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America’s marijuana growers are the best in the world, but federal laws are keeping them out of global markets
Federal prohibitions are getting in the way of efforts to grow the U.S. marijuana business into a global industry. That’s allowed Canadian cannabis growers to dominate the export market
The Washington Post (US)
Friday, December 27, 2019
After 20 years of experience, legal marijuana growers in the U.S. have a reputation for creating the best product in the world, scientifically grown and tightly regulated for quality and safety. The crop would be in high demand internationally — perhaps the centerpiece of a new U.S. industry — if not for the regulatory conundrum in which growers operate. Because marijuana is legal in many states but still illegal federally, marijuana growers are unable to ship their products to other countries or even other American states that have legalized the drug. So while U.S. cannabis firms have driven product innovation and mastered large-scale grow operations, they restlessly wait for the export curtain to lift. -
Canada’s opioid crisis: The people and communities fighting for change and finding solutions
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Monday, December 23, 2019
The drug crisis has claimed thousands of lives in Canada, with no communities spared. Now, many are banding together to speak up and find solutions. This is a glimpse at the efforts of everyone from doctors to health groups to the people whose lives have been upended by overdoses and addiction. The Liberals have repeatedly rejected calls to decriminalize possession of hard drugs. The party has said it will proceed on the issue of “safe supply” – that is, helping provide a regulated, quality-controlled source of drugs. The NDP and the Greens both support decriminalization. -
Cannabis : un projet de loi à finaliser en janvier
Le Luxembourg devrait d’ici deux ans intégrer la petite liste des pays ayant opté pour une légalisation
Le Quotidien (Luxembourg)
Lundi, 23 decembre 2019
Le ministre de la Santé, Étienne Schneider, est décidé à soumettre courant janvier au Conseil de gouvernement un projet de loi pour légaliser le cannabis récréatif. La date reste toutefois à confirmer. «Il n’est pas exclu que mon successeur héritera de cette tâche», indique le ministre en partance. De retour de leur visite d’études au Canada, les ministres Schneider et Félix Braz (Justice) s’étaient montrés confiants à la mi-mai de pouvoir finaliser un concept pour la légalisation du cannabis récréatif. «On a identifié de nombreuses implications, notamment en ce qui concerne les relations avec nos pays voisins», indiquait Étienne Schneider. Autre obstacle majeur : trouver une tournure juridique pour contourner les conventions internationales de l’ONU, qui interdisent la légalisation du cannabis récréatif. -
Marijuana commission greenlights recreational and medicinal usage
The commission recommends that the substance be decriminalized and persons be allowed to have a maximum of one ounce
Eyewitness News (Bahamas)
Monday, December 23, 2019
The Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana has green-lighted recreational and medicinal marijuana, insisting that Bahamians should own 51 percent of the industry in a legalized framework. The preliminary report, which was leaked to the media, features recommendations from various subcommittees on the medical, economic, religious and recreational use of cannabis in The Bahamas. Several parts of the report have not yet been completed and remain under review by the commission. “The Bahamas must have ownership of the cannabis industry so that Bahamians can have their share of the pie,” the report states. (See also: Nearly 7,000 people arrested for cannabis since 2014 | Set cannabis tax below 10 percent, says commission) -
Activists: New ganja law a small victory
Decriminalisation will not put a stop to the black market cannabis trade and the only way to do that would be to legalise the substance
Newsday (Trinidad)
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Cannabis activists in Trinidad & Tobago have praised the proclamation of legislation to decriminalise use and possession in small amounts, but said that it is only the beginning. "It is a start. Not the start we would have liked but is a start," said CEO of advocacy NGO Cannabis and You Javed Baksh. With decriminalisation people will be able to legally have cannabis at home and use it (four plants per person and under 30 grammes of flower and under five grammes of resin) but this has already been happening. "People been doing that for how many years. They get it at home and use it at home. Some have grown in their residences. I have it grown years ago." (See also: Process for ganja pardons begins | How marijuana records will be expunged) -
Welcome to kava culture: A spreading alternative to reduce anxiety
Regarded as an herbal supplement, kava is currently unscheduled in the US (and most countries)
Filter (US)
Friday, December 20, 2019
Kava, or Piper methysticum, is a tropical evergreen shrub in the nightshade family, native to the South Pacific islands, including Vanuatu, Fiji, Hawaii and others. Its roots are mashed or ground up and consumed orally, typically as a bitter-tasting beverage. It has long been used for medicinal, religious, political, cultural and social purposes throughout Polynesia, including as an aphrodisiac. In Western societies it has been used to treat anxiety, tension and restlessness, as well as to successfully counteract alcohol use disorder. A preliminary study conducted in 2001 found that the active ingredients in kava, known as kavapyrones, bind to many sites in the brain that are associated with addiction and craving. It’s also catching on as a social substance in the US, where kava bars are spreading. -
Canada's cannabis policy makes it an international rebel on drug treaties
Ottawa remains in violation of treaties as it waits for the world to come around to its point of view
CBC News (Canada)
Friday, December 20, 2019
While many Canadians have focused on the supply problems and overly optimistic business projections that have marred Ottawa's marijuana legalization project, it's also left behind some international loose ends that still haven't been tied up. Not all other countries have accepted Canada's right to forge a new path on cannabis law. And the ending of Canada's 95-year ban on cannabis appears to have accelerated the demise of a worldwide consensus and treaty regime that, for decades, underpinned the global war on drugs. A year after legalization, Canada remains in flagrant violation of UN drug treaties that it signed — an uncomfortable situation for a country that likes to see itself as a stickler for international laws and treaties. -
Faris: Where do we draw the line on 1% claims?
The AG says the oncoming industry is fair game for everyone interested
The Loop (Trinidad)
Friday, December 20, 2019
When the Cannabis Control Bill is passed in Trinidad & Tobago in January, a market for the licensing for marijuana merchants will be opening. Many activists and critics of the bill have raised concerns that the market will be saturated by local business giants and international merchants. Assuring that there will be a 30% local content stipulation as part of the Cannabis Control Bill, Attorney General, Faris Al Rawi says there’s no way to treat with that fear. “There is a very unfortunate drive in this country to label everything ‘1%’. How do you treat with that?” he questioned. (See also: Herbalist wants clarity, open market for local cannabis merchants | Cannabis Control JSC to look at licences) -
German drug czar pushes for uniform cannabis laws
Each state has different regulations on how much is allowed for personal possession
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Cannabis is illegal in Germany, but each state has different regulations on how much is allowed for personal possession. Germany's drug commissioner called for a nationwide standard for the amount of cannabis allowed for personal possession. Daniela Ludwig told the Funke Media Group that it is "difficult" when each German state has different regulations. A person in possession of only "a small amount" of the drug can, according to the law, avoid prosecution. In Hamburg, a small amount is six grams, while in Berlin 15 grams are allowed. -
Marijuana’s ten biggest victories of 2019
Illinois becomes 11th state to legalize marijuana
Forbes (US)
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
This year was a big one for marijuana in the U.S. From a first-ever congressional vote on federally legalizing cannabis to another large state ending its own prohibition law, 2019 saw the marijuana movement make advances on several fronts. In November, the House Judiciary Committee made history by becoming the first congressional panel to approve a bill to end federal marijuana prohibition. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, if enacted into law, would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and fund programs to begin repairing the harms of the war on drugs, which has been waged disproportionately against communities of color.
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