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Cannabis in Thailand: How far will the green gold rush go?
A draft bill would allow households to grow six cannabis plants for personal consumption for medical use
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Thailand made headlines all over the world last December when it became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize cannabis for medical use and research purposes, sparking a race to cash in on what could someday become the country's main cash crop. Full legalization was a core policy of the Bhumjaithai party's campaign in the March 24 election, which helped it win the fifth most seats in Thailand's new parliament. The government has also made the development of the industrial potential of the drug one of its priorities, saying its study and development "should be sped up for the medical industry to create economic opportunity and income for the people." -
Delhi HC seeks Centre's stand on use of cannabis
Plea filed by Great Legalisation Movement India Trust
The New Indian Express (India)
Thursday, November 7, 2019
The Delhi High Court has sought Centre's response over a plea filed by Great Legalisation Movement India Trust (GLMIT) challenging certain provisions of the law that prohibits and criminalises the use of cannabis. The GLM has challenged the constitutional validity of provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) and the NDPS Rules which prohibit and criminalise the use of cannabis or industrial hemp and restrict its use. The plea has sought court's directions to the government to frame rules permitting and regulating use of cannabis, especially for medicinal purposes. (See also: HC issues notice on plea against cannabis use | Delhi HC issues notice in plea challenging prohibition and criminalization of cannabis use in India) -
Rastas to get approval for cannabis use in Barbados
The local Rastafari community intended to challenge government’s refusal to change cannabis laws in court
The Loop (Caribbean)
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Rastafarians in Barbados will be permitted to use cannabis for sacramental purposes. The announcement was made during a Sitting in the House of Parliament by Attorney General Dale Marshall during the debate on the Medical Cannabis Bill (2019). Marshall admitted changes needed to be made to the way government treats religious use of cannabis considering it does not fall into the category of recreational or medicinal. He also pointed to the legal precedent based on cases in Antigua and South Africa where the court acknowledged it was an infringement on the constitutional rights of Rastafarians to criminalize them for using cannabis. (See also: Rastas to bring cannabis case against Barbados government | Ras Simba wants AG to allow ganja use for all) -
Delhi HC issues notice in plea challenging prohibition and criminalization of Cannabis use in India
The petitioner was concerned with the constitutional validity of certain provisions of NDPS Act with respect to the prohibition and criminalization of the use of cannabis
Bar and Bench (India)
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
The Delhi High Court issued notice in a plea challenging the prohibition and criminalization of the use of cannabis in India. Notice was issued to the Central government by a Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar in a petition preferred by Great Legalisation Movement India Trust. The petitioner has challenged the constitutional validity of provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) and the NDPS Rules which prohibit and criminalize the use of cannabis or industrial hemp and prescribe restrictions on activities related to it. -
Decriminalization of personal use is a responsible pathway to controlling drugs
The reality is that the demand for drugs is there and is not going anywhere despite fifty years of inhumane and blind prohibition
Ghanaian Times (Ghana)
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Similar to other countries in the region, Ghana is experiencing growing drug availability, trafficking and consumption. This phenomenon, more and more visible and problematic for a decade now, is related to the development of a new cocaine trafficking route through West Africa, from Latin America and towards Europe or North America. The strategic choice of traffickers to use our region for transit is based on many issues that provide opportunities for drug traffickers: the weakness of institutions; the lack of transparency of financial institutions; and corruption. One can wonder why Ghana is unsuccessful in controlling drugs, when it applies the harshest penalties for drug-related offences in West Africa? -
Is the ‘War on Drugs’ over? Arrest statistics say No
Arrests for marijuana possession are most common, even as public opinion has shifted in favor of its legalization
The New York Times (US)
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Despite bipartisan calls to treat drug addiction as a public health issue rather than as a crime — and despite the legalization of marijuana in more states — arrests for drugs increased again last year. According to estimated crime statistics released by the F.B.I. in September, there were 1,654,282 arrests for drugs in 2018, a number that has increased every year since 2015, after declining over the previous decade. Meanwhile, arrests for violent crime and property crime have continued to trend downward. Drugs have been the top reason people have been arrested in the United States for at least the past 10 years, and marijuana has been the top drug involved in those arrests. -
Cannabis shows potential for treating PTSD: New study
Findings suggest that cannabis could be of possible therapeutic use in the treatment of PTSD, but cannabis use is not without risks
The Conversation (UK)
November 5, 2019
The results of clinical trials testing cannabis as a PTSD treatment are pending. Previous research has linked cannabis use with poorer mental health in PTSD patients, but it’s unclear whether cannabis exacerbates PTSD symptoms, or if patients with worse symptoms are simply self-medicating more. Much of the existing evidence for cannabis as a PTSD treatment comes from patient reports of success. A recent study, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that PTSD increased the risk of major depressive episodes among Canadians who didn’t use cannabis by roughly seven times, and suicidal ideation by roughly five times. But, among Canadians who did use cannabis, PTSD was not statistically associated with either outcome. -
Reasons marijuana legalization seems to be failing
Many consumers complain that they simply cannot afford to buy marijuana through legal channels
Forbes (US)
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
When it was first proposed, the concept of marijuana legalization seemed solid enough. Take the world’s most popular illicit substance, establish a taxed and regulated marketplace and watch all of the evil associated with the herb – the criminal activity, the youth consumption – fade away into a footnote of American history. And by all accounts, it was a plan that should have worked. Considering all of the insanity surrounding the cannabis trade, it’s hard to argue that marijuana legalization is working. It should be, but the scene is just too convoluted. Sure, the polls show the majority of the U.S. population supports marijuana legalization. But that doesn’t mean they will buy it legally once it happens. -
Illinois marijuana law aims to undo harm of war on the drug
Blacks are nearly four times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana, the American Civil Liberties Union found
Associated Press (US)
Saturday, November 2, 2019
When lawmakers crafted the law legalizing marijuana in Illinois, they tried to make sure it would right what many see as past wrongs linked to the drug. In addition to expunging hundreds of thousands of criminal records for marijuana arrests and convictions, the law’s architects added provisions meant to benefit communities that have been the most adversely affected by law enforcement’s efforts to combat the drug. The so-called social equity provisions are expected to help black applicants. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, also established ways for qualified applicants to pay lower licensing fees and get business loans and technical assistance. And it earmarked part of marijuana sales revenue for neighborhood development grants. -
All dried up: How Bay Street cashed in on the cannabis frenzy before the carnage
The smart money got out before the cannabis bubble burst. Now, retail investors are suffering and pot companies face a financing drought
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Friday, November 1, 2019
The warning signs were there all summer, but it wasn’t until the first business day of September that the reckoning arrived for Canadian cannabis companies in need of money. There were already clear signs that the days of easy money for cannabis companies were over. The total amount of money raised by the sector had plunged over the summer. With little access to fresh cash, Canada’s licensed producers now face a new reality. They have spent years focused on financings to fund their expansions, paying little mind to positive cash flow. Without new capital, they will have to scrap construction projects and scale back growth plans. “The vast majority of the companies are going to go bankrupt.” (See also: It’s time for Canada’s cannabis companies to get their governance houses in order)
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