• Single joint linked with temporary psychiatric symptoms, review finds

    In the review of available evidence, the authors systematically examined 15 studies that took place in clinical settings
    CNN Health (US)
    Wednesday, March 18, 2020

    cannabinoidsAround the world tens of millions of people use cannabis. It's legal for recreational use in 11 US states and Canada. In these and some other places, it's also approved to treat some medical conditions. But a new analysis highlights that the debate over marijuana's health risks and benefits is complicated and depends on the active compounds involved. A review of existing research published in Lancet Psychiatry found that a single dose of the main psychoactive ingredient (THC) in cannabis -- equal to one joint -- in otherwise healthy people, can temporarily induce psychiatric symptoms, including those associated with schizophrenia. (See also: Can we make cannabis safer?)

  • Safe injection sites: Coronavirus underlines why they make sense

    The most crucial feature of these programs during the coronavirus pandemic is that these programs offer testing
    New York Daily News (US)
    Tuesday, March 17, 2020

    dcr vancouverAs cases of COVID-19 infections and fatalities begin to surge, an aggressive testing campaign is finally getting underway across the nation. Americans are urged to practice “social distancing,” and self-quarantining. Unfortunately, these essential public health strategies are not reaching the population of people addicted to injectable drugs, threatening everyone’s health. Needle exchange programs and safe injection sites bring these desperately-needed interventions to that community. Perhaps most importantly, they can ensure that these users are tested for COVID-19. Many people who inject drugs are immunocompromised, malnourished, and live on the streets. They are therefore more vulnerable to a severe and fatal infection. (See also: How harm reduction is responding to the pandemic)

  • Cannabis cafes can offer takeaways to head off the return of street dealers

    Dutch queued for cannabis as coronavirus closed cafes
    Dutch News (Netherlands)
    Monday, March 16, 2020

    nl coffeeshop queue coronaDutch cannabis cafes, or coffee shops, have been told they can open their doors for ‘takeaway’ deals, a day after the government ordered them shut until April 6 as part of the coronavirus clampdown. The ‘coffee shops’ now fall under the same rules as takeaway restaurants and snack bars and can sell to customers provided they don’t consume on the premises and do meet hygiene rules, officials have decided. On Sunday photographs of queues of people outside coffee shops ahead of the 6pm shutdown went global. Almost immediately, street and online drugs dealers made their presence felt, forcing mayors to urge the government to relax the rules. (See also: Dutch queue for cannabis as coronavirus closes cafes | Weed back on sale in coffee shops even as Amsterdam locks down)

  • Native American churches request that peyote not be Included in decriminalization initiatives

    Alongside the struggles with the government, there has been peyote depletion in the U.S. that even many Native American church members are not aware of
    Psymposia (US)
    Monday, March 16, 2020

    peyoteThe National Council of Native American Churches (NCNAC) and the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative (IPCI) released a statement on March 12, 2020 asking psychedelic plant and fungi decriminalization efforts not to include peyote in their initiatives. “It is extremely important that peyote be preserved for utilization by and for indigenous peoples. Broken treaties in this land, the preciousness of native traditions, ecological threats to the medicine itself, and the importance of spiritual respect in its use makes peyote a tenuous plant to include explicitly in any decriminalization effort,” the statement reads.

  • Lebanon set to legalise medical, industrial cannabis cultivation

    Critics say draft law fails to address criminalisation of drug use
    Al Jazeera (Qatar)
    Thursday, March 12, 2020

    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.

  • ‘Legalise cannabis’: Tripura BJP leader writes to PM Modi

    The letter from Prasenjit Chakraborty comes at a time the BJP-led government in Tripura has launched a crackdown on cannabis
    The Indian Express (India)
    Wednesday, March 11, 2020

    india tripura cannabis seizureAs the Tripura government continues its crackdown on cannabis, a state BJP leader has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking legalisation of the drug across the country for medicinal and industrial purposes. Prasenjit Chakraborty, former state BJP spokesperson and founder of Janajagaran Mancha, a social service organisation, said in his letter that the country can benefit from proper and scientific application of cannabis, or ‘ganja’. Chakraborty requested the PM to form a high-power commission to research the subject and tell the government about the benefits of cannabis as a medicinal plant and as raw material in industrial applications. (See also: Jammu and Kashmir first in country to develop medicines from cannabis; institute signs pact with Canadian firm)

  • Glyphosate and cocaine: Colombia's next drug war?

    As cocaine production rises, Donald Trump is increasing the pressure to curb it and insisting Colombia should spray its fields with glyphosate again
    Deutsche Welle (Germany)
    Monday, March 9, 2020

    colombia fumigation soldiersPedro Arenas is afraid that they'll take flight again. "I expect it could be within the next months," he says. Since the end of last year, nine AT-802 firefighting aircraft have been deployed throughout the country. But their mission is not to put out fires. The planes are trying to eliminate a problem that has been causing bloodshed in Colombia for decades: cocaine. The planes are loaded with the controversial herbicide glyphosate. According to Colombian media, nearly 800 barrels of the chemicals are in stock from a Chinese manufacturer. If spraying resumes, "people in the remote communities will completely lose faith in the institutions and the peace process," Arenas believes. (See also:  The ‘deja vú’ of aerial crop spraying in Colombia)

  • Fears of drug abuse aside, Indonesia should give medical marijuana more thought

    Although steps have been taken to allow research, officials say marijuana potentially causes dependency, and the costs of legalisation would outweigh the benefits
    South China Morning Post (Hongkong)
    Sunday, March 8, 2020

    indonesia cannabis burning acehThe cannabis plant is not new to Indonesia. According to Inang Winarso, executive director of the Sativa Nusantara Foundation, an organisation actively researching the use of medical marijuana, it was first brought by merchants and sailors from Gujarat in India to Aceh in the 14th century to be used not only for smoking, but also as a steeped drink, a cooking spice, and as a type of pest control. In recent years, grass roots efforts to legalise medical marijuana have gained ground, but by most accounts these seem bound for failure because the government remains resistant to the idea. The government has granted access to marijuana in limited quantities for research purposes, but it has never been serious about at least attempting to see marijuana as an alternative medicine.

  • Why this patient has marijuana in his pav bhaji

    Bengaluru's first cannabis clinic may have generated a lot of buzz but those who rely on medical marijuana to treat pain or seizures have pinned their hopes on legalisation
    Times of India (India)
    Saturday, March 7, 2020

    india pav bahjiAcross the world, CBD is growing in popularity as a medicinal treatment for pain, anxiety and inflammation though the scientific world is still divided on its effectiveness as a remedy. Back in India, most patients procure it through the grey market which puts a question mark over quality. It’s only on January 31 that India’s first medical cannabis clinic opened in Bengaluru. Launched by a Bhubaneswar-based startup, Hempcann Solutions, the clinic has the license to prescribe CBD and THC medication by an ayurvedic doctor. “Patients can then order these medicines online from our website. We are not stocking them in the clinic as of now,” a spokesperson of the company said.

  • Bremen lockert Grenzwerte für Cannabis

    Erwachsene Gelegenheitskiffer sollen nicht kriminalisiert werden
    Weser Kurier (Germany)
    Freitag, 6. März 2020

    germany police cannabisWer in Bremen bis zu zehn Gramm Cannabis für den Eigenkonsum in der Tasche hat, wird ab April nicht mehr strafrechtlich verfolgt. Bei bis zu 15 Gramm können Polizei und Staatsanwaltschaft von einem Ermittlungsverfahren absehen. Bislang lag der Grenzwert bei sechs Gramm. «Ziel ist es, mit mehr Augenmaß auf den Konsum von Cannabis-Produkten zu reagieren, und erwachsene Nutzer der Droge nicht per se zu kriminalisieren», begründete Justizsenatorin Claudia Schilling (SPD) den Schritt. Die generelle Kriminalisierung von Cannabis habe wenig Wirkung gezeigt und nicht zu einem Rückgang des Konsums geführt. (Bremen: Geringe Menge liberaler, bei Eigenanbau gescheitert | Trotz neuer Richtlinien: Besitz von Cannabis kann weiterhin strafbar sein)

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