El bloqueo que Washington ejerce sobre las operaciones financieras de la banca federal con dinero proveniente del negocio del cannabis golpea a las farmacias uruguayas que no pueden colocar su recaudaciónn en los bancos locales, por utilizar como corresponsales a las instituciones de Estados Unidos (EEUU).El problema se manifiesta, por ejemplo, cuando al comprar la marihuana en la farmacia no se aceptan las tarjetas de crédito o débito, por el riesgo a que los bancos cierren las cuentas a estos comercios. Tan así que el propio Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (Ircca) no publicita cuáles son los 38 locales habilitados para comercializar legalmente este producto, de modo de no exponerlos a la sanción.

Doce parlamentarios de distintas fuerzas políticas anunciaron que trabajarán conjuntamente para formular una política de drogas desde el enfoque de la salud pública y la regulación del consumo. Este grupo está de acuerdo en que el paradigma con el que se ha enfrentado esta problemática debe cambiar y su primer proyecto será reglamentar el uso de la marihuana recreativa en Colombia. El objetivo es ambicioso: cambiar una política de drogas que ha reinado en Colombia y el mundo por más de 30 años; desarrollar el punto de drogas del Acuerdo de Paz, que implica garantías de sustitución de cultivos ilícitos; asegurar las inversiones de los Planes de Desarrollo con Enfoque Territorial (PDET), y combatir la política prohibicionista, basada en la penalización del consumo.

Cuando ya había fecha para la inauguración del Museo del Cannabis, las expectativas recayeron sobre qué novedades traería en cuanto a la regulación vigente. "Todos están esperando tus anuncios, ¿eh?," le dijeron a Daniel Radío, secretario general de la Secretaría Nacional de Drogas y presidente del Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (Ircca). No hubo ningún anuncio. La posibilidad de que se habilitara la venta de cannabis también a turistas ya había sido descartada. Los consumidores que están dentro del sistema - a través de la compra en farmacias, por asociación a clubes cannábicos o por autocultivo - coinciden en que hay algunos aspectos de la regulación que deberían modificarse.

La Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN) determinó otorgar al Congreso nueva prórroga para la aprobación de la legislación relativa a la regulación de la marihuana con fines lúdicos. Antes de que se aprobara la disposición, los legisladores tenían hasta el 30 de abril de 2020 para adecuar la legislación. El 31 de octubre de 2018, la Suprema Corte de Justicia emitió la declaratoria de inconstitucionalidad 1/2018, para el caso de la marihuana, en la que ordenó eliminar de la Ley General de Salud los artículos que prohíben el uso lúdico, al considerarlo violatorios del derecho al libre desarrollo de la personalidad. La Corte concedió el 29 de octubre del 2019 una primera prórroga al Congreso para dar cumplimiento a la sentencia, tras la petición que le formularon los legisladores.

La necesidad de abrir “un debate serio” sobre la despenalización de la marihuana y la llamada “lucha contra el narcotráfico” fue impulsada por la ministra de Seguridad de la Nación, Sabina Frederic, y por su par de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Sergio Berni. La ministra nacional dijo que está de acuerdo en comenzar un debate sobre “un modelo argentino sobre la legalización de las drogas blandas, no de las drogas duras”. Puso como primera meta la legalización del cannabis y luego “ver otras posibilidades, porque Argentina no es un país que esté preparado para legalizar las drogas duras”, al menos en lo inmediato. (Véase también: Berni propuso despenalizar todas las drogas y Frederic dijo que lo analiza, pero solo para cannabis | Cannabis: hablemos de regular)

Cases of substance-use disorders are exactly what the federal government is hoping to avoid in its push to legalize recreational marijuana, and they may be the biggest test of whether legalization is ultimately successful. They could also prove to be immensely challenging. That it’s even possible to become dependent on cannabis could come as a surprise to many, especially young people. A survey conducted by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), published last year, found that a majority of youth were unaware that cannabis can be addictive and lead to withdrawal symptoms. Marijuana use among young people has declined over the past few years, but Canada still has one of the highest rates in the developed world.

Of all the arguments that have been used to demonize marijuana, few have been more powerful than that of the "gateway effect": the notion that while marijuana itself may not be especially dangerous, it ineluctably leads to harder drugs like heroin and cocaine. Scientists abandoned the idea: as far back as 1999, in a report commissioned by Congress to look at the possible dangers of medical marijuana, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences wrote: "There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs."

Just over one-third of US states have now officially legalised recreational marijuana following the passing of new legislation in New Mexico. On Monday, the state’s governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law a historic adult-use cannabis legalisation bill, allowing people age 21 and over to buy and possess up to two ounces. With the passing of New Mexico’s law, 17 states and Washington, DC, have now legalised the drug for recreational purposes, amounting to just over a third of states across the US. Certain states across the country, including New York State, have made a significant push for legalisation of the drug in 2021, with seven since last November having done so.

A bill that will allow residents to possess and use small quantities of marijuana will go before parliament on 12 December for the first time. According to the country’s latest cabinet notes, the Marijuana Bill will be read a first time and distributed when parliament convenes in 19 days. The bill focuses on decriminalising up to 5g of marijuana, eliminating fines associated with the currently illegal drug. The government is hoping that by passing the Marijuana Bill, it will lessen what it termed the “expensive” costs associated with pursuing convictions and prosecuting people who were caught with small amounts of the drug. (See also: Antigua and Barbuda set to pass inclusive cannabis regulation law)

State lawmakers and advocates pushing to legalize marijuana this year aren’t just touting legalization as a way to raise tax revenue and regulate an underground pot market. They’re also talking about fixing a broken criminal justice system and reinvesting in poor and minority communities that have been battered by decades of the government’s war on drugs. The focus on justice and equity has sharpened over time, longtime pot advocates say, as it’s become clear that such issues should be addressed and that doing so won’t alienate voters — most of whom, polls consistently show, support legal marijuana. Civil rights groups also have raised their voices in legalization discussions.

As hundreds of businesses in cities such as San Francisco and New York close due to the coronavirus outbreak, medical marijuana stores remain open as officials revise public health orders to include cannabis as an essential medicine. San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) this week announced changes to the city's public health order that allowed only essential businesses such as grocery stores, banks and pharmacies to remain open while residents are required to stay at home, according to NPR. Dispensaries and marijuana delivery services are now also deemed as critical businesses, according to city officials. (See also: Coronavirus: Legal cannabis sales surge as US weed lobby tells smokers not to share joints)

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)

The newly formed Marijuana Commission held its first meeting to plan the way forward for activities. In a March interview, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet announced a decision had been reached to decriminalize cannabis, following which commercial opportunities would be looked into. Then last month Commerce Minister Bradley Felix, the government’s point man on cannabis, announced the formation of a Marijuana Commission mandated to “consult and provide advice on the design of a legislative and regulatory framework for cannabis”. The Commission is expected to engage in public consultation over a three-month period before reporting to Cabinet.

A compound found in marijuana can treat schizophrenia as effectively as antipsychotic medications, with far fewer side effects, according to a preliminary clinical trial. Unlike the main ingredient in marijuana, THC, which can produce psychotic reactions and may worsen schizophrenia, cannabidiol (CBD) has antipsychotic effects, according to previous research in both animals and humans.

While many diehard cannabis advocates are calling for the plant to be legalized in the United States in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco, President-elect Joe Biden isn’t quite ready to take that leap. Instead, he wants to focus on federally decriminalizing the herb, expanding research opportunities and making it available for medicinal purposes. Interestingly, his pick for health secretary almost solidifies that the nation is indeed headed down such a progressive path. Biden’s campaign issued a directive months ago showing exactly what his administration would be willing to do, if elected, to lessen federal cannabis restrictions. “Democrats will decriminalize marijuana use and reschedule it through executive action on the federal level,” the document stated.

Conventional wisdom says marijuana dispensaries make neighborhoods less safe, but a new study from UC Irvine suggests the conventional wisdom is wrong and that crime increases after cities move to close pot shops. “Given all the pretty strong rhetoric about dispensaries generating or at least attracting crime, it was not the result we expected,” said Mireille Jacobson, a health economics professor at UCI. “But I feel comfortable saying it’s very unlikely that these places are crime magnets.” Dispensaries seem to behave in this respect much like restaurants and other mainstream businesses, Jacobson said, helping to deter vehicle break-ins and other low-level crimes simply by putting more bystanders on the streets.

It's been a five years since Colorado's voters approved Constitutional Amendment 64, legalizing recreational marijuana in the state. Sales commenced four years ago this January. Although the amendment passed by a comfortable 10-point margin, the debate in Colorado has continued since prohibition ended, most recently flaring up with an editorial published in the Colorado Springs Gazette. The Gazette's editorial board referred to what has happened in Colorado as "an embarrassing cautionary tale," presenting a laundry list of the purported ill-effects of the change in the law. However, evidence from Colorado shows that marijuana legalization does not lead to increased teen usage, does not lead to increased homelessness, and does not lead to societal breakdown.

Banning a plant with hundreds of industrial and medical uses was never going to work out well, but 2022 saw marijuana prohibition reach peak absurdity, not to mention peak confusion for consumers and new businesses trying to make sense of it all. At first glance, cannabis reform appears to be humming along smoothly. Maryland, Missouri and Rhode Island approved legalization initiatives in 2022 as states such as New Mexico and New York raced to establish regulations for legal recreational sales. New laws in mostly blue states expunged cannabis arrests from criminal records for thousands of people. President Joe Biden made moves to pardon federal marijuana prisoners and reconsider the federal “scheduling” of marijuana...

Legal marijuana in Colorado may not bring in enough money to cover the societal costs of legalization, a study from a Colorado State University think tank concludes. The analysis also argues that revenue from marijuana taxes won't do much to help Colorado's budget and that money generated for new school construction won't reach the $40 million annual target that supporters of marijuana legalization set when campaigning for Amendment 64, the measure that legalized use, limited possession and commercial sale of marijuana for adults in Colorado.

More than 40 U.S. states could allow some form of legal marijuana by the end of 2020, including deep red Mississippi and South Dakota — and they’re doing it with the help of some conservatives. State lawmakers are teeing up their bills as legislative sessions kick off around the country, and advocates pushing ballot measures are racing to collect and certify signatures to meet deadlines for getting their questions to voters. Should they succeed, every state could have marijuana laws on the books that deviate from federal law, but people could still be prosecuted if they drive across state lines with their weed, because the total federal ban on marijuana isn’t expected to budge any time soon. (See also: Congress investigates lifting some cannabis restrictions)