany’s next government is planning to legalise cannabis) -
US saw 100,000 drug overdose deaths in one year amid pandemic, CDC says
Data reveals deaths caused by opioids rose 28.5% compared with the year before, with fentanyl involved in over 60% of the deaths
The Guardian (UK)
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
The estimated number of drug overdose deaths in the US during a 12-month period ending in April rose by 28.5% compared with the same period the year before, according to new provisional data released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. There were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths across the country during a 12-month period ending in April, compared with 78,056 deaths reported during the same period the year before.The data also reveals that estimated overdose deaths caused by opioids jumped from 56,064 in the previous year to 75,673. Overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids – primarily fentanyl – and psychostimulants including methamphetamine also increased during the 12-month period.
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