• Legalizing cannabis linked to less opioid prescriptions

    Could help combat epidemic, scientists say
    Newsweek (US)
    Tuesday, December 17, 2019

    There are less opioid prescriptions on average in U.S. states where medical and recreational marijuana are legal, research has revealed. Access to recreational cannabis in the U.S. was tied with a 11.8 percent lower rate of opioids prescriptions each day, and 4.2 percent for medical marijuana. The authors of the paper published in the Journal of Health Economics said recreational weed laws could make it easier for patients to access the drug, and use it to treat pain and other conditions. Both types of law also appeared to cut down the total number of patients receiving opioids, as well as the total days opioids were supplied, and the likelihood of a healthcare provider prescribing the painkillers.

  • Recreational cannabis law at least two years away

    Government to present roadmap announced for this autumn early next year
    The Luxembourg Times (Luxembourg)
    Tuesday, December 17, 2019

    luxembourg cannabisThe process to legalise recreational cannabis in Luxembourg will take at least another two years as the government is set to unveil a first roadmap early in 2020. The government pledged to legalise marijuana as part of its 2018 coalition agreement, but the process is running into some delays. Initially foreseen for the autumn of this year, a proposed action plan by the health ministry remains outstanding. "We don't want to rush this," a ministry spokeswoman told the Luxembourg Times. "We decided to take all the time we need." Only once the framework has been adopted by the entire cabinet can the drafting of a law to legalise cannabis begin. Among the issues at stake is the potential violation of three United Nations drug control treaties that Luxembourg has signed.

  • Peak pot? Thick haze dulls hype around cannabis startups

    High prices aid black market
    Deutsche Welle (Germany)
    Monday, December 16, 2019

    cannabis investingThe hype around cannabis startups in recent years intoxicated many investors. But poor balance sheets and plummeting share prices has made the comedown hard to stomach. By October, it became clear the hemp bubble had burst with quite a bang. The market has lost at least $35 billion in value since March and one firm, Aurora Cannabis, has been hit especially hard. The Canadian producer's shares have plummeted 60% over the past few months. Last year's gains, where some stocks rose 400% in a month, are now just distant memories.

  • What have we learned from one year of cannabis legalization?

    Market stabilization is years away, but with every province regulating cannabis in its own way, we’ll start to discover what works and what doesn’t
    Policy Options (Canada)
    Monday, December 16, 2019

    canada cannabis flagThe first year of legal cannabis sales in Canada did not go smoothly. To be fair, introducing a federally regulated legal supply chain that operates across 13 different retail systems for a product that has been illegal for almost 100 years is an extremely complex undertaking. But the sky hasn’t fallen. And other countries, including Luxembourg and New Zealand, are looking at Canada to inform their own legalization approaches. We definitely have lessons to share, and we might even have got a few things right, including restricting advertising, promoting lower-THC products, and investing in data collection and research. (See also: Transform: Cannabis legalisation in Canada – One year on)

  • Italy legalizes 'cannabis light'

    Growing and selling 'cannabis light' will be officially legal from January 1st.
    The Local (Italy)
    Friday, December 13, 2019

    italy cannabis lightItaly's parliament legalized the production and sale of a weaker form of cannabis this week, ending months of uncertainty for farmers and sellers. Tobacconists and specialized shops will be allowed to stock cannabis products, which must not contain more than 0.5 percent of the psychoactive compound THC, from January 1st. Parliament approved the amendment overnight on Thursday after a long-running row pitching former interior minister Matteo Salvini against small business owners and the agriculture lobby. Populist leader Salvini had vowed to close all shops selling so-called cannabis light. (See also: The legal loophole that allowed 'legal weed' to take root in Italy | Italy's Senate head halts legalisation of weaker form of cannabis)

  • No mandatory prison sentence for personal cannabis cultivation under new rules

    Justice minister Owen Bonnici presents amendments to drug dependency laws
    Malta Today (Malta)
    Thursday, December 12, 2019

    malta cannabis flagThe prison sentence for a woman who was cultivating cannabis for her personal use, has led to the proposal of legal amendments that will give the Maltese courts discretion on how to sentence such cases. Justice Minister Owen Bonnici presented a package of legal amendments that will give the courts discretion on whether to sentence to jail people who can show that the cultivation of cannabis was for their strict personal use. Malta removed a previous mandatory term of imprisonment of six months for people found cultivating cannabis “in a small quantity not exceeding one plant, in circumstances where the Court is satisfied that such cultivation was for personal use.” Cultivation of cannabis will remain illegal under the new rules.

  • Trinidad and Tobago lawmakers approve marijuana decriminalization bill

    Marijuana Moment (US)
    December 12, 2019

    A bill to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession in Trinidad and Tobago, the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2019, was approved by the nation’s House of Representatives. The recently introduced legislation would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis. A fixed fine would be imposed for possession of more than 30 but fewer than 60 grams, and it would not impact an individual’s criminal record if the debt is paid. The proposal would also provide a pathway for expungements of prior cannabis convictions and allow individuals to cultivate up to four plants for personal use. (See also: House passes cannabis amendments)

  • Cannabis: le National entre en matière

    Le Conseil national est entré en matière mardi, par 100 voix contre 85, sur la question des essais pilotes de distribution de cannabis
    Tribune de Genève (Suisse)
    Mardi, 10 decembre 2019

    switzerland cannabis3Le Parlement pourra aborder la question des essais pilotes de distribution de cannabis. Contre l'avis de sa commission, le nouveau Conseil national est entré en matière mardi. Le projet qui vise à mener des programmes strictement encadrés. La discussion n'a porté que sur l'entrée en matière. Le dossier retourne auprès de la commission qui avait proposé de rejeter le projet suite à un rapport de l'Office fédéral de la santé publique. Le Conseil fédéral veut créer une base légale dans la loi sur les stupéfiants pour pouvoir mener des études scientifiques sur les effets d'une utilisation contrôlée du cannabis. Son objectif est de comprendre le fonctionnement du marché et de combattre le marché noir.

  • Inside the billion-dollar race to patent cannabis

    Phylos has chosen to support Big Ag over craft botanists. They took the money
    Leafly (US)
    Monday, December 9, 2019

    cannabis bud2The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has already issued several patents for specific kinds of cannabis and for more wide-ranging “utility patents,”  but so far they’ve gone unenforced and unnoticed. Today’s legal cannabis market is worth an estimated $11 billion. That could easily double within the next few years. Imagine holding a patent that required every grower of a popular strain to pay the patent holder a licensing fee. Biotech startups and Big Ag corporations aren’t imagining—they’re planning. With federal legalization looming, some are already filing patent claims on cannabis strains. The bigger players are waiting in the wings, ready to purchase patents and claim ownership of hugely valuable DNA. (See also: Legacy growers defend their strains against a Big Ag takeover)

  • No joke: Dutch to ban the sale of laughing gas for recreational use

    It is as yet unclear when a ban will come into effect and how it will be regulated
    Dutch News (Netherlands)
    Monday, December 9, 2019

    The Dutch government is planning to ban the sale of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, for recreational use. The decision follows several warnings about the impact of excessive use of the gas on health, which has been described in a new report by drugs assessment commission CAM as ‘average to large’.Junior health minister Paul Blokhuis plans to have the gas included in the opium law B list alongside cannabis and qat. Users will not face criminal charges but possession, trade, production and import of B list drugs are illegal. (See also: D66 plans to torpedo laughing gas ban, hopes for VVD support | Why Denmark wants to ban under-18s from buying laughing gas)

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