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Yemen’s qat markets flourish despite virus threat
Policemen can be seen on the streets chewing the green plant
Arab News
Saturday, May 2, 2020
While many of the world’s markets have closed to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, downtown districts selling qat — the ubiquitous mild narcotic — still bustle with people. Flouting social distancing rules, Yemenis jostle to select bunches of the chewable leaf from vendors packed into the narrow lanes crowded with stalls. “If the qat markets were closed, believe me when I say that 98 percent of Yemeni people would object,” Sanaa resident and avid consumer Ali Al-Zubeiry told AFP. Many Yemenis resorted to selling qat after the war broke out and their salaries dried up. (See also: Khat traders, farmers take a hit amid coronavirus pandemic) -
Government reveals cannabis referendum legalisation details
The cannabis market would be overseen by the Cannabis Regulatory Authority
Stuff (New Zealand)
Friday, May 1, 2020
Proposed cannabis legalisation will ban items designed to appeal to young people, set a four-year prison term for selling to under 20-year-olds and allow cannabis 'coffee shops' to open. The Government released details of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, which will be voted on in one of two referendums at this year’s general election. It was released in draft form in December last year. The final version also confirmed the wording of the cannabis referendum question will be a straight 'Yes or No' option. The Bill sets out the regulation regime that would legalise the production, possession and uses of cannabis in New Zealand for those aged 20 years and older. (See also: Reeferendum: Proposed big fines for cannabis corporates, 'help not handcuffs' for young cannabis users) -
Is Lebanon's legalisation of cannabis an economic lifeline or an opportunity for corruption?
The plan's popularity among MPs and elites could be based on the potential for a few to make their millions, rather than a widespread cross-societal financial gain
Middle East Monitor
Friday, May 1, 2020
Lebanon last week legalised the cultivation and export of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes. The move is intended to provide an economic stimulus for the country's ailing economy, at least that's the stated aim. Legalisation of the industry in a country which is the world's third largest producer of cannabis, according to the UN Office on Drugs Crime (UNODC), was advocated as a financial rescue plan as early as 2018 in a report by McKinsey & Co, commissioned by the Lebanese government to set out a five-year plan to rescue the economy. Successive Lebanese governments have moved towards legalisation of cannabis, reasoning that the financial benefits outweigh moral objections. Will, though, the industry become an economic lifeline, or simply another opportunity for corruption? -
Lebanon has legalised cannabis growing, but its political class are muscling in on small farmers
Eyeing a $1 billion market, Lebanon's elites are looking to exploit the cannabis cultivation industry, cutting existing small-scale farmers out of the deal
The New Arab (UK)
Monday, April 27, 2020
Lebanon is set to become the first Arab country to legalise the growing and export of medical cannabis in hopes of rescuing the economy - at least that's the stated objective. To be fair, the industry does have the potential to generate $1 billion, according to a report by the American consultancy firm McKinsey and Company. That report - commissioned by the Lebanese government in 2018 - had some MPs salivating at the prospect of fattening their pockets. Lebanon's elites are looking to exploit the cannabis cultivation industry, cutting existing small-scale farmers out of the deal. The government hasn't consulted with Bekaa farmers about its new plan, leaving communities to believe that they are being blatantly ignored. (See also: Lebanon legalises cannabis cultivation) -
Brazil's health regulatory agency approves sale of first marijuana-based product
Cannabidiol compound oil may be sold in pharmacies, with a special control recipe
Folha de S. Paulo (Brazil)
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved the registration of the first cannabis-based product in the country. Cannabidiol oil may be sold in pharmacies only with a special prescription provided by local health surveillance. This is the first registration granted by the agency since the agency approved a regulation that opens space for the sale of cannabis-based products in these locations, based on some criteria. The agency created a new category of plant-based products, different from the one used for medicines. The product is a phytopharmaceutical based on cannabidiol. This component of cannabis has a therapeutic effect on some conditions. (See also: Brazil approves first medical cannabis product under 2019 regulations) -
Peruvian coca farmers to Paris pushers, coronavirus upends global narcotics trade
The disruptions are likely to be short-lived, cartels have proven adept at surmounting any obstacles
Reuters (UK)
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
The coronavirus outbreak has upended industries across the globe. The international narcotics trade has not been spared. From the cartel badlands along the U.S.-Mexico border and verdant coca fields of the Andes, to street dealers in London and Paris, traffickers are grappling with many of the same woes as legitimate businesses. On three continents, Reuters spoke with more than two dozen law enforcement officials, narcotics experts, diplomats and people involved in the illicit trade. They described a business experiencing busted supply chains, delivery delays, disgruntled workers and millions of customers on lockdown. They also gave a window into the innovation - and opportunism - that are hallmarks of the underworld. -
Portugal’s answer to the heroin crisis
Why Philadelphia is looking to Europe for help with America’s worst big-city drug epidemic
The Philadelphia Inquirer (US)
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
After years of mounting overdoses, HIV infections and rampant heroin addiction, Portugal opted in 2001 for a daring experiment: The country decriminalized the use of all drugs. It was an unprecedented move, and one that still garners worldwide attention, including from health-care professionals and government officials looking for answers to their hometown drug crises. Portugal’s policy shift wasn’t instituted without controversy. In a deeply Catholic country of only 10 million — just a generation removed from the yoke of a repressive fascist government — stigma toward drug users runs high. Critics raised fears that the policy would increase addiction and turn the country into a haven for drug users. -
Lebanon passes legislation legalizing medical marijuana cultivation as economy struggles amid coronavirus fallout
Lebanon has been publicly discussing the possibility of legalizing cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes for nearly two years
Newsweek (US)
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
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) -
Cannabis cultivation could be a key economic driver for reconstruction after Covid-19
There are also noteworthy climate crisis mitigation benefits to cannabis farming and the possibility to access climate funding to roll out an industrial cannabis strategy
Daily Maverick (South Africa)
Monday, April 20, 2020
The potential for cannabis in South Africa is enormous. The country has drought-resistant acclimatised genetic strains that have naturalised over hundreds of years, combined with tens of thousands of existing farmers who are familiar with the crop and how to grow it. The country’s long history of illicit cannabis production and export puts us in a strong position to develop a local cannabis market that unlocks the entire value chain, stimulates economic growth and generates substantial tax revenue for the fiscus. Early estimates for a co-operative farming and agro-processing model based on empowering small farmers as a strategy to regenerate rural economies indicate considerable economic potential. -
Canopy Growth exits cannabis cultivation on three continents in major international pullback
Canopy expects to take a financial hit of up to CA$800 million in the fourth quarter
Marijuana Business Daily (US)
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Canopy Growth is ceasing cannabis cultivation in Africa, Canada, Colombia and the United States in a bid to “improve efficiencies” in its global operations. The company also said it is eliminating 85 full-time positions. Almost half the workforce reduction is coming from the company’s Colombian operations. The downsizing does not affect Europe. Canopy’s pullback comes after Canadian producers raked up collective net losses exceeding 6 billion Canadian dollars ($4.5 billion) in 2019, the first calendar year recreational cannabis products were allowed to be sold in Canada. Many companies, including Canopy and competitor Aurora Cannabis, invested heavily in far-flung areas of the world, where actual medical marijuana markets remain years – maybe decades – away.
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