cannabis

Special permit to enable more small farmers to enter medical cannabis field

The Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) says the Cultivator's (Transitional) Special Permit Policy, which is in an advanced stage of completion, will enable more small and subsistence farmers to access the opportunities available within the medicinal cannabis industry. Acting senior legal officer at the CLA, Sheldon Reid, in a JIS interview said that the special permit, which will last for two years, will allow farmers to continue to cultivate while they prepare to transition to licensing status. He noted that the cost of obtaining a licence is prohibitive for some small and subsistence farmers, and argued that the permit will provide another avenue for them to enter the legal sector.
St Kitts Gov't tables legislation to allow for marijuana use

The St Kitts-Nevis government said it would table legislation in the Parliament allowing for the regulated and controlled use of marijuana for medicinal, scientific, religious and recreational purposes amendmending the Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse of Drugs) (Amendment) Bill, 2019. “The far-reaching legislative amendments come after the Cabinet established a National Marijuana Commission to ascertain the views of citizens and residents on cannabis use,” noting that the consultations, which were chaired by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Hazel Laws, had “found unanimous agreements for the decriminalisation of marijuana in the Federation”. (See also: St Kitts-Nevis review of Cannabis laws reflect changing view)
St Lucia Cannabis Movement commends Jamaica for passing 'Ganja Bill'

Chairman of the Cannabis Movement of St Lucia, Andre De Caires, has welcomed Jamaica's decision to give the green light to the so-called Ganja Bill, but chided authorities in St Lucia for dragging their feet on the issue. “I feel more angry than vindicated,” De Caires told reporters adding that he had been advocating for years for the decriminalization of marijuana here, to no avail. Pointing to the current economic challenges facing St Lucia, he said that decriminalizing marijuana could be this country’s salvation.
St Vincent hops onto ganja train

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Parliament has amended legislation that would make smoking two ounces (56 grammes) or less of marijuana a ticketable offence, if the offender admits to the crime. Under the new law, a person who is in possession of up to two ounces of marijuana cannot be arrested, cannot be jailed, and would not get a criminal record as a result. The law also makes it legal for persons to use the drug in their home or at places of Rastafarian worship. If the new law gets the approval of lawmakers, possession of up to two ounces of marijuana is still a criminal offence, but the maximum penalty that the court can impose is EC$500 dollars. (See also: Contradictions in new ganja law — Friday)
St Vincent Parliament approves legislation decriminalising marijuana

St Vincent and the Grenadines has become the first Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member to pass legislation allowing for the decriminalisation of marijuana for medicinal and scientific purposes. Parliament approved two pieces of legislation that also allows for the production of the crop under a tightly controlled framework. Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar, who piloted the measure, said that it would end many of the sufferings people had endured in the illegal marijuana trade. Lawmakers also approved the Medical Marijuana Amnesty Bill amidst calls by the Opposition and some members of the Rastafarian for the Ralph Gonsalves Government to go the full length and legalise small portions of the plant for recreational use.
Stadt Köln prüft Cannabis-Vorstoß der Bezirksvertretung Innenstadt

Geht es nach der Bezirksvertretung Innenstadt, gibt es in Köln in Zukunft an einigen lizensierten Abgabestellen Cannabis legal und kontrolliert zu kaufen. Oberbürgermeister Jürgen Roters will das Vorhaben zeitnah prüfen. Die Bezirksvertretung Innenstadt hatte mit den Stimmen von Grünen und Piraten beschlossen, die Stadtverwaltung aufzufordern, eine Ausnahmegenehmigung beim Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel zu erwirken.
Stand for craft: How Canada’s craft cannabis cultivators are pushing for tax reform

It’s been just three short years since cannabis was legalized in Canada, but it’s already clear the nation’s exorbitant taxation on cannabis cultivators is not only unsustainable; it’s killing craft growers that are paying more in tax than they earn in margins. Earlier this month, Tantalus Labs CEO Dan Sutton outlined exactly how problematic Canada’s cannabis excise tax is, with small businesses paying as much as 30 percent of their top line revenues to it, in a Twitter thread. “We are milking a calf to death,” he wrote. The industry emphatically agreed, and since then, the conversation has evolved into a campaign to raise the issue with lawmakers.
Standortfaktor Dope

Um die Drogengeschäfte auf der Straße einzudämmen, setzt sich der Stadtteilbeirat, ein beratendes Gremium aus Anwohnern, fürs legale Kiffen ein. In einem Coffeeshop sollen über 18-Jährige wie in den Niederlanden weiche Drogen kaufen können, berichtet der NDR. Ein ähnliches Modellprojekt wird gerade in Berlin-Kreuzberg geprüft. Für eine Legalisierung müsste jedoch das Betäubungsmittelgesetz auf Bundesebene geändert werden. (Kölner Grüne fordern Cannabis-Verkaufstellen)
Starting this summer, cannabis will be available for purchase in Basel pharmacies – at prices similar to those on the black market

In the evening after work, before closing time, a quick visit to the dispensary to buy one or two joints legally will soon become routine for around 400 cannabis lovers in Basel. For the first time in Switzerland, a broad-based study is being carried out in the canton of Basel-Stadt in order to investigate cannabis consumption behavior. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) approved the first of several pilot studies with which various cities want to analyze the consequences of a legal sale of cannabis. Cities have been working toward these trials for years. The Basel project will initially last two and a half years, after which a balance sheet will be drawn up.
State and city reach agreement to close down Pusher Street

Pusher Street is no ordinary thoroughfare. For decades, it has housed numerous stalls selling cannabis to the public in open view. During that time, the state has been reasonably tolerant, but about a decade ago it ramped up its policing of the area. Since then, arrests of drug dealers have increased and cannabis buyers are often targeted as they leave the freetown. In the meantime, the local municipality has been waging its own war. Decriminalising the sale of cannabis, argues mayor Sophie Hæstop Andersen, would put many drug dealers out of business and lead to a fall in crime. It is a matter that the state and capital city rarely agree on … until yesterday.
State cannabis sales will not be implemented in current legislative period

Ministers Claude Meisch, Paulette Lenert and Sam Tanson presented a new bill, which would lead to the installation of 14 state sales points around the country as part of the recreational cannabis pilot project. Consumers would be able to purchase up to 5 grams a day, or 30 grams a month, with two government production licences to be awarded. However, the pilot project has not yet been established in a legal text, and is expected to be presented to the EU Commission soon. It is not yet known when it is due to start, although it is thought it will not take place until the next parliamentary period. The bill on growing up to four cannabis plants at home, however, has been improved and is likely to be pushed through as part of a first phase. (See also in German: Cannabis ganz legal an 14 Verkaufspunkten im Land - irgendwann)
State Department’s permissive reading of international drug treaties is ‘good sign’ for marijuana rescheduling, lawyer says

Recent comments by a U.S. State Department official to a United Nations (UN) drug commission are being seen by some legal experts as “a good sign” for marijuana’s potential domestic move to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), at least in terms of clearing the country’s obligations under international law. Patt Prugh, a senior legal advisor and the primary counsel for the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, told the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) that the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and other global drug conventions take a “highly respectful” stance toward member states’ domestic policies that don’t have an “international dimension” and ought to be weighed against their duties to protect human rights.
State marijuana packaging must be ‘as unattractive as possible’

More rules about the pending experiments with regulated marijuana production are becoming clear. In particular, officials are keen to make sure non-users do not take up the habit, so state-produced cannabis will be sold in ‘unattractive’ packaging. Growers may only use the Helvetica typeface on the packages and black ink. In addition the packet must be ‘free of all processing and branding which could make it more appealing’. Nor may the packaging state what the likely effect of taking the drug is. The package must, however, also include a health warning. The government said in August it will press ahead with trials of regulated marijuana production with the maximum 10 cities when the experiment starts in 2021.
State of the Evidence: Cannabis Use and Regulation

As more and more jurisdictions reconsider their cannabis policies, the public discourse is filled with conflicting evidence about the impacts of cannabis use and regulation. Cannabis causes schizophrenia. Cannabis is as addictive as heroin. Cannabis regulation leads to increased traffic fatalities. We hear claims like these all the time – but are they based on science? In our latest reports, the ICSDP investigates and provides comprehensive evaluations of the evidence for and against each claim.

Download the report (PDF) | Cannabis claims website
Stir it up: Bob Marley to headline corporate cannabis brand

The Marley family and a Seattle-based private equity firm announced the creation of Marley Natural, "a premium cannabis brand rooted in the life and legacy" of one of marijuana’s most devoted sons. Marley Natural will look like a modern consumer product, cleanly packaged and marketed with the help of the same agency that branded New Balance and Starbucks Coffee. The cannabis will be sold as "loose packed" buds, oils or concentrate. "This is what the end of prohibition looks like," said Brendan Kennedy, CEO of Privateer Holdings, which owns Marley Natural. (See also: Riding high: Is pot poised for a (legal) business boom | Marley Natural: The weed that manages to sell out both Bob Marley and Jamaica)
Stoners cheered when Canada legalised cannabis. How did it go so wrong?

Two years on, the Canadian cannabis legalisation experiment hasn’t quite turned out as we reformers had hoped. The black market is still vibrant while cannabis stocks have crashed, medical patients say they can’t get hold of essential medicines, and thousands of jobs have been lost. So what went wrong – and what went right? Alastair Moore, co-founder of Hanway Associates, a London-based cannabis consultancy, says the Canadian industry has been driven by vulture capitalism and wishful thinking. “A mix of greed and naivety led this industry to great heights – and has left it on its knees. While some made lots of money, others lost their investments and now many others have lost their jobs.”
Strike cannabis off Controlled Substances Act

Cannabis guru Ras Iyah V says the time has come for developing nations, including those of the Caribbean, to collectively lobby the US to strike cannabis from its Controlled Substances Act. “It is important for Jamaica to align itself with Third World countries, starting with the Caribbean, because you have all of these Caribbean countries that will be embarking on a cannabis programme, who have gone as far as amending their laws to be establishing an industry in their respective countries.” St Vincent and the Grenadines Minister of Agriculture, Saboto Caesar appealed for CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States to partner in the development of standards governing the negotiation of cannabis trade agreements for their member states.
Study examines if CBD buffers THC’s effects

A study published in Neuropsychology attempted to determine if CBD reduces the adverse effects of THC, such as paranoia and memory loss, but found little evidence to support this theory. Study participants were observed and both pleasurable effects as well as adverse effects like paranoia and memory recall were recorded. The study, called “Does cannabidiol make cannabis safer? A randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial of cannabis with four different CBD:THC ratios” aimed to determine if increasing the amount of CBD can reduce the “harmful effects” of cannabis—notably from THC. The study also suggests that people who report better effects from CBD:THC products say so because they consume less THC rather than any buffering effects from CBD. (See also: Cannabis not made safer by increasing its CBD content)
Study finds CBD effective in treating heroin addiction

Cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive ingredient in hemp and marijuana, could treat opioid addiction, a new study says. Given to patients with heroin addiction, cannabidiol, also known as CBD, reduced their cravings for the illicit drug as well as their levels of anxiety. "The intense craving is what drives the drug use," said Yasmin Hurd, the lead researcher on the study and director of the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai. "If we can have the medications that can dampen that [craving], that can greatly reduce the chance of relapse and overdose risk." The available medications for opioid addiction, such as buprenorphine and methadone, act in a similar way, curbing cravings.
Study finds declining trend in prevalence of cannabis use disorder among frequent users

The prevalence of cannabis use disorder decreased in 2002 to 2016 among frequent users,, according to a new study conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Changes in social attitudes and the traits of frequent users may explain the decline, according to researchers. This is one of the first studies to examine the general health profile of people using cannabis daily or almost daily and the trends in the prevalence of cannabis use disorder in this population. The findings are online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. (See also: Marijuana use tied to lower rates of depression and suicidal ideation among PTSD patients)