Senate majority leader Ricardo Monreal expects a law to be passed before December for recreational use of the drug, allowing regulated private firms to sell it to the public. Indeed the legal cannabis industry is already a multi-billion-dollar global trade, and some big players, including Canada’s Canopy Growth and The Green Organic Dutchman, and a unit of California-based Medical Marijuana Inc, told Reuters they were eager to tap the new Mexican market. While a growing cannabis industry promises to be a money-spinner, it faces resistance from campaigners who are worried that regulations for both medical and non-medical cannabis will heavily favor big, often foreign corporations.

The commissions of Justice, Health, and Legislative Studies of Mexico’s Senate broadly approved the ruling that seeks to regulate cannabis. During over two hours of discussion, senators from different parties generally approved, with 26 votes in favor, 7 against, and 8 abstentions, the document that proposes the regulation of cannabis from a medical, recreational, and industrial perspective. Likewise, the ruling proposed the creation of a Law for the Regulation of Cannabis, as well as reforms and additions to several dispositions of the General Law on Health and the Federal Penal Code. The approval does not mean that it has been endorsed by all parties but that now, specific points of the document must be reviewed and discussed in the plenary. (See also: The time when drugs were legal in Mexico)

Just over a year after the last government passed two now-defunct draft bills to legalize and decriminalize recreational cannabis, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation voted to advance a bill that would decriminalize the possession of up to 50 grams of cannabis or 15 cannabis seeds for individual recreational use. The law would also change the current fines system for cannabis use in public. While users now face first time offense fines of NIS 1,000 and second time offense fines of NIS 2,000 before criminal charges are issued, the new law would lower the fines to NIS 500 and eliminate the option to criminalize the user.

Ministers will publish their proposals for the planned experiment with legal marijuana cultivation by the summer, justice minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus has told Dutch parliament in a briefing. The new government pledged to experiment with cultivating marijuana in an effort to remove the grey area between illegal supply and licenced cannabis cafes or coffee shops, where small amounts of marijuana can be bought for personal use. A specialist commission is due to report on how the experiment should be carried out by May 31, 2018. The experiment itself will run for four years in six to 10 local authority areas. (See also: Design of cannabis cultivation experiment to be clarified in the course of 2018 | Coffee shops react with caution)

El ministro de Turismo, Germán Cardoso, entiende que la venta legal de marihuana para turistas "tiene que formar parte del debate" que se dé entre los partidos que integran la coalición de gobierno liderada por el presidente Luis Lacalle Pou. El exdiputado colorado dijo que no tiene "del todo claro" si corresponde definir una política de turismo, pero cree que el gobierno tiene que analizar la ley que regula la venta, producción y consumo de cannabis en Uruguay. "Por lo menos tenemos que hacer el intento de analizarlo y allí introducir modificaciones", sostuvo. Cardoso cree que es "absolutamente contradictorio" que en la norma no estén contemplados los turistas que vienen al país porque, a su entender, se los está "obligando a la ilegalidad".

La posible venta de marihuana a extranjeros ha sido motivo de debate recurrente en el mapa político nacional, y la discusión se renueva cada vez que se acerca una nueva temporada de verano, la época en la que más turistas llegan al Uruguay. Es que se presume que son muchos los extranjeros que, estando en Uruguay, desean fumar cannabis, pero como la venta en farmacias está prohibida para quienes no sean ciudadanos uruguayos ni tengan residencia permanente en el país, terminan en el mercado negro. Y, precisamente, desde un inicio uno de los objetivos centrales de la ley de regulación y control del cannabis, de 2013, era quitarle este mercado al narcotráfico. En este contexto es que ingresó hace más de un año al Parlamento un proyecto de ley del diputado del Frente Amplio Eduardo Antonini.

The Ministry of Public Health will next year push for legalisation of all cannabis parts, lifting the last remaining hurdle preventing full use and commercialisation of the plant. Thailand earlier removed stems, roots, leaves and sprigs of cannabis from its Category 5 narcotics list, but kept flowers and buds on it. The new Narcotics Code no longer has cannabis and hemp on it. The next step is for the ministry to announce a revised narcotics list of all five categories based on the new law. Cannabis in all but one form will no longer be on it, minister Anutin Charnvirakul said. The only exception is cannabidiol (CBD) extracts with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of more than 0.2%, he added. (See also: Rethinking cannabis)

It was a happy – and seemingly high – new year in Illinois after cannabis sales of more than $3m were made on the first day of the drug being legal for recreational use in the state. Some 37 dispensaries made 77,128 transactions as thousands of residents saw in the start of 2020 by lighting up. "The amazing thing about that is that there's a significant portion of these dollars that go directly into this community reinvestment fund, so we can continue to rebuild communities that have been hardest hit by the war on drugs," said Toi Hutchinson, senior adviser for cannabis control. Illinois is now the 11th US state to legalise the sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes.

More than half of the European population support legalization of adult use of cannabis and around 30% of them are interested in purchasing it, according to polling data by industry consultants. Europe's liberal approach could reap multiple financial and economic benefits as seen in the United States, which has witnessed a surge in cannabis use during pandemic-induced lockdowns. While majority of Europeans support regulated cannabis shops, most do not favor growing the plant at home, according to the report by London-based consultancy Hanway and pot producer Curaleaf International. The report comes a week after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to end the federal ban on marijuana.

Morocco’s government adopted bill 13-21, intending to legalize the production of cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic use in its weekly meeting after a few weeks of discussion. After the approval, Morocco will be among the first countries on the African continent to permit the use of cannabis for medical and therapeutic purposes. Observers were certain Morocco would make such a move after the country voted to remove cannabis from the list of the UN’s Schedule IV category of drugs that have limited or no therapeutic use. The North African country was the only member of the UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs (NCD) in the MENA to vote in favor of the cannabis’ removal from the list of toxic substances. (See also: Morocco’s new cannabis legalization bill explained)

The Cannabis Activities Regulatory Agency (ANRAC), a brand new organization to regulate the legal cultivation of cannabis, issued ten permits for processing and manufacturing cannabis in Morocco. The agency also granted permission to market and export cannabis and its derivatives for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial purposes. According to a statement issued by ANRAC on October 4, this measure is part of the execution of Law 13-21 on the legal uses of this plant. Following the issuance of the first batch of authorizations, ANRAC will begin authorizing farmers to legally cultivate and produce cannabis within a tightly regulated framework of agricultural cooperatives.

Farmers have planted the first legal cannabis crop in Morocco, long a top producer of black-market hashish. For now, it’s shaping up to be a modest entry into the above-board market, but hopes are high the nation will one day become a key supplier to the steadily opening European market. The country’s first growing season began in June after legal cultivation was authorized to a group of farmers and companies for medical and industrial use. The government has touted the project as an opportunity to boost revenue, create jobs and protect the environment. Cultivation for recreational use is still banned, however, which experts say limits how quickly the industry will be able to grow.

2023 may be the year of his first legal cannabis harvest in Morocco. After years of semi-underground, Aziz has decided to move over to "the legal side." The farmer from the Rif, a mountainous region in northern Morocco that is home to one of the world's largest cannabis-producing areas, intends to turn his back on drug traffickers and sell his kif to companies involved in the manufacture of cannabis products. "Two Americans came to the village a few days ago," he said. "They want to build a factory in the area and will need large quantities. They are interested in our plants. We haven't talked about price yet." "What I fear is that the benefits will go to the state, laboratories and multinationals and that we will be left behind," said Farid, in his fifties, who grows kif in a nearby village.

After several amendments, Morocco's House of Councilors has approved the hotly-debated bill on the limited legalization of cannabis for medical purposes. Morocco's Parliament put Bill No. 13.21, concerning the commercialization and legal uses of cannabis, up for vote during today’s governmental plenary session. It passed by a majority vote, with 41 advisers voting for and 11 voting against. The bill aims to improve Moroccan farmers' income as well as to give rise to "promising and sustainable" job opportunities in the country's rural regions. Interior Minister Abdel-Wafi Laftit, who introduced the draft bill at the session, underlined that the main goal of the bill is to improve cannabis farmers' quality of life and general wellbeing.

Morocco is legalizing cannabis at a breakneck pace, with its legalization bill likely to receive approval within a month of its conception. The bill, so far only available in Arabic, contains a wealth of information on the government’s framework on which it aims to build a legal cannabis industry. Many sections of the bill, primarily involving the domestic market, require additional legislation, yet the bill in its current state allows for a good overview of Morocco’s intended cannabis framework. One noticeable missing element in the bill is any mention of the rights and obligations of future domestic medical cannabis users. However, the bill does include most provisions for international export.

Following its first meeting yesterday, Morocco’s cannabis watchdog agency is now officially operational. The agency is set to oversee the cultivation and use of cannabis for medical and commercial purposes. The milestone comes months after the country adopted provisional legislation in 2021 to regulate the cultivation and industrial use of cannabis. Chaired by Morocco’s Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, the agency deliberated on a number of measures relating to the agency’s internal organization including management of its 2022 budget. On the list of the agency’s responsibilities is overseeing activities along the cannabis production chain, starting from acquiring seeds to the marketing and export of cannabis-based products. (See also: Morocco to ensure ‘positive impact’ on legal cannabis growers)

Morocco’s House of Representatives adopted today Bill 13.21 on the legal use of cannabisfor medical purposes. The bill received a majority of votes (199) against 48 votes, who  voted no. The Justice and Development Party (PJD) was the only party of the government majority who rejected the bill. Morocco’s government first adopted bill 13-21 on March 11. The decision to adopt the bill made Morocco the first African country to allow the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The Ministry of Interior said in a statement the bill will benefit farmers by raising their incomes. The bill is expected to create “promising and stable job opportunities,” it argued.

The legalisation of recreational cannabis is “possible” in France, and the country should hold a public consultation or referendum on its use, the head of a parliamentary commission on the subject has said. The suggestion was made by Jean-Baptiste Moreau, MP for Creuse and the head of a parliamentary commission on the use of recreational cannabis. On Sunday February 28, he said: “We will make proposals within a month." He said that “decriminalisation would not be enough” and that the government would need to establish a system of “checks on the quality of products and the price of products sold”. Asked if he believed that the legalisation of recreational cannabis would be politically possible in France, the MP said: “I think so.”