The Lebanese parliament passed legislation to legalize cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial purposes, a move that was recommended by economic advisers even before the coronavirus pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the struggling economy. Under the new law, the cultivation of cannabis by farmers would be regulated within the country. Although the plant has long been widely and openly cultivated in Lebanon, particularly in the eastern Bekaa Valley, growing cannabis was strictly illegal. The new law would not legalize for recreational use. Instead, it would allow for the plant to be grown for export for medicinal and industrial purposes. (See also: Eyeing a $1 billion market, Lebanon's elites are looking to exploit cannabis cultivation, cutting small-scale farmers out of the deal)

Lebanon's parliament is set to vote on a law that would legalise the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial use in an effort to boost its crippled economy and curb illicit production of the psychoactive plant. The draft law, which has been endorsed by parliamentary committees and is now headed for a final vote, would only affect cannabis that contains less than one percent of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabidinol, or THC. Lebanon has cultivated the plant for at least 100 years and produces large amounts of hashish. Though illegal to produce, sell or use, it is widely available locally and is also illegally exported. Instead of dealing with that market, this bill would seek to create a new one involving types of cannabis plants that have not traditionally been cultivated in Lebanon.

The Bekaa Valley in Lebanon is notorious as one of the world's major cannabis-growing regions, producing some of the finest hashish. The country is the third biggest world producer after Morocco and Afghanistan, according to the UN. But the valley's residents have rarely felt the benefits. Now they are hoping their work will become legal after decades of crackdowns and raids. A draft bill has been introduced that would allow cultivation and use of cannabis for medical purposes. The idea has fueled dreams of Lebanon raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and exports, a desperately needed source of income for a country with low growth, high unemployment and one of the world's heaviest debt burdens. (See also: Cannabis in Lebanon: Production may be legal by the end of the year)

For three decades Abu Ali planted potatoes to provide for his family, but Lebanon's economic crisis has driven up production costs and forced him to swap the crop for cannabis. "It's not for the love of hashish," the 57-year-old told AFP in the eastern Baalbek region, the heart of Lebanon's illicit cannabis industry. "It's just less expensive than other crops... and allows you to live with dignity." Lebanon is in the throes of a spiralling economic crisis compounded by the coronavirus pandemic. As the value of the local currency plunges on the black market, the cost of imported fuel, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides priced in dollars has skyrocketed. More and more small farmers, who were already in dire straits before the crisis, are deciding to grow cannabis instead.

Lebanon is scrabbling to escape an existential, multilayered crisis that has gutted the currrency to less than a quarter of its previous value, brought the specter of shortages to a place renowned for its excess and spurred a full-scale rejection of the country’s ruling order. Lebanon is broke. It produces very little, relying on imports for almost everything, and dollars are scarce. In its desperate drive for foreign currency, it’s trying to develop homegrown industries, including taking advantage of what is its most famous export: Lebanese hash. The country is responsible for 6% of the global cannabis supply, making it the world’s third-largest exporter of the stuff, according to a report last year by the U.N.’s Office on Drugs and Crime — this, despite the fact that cannabis had until recently been illegal.

Lebanon is about to take a historic step for the Arab World with a proposed bill to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical use. But in the fertile Bekaa valley in Eastern Lebanon, where communities have been growing cannabis for generations, this news has not gone down well. VICE’s Rony Karkar finds out why Lebanon is so keen to legalize cannabis, and travels to the village of Yammouneh, where one of the main cannabis farming communities live, to find out why they think they’ll lose out if their livelihood becomes legal.

As Jamaica continues to promote medicinal cannabis to attract investors and spur the industry's development, entrepreneurs face significant hurdles due to the fact that, while their businesses are legal, they are still not able to access the country's banking services. This creates substantial challenges from sourcing investors to securing credit, conducting commercial operations, operating efficiently and taking advantage of growth opportunities. The current status quo stems from the fact that in the United States cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, even though there are states in which it is legal. As a result, the banking system is hesitant to engage with cannabis companies because banks would likely find themselves at odds with federal law if they do so.

The Netherlands’ long-awaited experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation starts in Tilburg and Breda on Friday. Coffeeshops in these two municipalities will be the first to sell weed that was legally grown and is required to meet certain quality standards. During this startup phase of the experiment, coffeeshops in Tilburg and Breda can sell both legal cannabis and weed bought under the tolerance policy. That is because only two legal growers are ready to supply the coffeeshops - not enough to meet their demand. In September, the government expected that another two growers would be ready to supply the Tilburg and Breda coffeeshops from February 2024. (See also: Netherlands begins trial to make cannabis fully legal)

Legislation to lay the framework for legal cannabis in Bermuda was tabled in the House of Assembly. Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Attorney-General and the Minister of Legal Affairs said the Cannabis Licensing Act 2020 would open the door for the legal use of cannabis in Bermuda by those over the age of 21. The long debated law also details for the framework for commercial cannabis production and sales including licences for importation, exportation and transport. Licences will be developed to allow the importation and exportation of cannabis to countries where the drug is lawful. The Bill would allow the minister to exclude powerful strains of cannabis. (See also: Bermuda plans adult-use, medical cannabis industry)

Luxembourg's plans to allow residents to grow four cannabis plants at their home have been thrown into question after the country's de-facto upper chamber stated the proposals would breach international law. Lawmakers who put forward the draft law "risk exposing themselves to criticism on the international level of non-conformity with international law," the State Council said in a legal opinion. While Luxembourg's plans would breach international law, they would conform with existing EU law, the state council found, given the country would not completely legalise cannabis. (See also: Cannabis cultivé chez soi : l’Europe ne dit pas non)

State-run hash and marijuana dispensaries won't be popping up in Copenhagen any time soon after the Justice Ministry this weekend turned down Copenhagen City Council's request to experiment with legalising cannabis in the city. In a letter to the council, the justice minister, Morten Bødskov (Socialdemokraterne), wrote that the government could not permit the experiment as they believed that legalising hash and marijuana would likely increase both availability and use, which was unwise given the range of side effects that cannabis has been linked to. The rejection was met with disappointment from members of the city council, including the deputy mayor for social affairs, Mikkel Warming (Enhedslisten).

If D.C. residents vote to legalize marijuana possession next week, it wouldn’t just mean a sea change in drug policy in the nation’s capital. It could also mean big business. A study by District financial officials shared with lawmakers estimates a legal D.C. cannabis market worth $130 million a year. The ballot initiative voters will see Tuesday does not allow for the legal sale of marijuana — only the possession and home cultivation of small amounts — but D.C. Council members gathered Thursday to hear testimony about what a legal sales regime might look like.

The introduction of medical marijuana laws has led to a sharp reduction in violent crime in US states that border Mexico, according to new research. According to the study, Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime, when a state on the Mexican border legalised medical use of the drug, violent crime fell by 13% on average. Most of the marijuana consumed in the US originates in Mexico, where seven major cartels control the illicit drug trade. The researchersstudied data from the FBI’s uniform crime reports and supplementary homicide records covering 1994 to 2012. (See also: Mexico maelstrom: how the drug violence got so bad)

More than nine months after California voted to legalize recreational marijuana, only a small share of the tens of thousands of cannabis farmers in Northern California have joined the system, according to law enforcement officers and cannabis growers. Despite the promise of a legal marketplace, many growers are staying in the shadows, casting doubt on the promise of a billion-dollar tax windfall for the state and a smooth switch to a regulated market. At the same time, environmental damage and crime associated with illegal cannabis businesses remain entrenched in the state despite legalization, law enforcement officials say.

In 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana -- which came into effect four years later -- permitting its sale in pharmacies, a move that helped to push many drug traffickers out of the domestic market. But a bland and insufficient state supply has meant most consumers still prefer the diversity of the black market. There are three legal ways for registered users to get hold of marijuana: purchasing it at pharmacies, through home growing for personal use, and by belonging to an official cannabis club. The most sought after legal method is membership of one of the 249 consumer clubs, which offer a greater variety to their 7,166 members than pharmacies. But many clubs have long waiting lists as they are limited by law to between 15 and 45 members.

Sales of regulated adult-use cannabis in Canada overtook illegal transactions for the first time in the third quarter of 2020, according to new Statistics Canada data. That development demonstrates the success of legalization in these early years, experts say, though more needs to be done regarding taxes and promotions rules to put the regulated industry on firmer ground to compete with the legacy market. Falling prices, a wider breadth of consistent inventory and growing retail options have all contributed to the legal market’s success. Spending on nonmedical cannabis products in the third quarter of last year reached 824 million Canadian dollars ($644 million).

Thailand legalized the growing of marijuana and its consumption in food and drinks on June 9 and removed cannabis from its list of banned narcotics. The Southeast Asian country hoped the move would boost its agriculture and tourism industry and allow the plant to be used for medical purposes. But lawmakers have failed to come to an agreement on how to regulate and control the new thriving industry. "We are against legalizing weed in an uncontrolled manner that has been happening since the health minister delisted cannabis as a narcotic without regulation that can really be enforced," the leader of the opposition Move Forward Party, Pita Limjaroenrat said, during the bill's second reading. Uncertainty is expected to continue...

«Est-ce que la légalisation envisagée ne posera pas plus de questions pratiques qu’elle n’en résoudra, notamment par rapport aux contrôles du nombre de plants autorisés pour la culture par une communauté domestique?» C’est Brigitte Konz, la présidente du tribunal d’arrondissement de Diekirch, qui résume le mieux les nombreuses interrogations énoncées dans les avis rendus par les autorités judiciaires sur le projet de loi visant à légaliser partiellement le cannabis récréatif au Luxembourg. La liste des «difficultés et incongruités» mises en avant notamment par le parquet général est longue : contradictions, inégalités de traitement, manque de clarté, oublis, grave erreur de logique ou encore porte grande ouverte aux abus. Bref, la ministre de la Justice, Sam Tanson, est renvoyée à ses études.

La volonté du Grand-Duché de légaliser le cannabis récréatif est clairement opposée à l’engagement pris pour limiter l’usage de cette substance à des fins médicales ou scientifiques. L’Organe international de contrôle des stupéfiants (OICS) confirme que «la légalisation du cannabis à des fins non médicales par un État parti à la convention de 1961 constituerait une violation manifeste des obligations juridiques qui lui incombent». Cette limitation reste «un principe fondamental auquel aucune dérogation n’est permise». La tournure diplomatique pour répondre à l’OICS est que «le Luxembourg reste engagé en ce qui concerne la mise en œuvre des conventions et reste ouvert à discuter avec les autres pays et organisations des problèmes qui résulteraient éventuellement de la légalisation nationale».

La légalisation du cannabis est un sujet complexe. Dernièrement, plusieurs personnalités prônant la recherche d’une solution réaliste et réalisable. S’agit-il d’une précampagne électorale pour séduire la population cible, notamment celle du nord du pays, ou d’une initiative sérieuse et audacieuse pour trouver une issue favorable à la question qui pèse toujours sur plusieurs familles du Rif? Mohamed Belmir, politologue, est catégorique à ce sujet : «C’est devenu une coutume à l’approche de chaque scrutin notamment législatif. Les partis veulent séduire les électeurs en jouant sur les sujets les plus préoccupants, notamment le calvaire des recherchés et la légalisation du cannabis. Une fois l’échéance électorale passée, ce sera le calme absolu et ces sujets ne seront évoqués que sporadiquement».