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Czechia's plans to legalize cannabis: Buy up to 5 grams per day, but register in a database first
The draft new proposal, which the government will debate this month, will also make it legal for firms to grow and sell the drug for recreational purposes
Expats (Czech Republic)
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Czechia plans to introduce a new, regulated cannabis market allowing people to consume up to 5 grams of cannabis recreationally per day, and legalize the growth and distribution of the drug. Seznam Zprávy reports that under the government’s new plans, consumers would need to register in a database, and growers and sellers would need to pay annual fees. According to the state’s anti-drug policy coordinator Jindřich Vobořil and the Pirate Party, which is part of the current coalition, the proposal could earn the government around CZK 2 billion per year. The regulation is still in its draft form and will be debated in parliament this month. If approved, it could be implemented as early as next year. -
German officials unveil revised plan to legalize marijuana
The government said that it will promote its approaches to its European partners” and is also examining how EU member states can press to make relevant international laws “more flexible and developed”
Marijuana Moment (US)
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Özdemir released the updated legalization plans, scaling back the framework announced last year. There will not be a country-wide commercial cannabis market as originally envisioned. Instead, adults wiil be allowed to possess up to 25 grams and grow up to three plants for personal use, while permitting nonprofit cannabis “clubs” with a maximum of 500 members. The plan would involve authorizing dispensaries in “certain districts/cities in several federal states” throughout Germany that would be licensed for five years, to study the impact of the shops on consumption trends and the illicit market. (See also: Germany waters down plan to legalize cannabis after EU talks | Germany's two-step plan to legalize cannabis) -
Legalising cannabis in Australia: how would it work and is there a catch?
The Greens say legalising cannabis could net the government $28bn tax revenue in nine years, but there are a few hurdles
The Guardian (UK)
Monday, April 10, 2023The Greens are about to introduce legislation
into the parliament to legalise cannabis across Australia. Currently out for public consultation, the legislation, if passed, would allow for the regulation and sale of approved cannabis strains for recreational consumption in Australia, joining the handful of countries (and US states) that have already moved to legalise it. Greens senator David Shoebridge plans to introduce the bill to the Senate once the party has taken on board the results of that consultation. To get anywhere, the bill would need government support and Labor hasn’t yet given any indication it would throw its weight behind the legislation. So what does and doesn’t the legalise cannabis bill allow? -
Cannabis greenhouses and ‘chain-store’ clubs permitted under new rules
Malta's new cannabis rules allow larger growers to have greenhouses where to cultivate volumes that will serve up to 500 members with ‘chain store’ dispensaries
Malta Today (Malta)
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Malta’s laws for the sale of recreational cannabis could likely make room for large players seeking to corner the market, with the prospect of cannabis retailer ‘chains’. Malta’s not-for-profit model in the sale of cannabis has been a founding principle for the fledgling regulator, the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC). But under the laws and directives issued by the authority, large associations will be able to have multiple distribution sites, as well as grow cannabis in greenhouses in rural settings usually outside the development zones. The largest association possible to grow cannabis being allowing a maximum of 500 members, such a cannabis club will also be able to split the volumes of cannabis it grows across multiple distribution sites. (Clarification: Multiple distribution points for cannabis associations) -
Thailand's promised cannabis bonanza disappoints as politicians trade blame
The legal framework has never been clearly set out and long-promised legislation failed in February to get through parliament, leaving the country without an umbrella law to regulate its use
The Star / Reuters (Malaysia)
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Thailand's decriminalisation of cannabis has delighted its fans, alarmed some health experts and has increasingly disappointed farmers who have been undercut by illegal imports, sending a promise of a new bonanza crop up in smoke. Marijuana has also become an election football with the opposition criticising the ruling pro-military coalition in the run-up to May 14 polls for rushing through decriminalisation last year to what they say is the detriment of society, youngsters in particular. Thousands of cannabis shops and businesses have sprung up, especially in Bangkok and tourist spots, since Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalise the drug. -
Czech government approves plan for regulated cannabis market
Details of the revised plan have not been released yet, but the introduction of the market would also include steps to fight drug and gambling addiction
ČTK (Czechia)
Thursday, April 6, 2023
The Czech cabinet approved a plan for fighting addictions until 2025. It includes the introduction of a strictly regulated cannabis market based on rules drafted by an expert group. The plan still has to pass through both houses of the Czech parliament and be signed by the president before it becomes law. National anti-drug policy coordinator Jindřich Vobořil previously said that the plan would have five priorities. One of them will be a controlled cannabis market. Another one is the tax policy, which could bring Czechia up to CZK 15 billion a year. The remaining three priorities are prevention and treatment, promoting the relevant steps in the EU, and preparing for possible impacts. -
Environmental justice, up in smoke
Growing cannabis indoors hurts workers and communities. There’s a clear solution
Slate (US)
Thursday, April 6, 2023
There is ample evidence that irresponsible outdoor cultivation can also be environmentally destructive, leading some to argue that indoor cultivation is better for the environment because it ostensibly uses less land (thanks to higher yields) and less water (thanks to less evaporation). But in reality, if best practices are followed, the opposite is true. Moreover, the vastly lower startup and operating costs for outdoor farms also lessen the steep inequities that nonwhite owners of businesses face in obtaining financing. Indoor growers insist that their methods are essential in order to avoid the weather risks tolerated by other farmers, achieve uniformly attractive products, boost potency, maximize profits, and enhance security. There are strong counterarguments in each case. -
Karl Lauterbach plans cannabis legalisation light
The Minister of Health wants to legalise weed in model regions in the future. A flagship project of the government coalition would thus fall far short of its promises
Die Zeit (Germany)
Friday, March 31, 2023
The German Minister of Health has given up the plan to have cannabis legalization as a whole approved by the EU. He is now pursuing a dual strategy: he only wants to submit part of the reforms to the Commission, while the other part is to be implemented solely on the basis of German law (and is allowed under EU legislation). In a first step, cannabis will only be available in certain pilot regions in certified shops. These could be large cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg or Munich, but rural areas are also being considered in order to test the effects of legal sales under different conditions. The second part of the plan does not need the approval of the EU: decriminalizing posession (20/30 grammes), home growing and allowing cannabis social clubs. (See also: Germany will move forward with scaled-back marijuana reform plan amid EU review) -
Some Switzerland residents can now legally buy recreational cannabis in pharmacies
Swiss authorities and experts working on the pilot program say it aims to study the effects of regulated cannabis sale on mental health and on consumption habits
Euronews (Europe)
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Decades after pioneering prescription heroin and safe injection sites, Switzerland is now experimenting with decriminalising recreational cannabis. It’s being done in a very Swiss way, according to addiction experts: taking things slow and steady to see how the population responds. Currently, cannabis is legal for medical use in the country, but only in extreme cases, such as pain relief for cancer patients. In 2021, around 70 percent of the population supported liberalising cannabis laws, up from 58 percent three years earlier, according to the Swiss health ministry. The federal government has now authorised trials to take place over the coming decade to experiment with decriminalising recreational cannabis, taking small steps like it did for four years before introducing prescribed heroin in the 1990s. -
Lausanne gets green light for recreational pot smoking trial
Lausanne is the latest Swiss city – after Basel and Zurich – to receive approval to launch a pilot project to sell cannabis for recreational use as part of a study into the impact of its regulated supply
Swissinfo (Switzerland)
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
The Lausanne project for the legal sale of cannabis, known as Cann-L, has received the green light from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the city authorities said. The western city joins Basel (started in 2022) and Zurich (approved in March 2023), whose projects have also been validated by the health office. The scientific project is intended to study the impact of regulated cannabis supply on the consumption and health of consumers, as well as its impact on the illegal market. The “local and organic" cultivation of cannabis plants can now begin. The first harvest will take place this summer, followed by its preparation. The cannabis sales point, which is not yet known, should open in September.
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