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Cannabis: Germany legalises, France punishes
Wednesday, 30 August 2023With Marseille, one of France’s main drug trafficking hubs, having recorded around 32 deaths since the start of the year related mainly to cannabis trafficking, calls for decriminalising or even lega ...
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Christiania wants Pusher Street closed for good after gang shooting
Monday, 28 August 2023After a fatal shooting in Christiania that left one dead and four injured, residents want hash sales on Pusher Street stopped. “This is a big step and it has not been an easy decision. But there was ...
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Cannabis is illegal in Nigeria but provides a living for families - study calls for rethink of drug laws
Monday, 28 August 2023Cannabis is a heavily criminalised plant in Nigeria. It can get its growers, traders and users long prison sentences. The National Drug Law Enforcement Act prescribes an imprisonment of not less than ...
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Sydney has a cocaine problem. Is decriminalisation the solution?
Sunday, 27 August 2023Delays in introducing reform is fuelling drug consumption and crime in NSW, experts have warned, calling for the government to implement decriminalisation for small quantities of illicit substances. ...
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German goverment adopts watered-down cannabis legalisation bill
Wednesday, 16 August 2023The German government adopted a watered-down plan to legalise cannabis, moving one step closer to the substance’s controlled distribution, though critiques from judicial, medical and law enforcement ...
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Morocco has high hopes after planting its first legal cannabis crop
Monday, 07 August 2023Farmers 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 hi ...
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Instant fines for drug possession in Belgium: €1,000 for cocaine
Sunday, 06 August 2023More than a thousand immediate fines were levied in Belgium for possession of drugs during July alone, mainly at festivals, according to Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open VLD). The fine ...
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A beachside city became California’s legal cannabis capital. Not everyone is stoked
Thursday, 03 August 2023Thanks to the most lenient policies in California for recreational marijuana, Santa Barbara county is now the state’s undisputed capital of legal cannabis, boasting more acres than each of the the st ...
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Cannabis policy expert slams Malta police's attitude to CBD
Saturday, 29 July 2023A leading drugs policy expert believes members of Malta’s planned cannabis associations should be allowed to consume cannabis on site rather than being restricted to only doing so at home. “It was an ...
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‘Outlaws’: Morocco’s Rif provides refuge for cannabis farmers
Friday, 28 July 2023For centuries, the mountains of the Rif have been a centre of cannabis farming. Morocco is to this day the biggest producer of cannabis resin in the world, according to the United Nations. In July 20 ...
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German cannabis legalisation could infringe EU law despite tweaks
Wednesday, 26 July 2023Germany’s plans to legalise cannabis are partially incompatible with EU law, despite significant changes Berlin made to avoid legal problems, according to a study from the parliamentary research serv ...
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Court: Swiss police can’t seize small amounts of cannabis for personal use
Tuesday, 25 July 2023The possession of small quantities of cannabis, if for personal use rather than re-sale, is already not treated as a criminal offense in Switzerland. However, the highest court in Switzerland clarifi ...
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Swiss cities test controlled cannabis distribution
Sunday, 23 July 2023Swiss drug policy is shifting. Some pharmacies and social clubs in major cities are making cannabis available for recreational purposes under scientific pilot projects. There is even talk of extendin ...
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New cannabis law to come into force on Friday
Tuesday, 18 July 2023The Ministry of Justice published a statement (FR) on Tuesday announcing that the legalisation of private cannabis cultivation and consumption was officially included in Luxembourg's gazette. This me ...
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Cannabis associations eye first quarter of 2024 for opening their doors
Monday, 17 July 2023Cannabis associations in Malta could be up and running by the end of March 2024, sources familiar with the matter have told MaltaToday. In June, it was revealed that 26 groups had applied for cannabi ...
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Canadian marijuana entrepreneurs shift focus to ‘micro’ licenses
Monday, 17 July 2023Cannabis entrepreneurs in Canada are increasingly turning to smaller micro-cultivation facilities to manage costs and produce higher-quality marijuana at a time when the industry is facing a glut of ...
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Global resonance of Malta's drug policy reform highlighted at thematic round table
Friday, 14 July 2023The not-for-profit model adopted by Malta for drug policy reform is resonating across other countries. The emphasis on a harm reduction approach, including considerations for social justice and the n ...
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Coca price crash contributing to Colombia food insecurity, UN says
Friday, 14 July 2023A crash in the price of coca, the chief ingredient in cocaine, is contributing to food insecurity in Colombia and causing displacement, as people leave areas that depend on the illicit crop, accordin ...
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Germany unveils draft bill to legalize cannabis
Monday, 10 July 2023Germany's government is taking steps toward the legalization of cannabis by publishing the draft bill for the first pillar of a two-pillar model designed to dismantle prohibition policies. German's M ...
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If you care about the climate crisis, fight to legalize drugs
Friday, 07 July 2023On June 26, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released its annual report on the illicit drug trade. The headline is that despite millions of people killed, incarcerated and impoverished, a ...
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No THC limit chosen to deter black market trade, explains Justice Minister
Wednesday, 05 July 2023After the new law on the private cultivation and consumption of cannabis was passed in Luxembourg, RTL spoke to Minister of Justice Sam Tanson about the nitty-gritty details of the new legislation. T ...
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Czechs have become more tolerant of cannabis use since 2019, says poll
Monday, 03 July 202362% of Czechs consider the use of cannabis to be morally acceptable, according to a recent survey by the Centre for Public Opinion Research (CVVM), which is 9% higher than in 2019. Otherwise, the Cze ...
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Cannabis policy needs to be monitored for health impact - EU drugs agency
Saturday, 01 July 2023European countries that are widening their cannabis policies should invest in monitoring and evaluation to understand the impact on public health and safety, according to the European Drug Report for ...
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Luxembourg legalises cultivation and consumption of cannabis at home
Thursday, 29 June 2023It's official: Luxembourg deputies greenlit a bill that allows for limited cannabis cultivation and consumption at home. 38 deputies voted in favour of the bill, with 22 against. The parties DP, LSAP ...
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State and city reach agreement to close down Pusher Street
Tuesday, 27 June 2023Pusher Street is no ordinary thoroughfare. For decades, it has housed numerous stalls selling cannabis to the public in open view. During that time, the state has been reasonably tolerant, but about ...
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Cannabis: Study backs risk-led approach, France still pushing criminalisation
Friday, 23 June 2023As a new European report pushes for greater communication of cannabis use risks, France is banking on a policy of prohibition, the effectiveness of which remains to be proven. Cannabis remains the mo ...
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Legalise Cannabis makes united push for personal marijuana use in three Australian states
Monday, 19 June 2023Legalise Cannabis MPs in Australia are launching a coordinated push to make marijuana legal for personal use in three states and overhaul what the party says is outdated legislation that unnecessaril ...
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Cannabis clubs assured of receiving support from local banks
Friday, 16 June 2023The cannabis authority in Malta has been assured that local banks will not turn down potential cannabis clubs on the grounds that they are selling marijuana, after the associations raised concerns th ...
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Parliament to vote on legalisation of home-grown cannabis this month
Thursday, 15 June 2023Luxembourg residents hoping to legally grow cannabis at home might not have to wait till after the elections, after Parliament announced it will vote before the end of the month on a bill calling for ...
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Legal but locked out
Wednesday, 14 June 2023As 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 le ...
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Thailand’s cannabis lovers face comedown amid legalisation U-turn
Friday, 09 June 2023One year after Thailand decriminalised cannabis, Thailand’s Ganja TV, a Facebook page with 90,000-odd followers, are looking on as rival politicians threaten to make dispensaries and open consumption ...
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26 applications for cannabis clubs received so far - no licences granted yet
Thursday, 08 June 2023The cannabis authority has received 26 applications from potential cannabis clubs requesting a licence to sell home-grown marijuana, according to Leonid McKay who heads the Authority for the Responsi ...
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Canada’s unsold cannabis inventory balloons to 1.5 billion grams
Tuesday, 06 June 2023Business failures and consolidation failed to stop Canada’s stockpile of unsold cannabis from reaching a new high in the final quarter of 2022, the latest sign that shrinking prices and margins could ...
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New report describes growing complexity and change in cannabis laws in Europe
Monday, 05 June 2023What forms of cannabis regulation are under consideration in Europe? What types of cannabis are controlled? Are cosmetic and wellness products containing cannabis legal? These are among the questions ...
Labelsnetherlands | switzerland | malta | germany | luxembourg | czech republic | regulation | legalization | cannabis | european drug policy -
Swiss capital city wants to test controlled sale of cocaine
Friday, 02 June 2023Switzerland's capital city, Bern, has signalled its intent to conduct a scientific pilot trial of controlled cocaine sales. With 43 votes to 18, the city parliament approved a motion from the Alterna ...
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Proposals for regulated cannabis market may end up in European Court, says official
Tuesday, 30 May 2023The introduction of a legal, regulated cannabis market in the Czech Republic may end up in the European Court of Justice, said drug policy coordinator Jindrich Voboril. He believed this to be the bes ...
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Industry up in smoke?
Sunday, 28 May 2023The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by eight prospective parties on forming a coalition government in Thailand could be bad news for advocates of the current freer cannabis policy. Under the ...
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Blow to red light tourists: cannabis smoking banned in public
Thursday, 25 May 2023Smoking cannabis in public is forbidden in the centre of Amsterdam from Thursday, as part of a raft of measures to restrain party tourism. In the Burgwallen Oude-Zijde central area, tourists and resi ...
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Move over, CBD: HHC is the new ‘legal cannabis’ these European countries want to ban
Thursday, 25 May 2023It may be the next big thing after the cannabidiol (CBD) wave and its controversies: HHC, also known as “synthetic cannabis”. HHC sellers tout the euphoric sensations and mental and physical relaxati ...
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‘It will create a police state’: Dagga Party calls cannabis bill ‘fascist’
Tuesday, 23 May 2023The Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill, which aims to cater for those who use marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, has been met with fierce opposition in Parliament. The cannabis plant in ...
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You can’t legalise cannabis for private use and criminalise selling it, says farming group
Saturday, 20 May 2023Four years ago, when the Constitutional Court decriminalised the use and cultivation of dagga in a private space, the court also provided Parliament a 24-month period in which they could amend the re ...
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European cannabis legalisation moves into the slow-dopey lane
Thursday, 11 May 2023Germany’s plans to move to full legalisation of consumption and sales of cannabis came to an abrupt halt last month. Until recently, Germany’s health minister, Karl Lauterbach, had been upbeat about ...
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Gang violence could end open cannabis trade in anarchist commune Christiania
Tuesday, 09 May 2023The 40-year history of the open cannabis trade on “Pusher Street” in the heart of the Christiania neighbourhood of Copenhagen could be over as the city’s mayor said she was willing to shut it down ov ...
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Thailand’s cannabis sellers say US growers are eating their lunch
Monday, 08 May 2023Nearly a year after Thailand decriminalised cannabis amid promises of an economic bonanza, Thai growers and sellers say they are being undercut by illegal imports from the United States that sell for ...
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Morocco: Two years after cannabis law, farmers in the Rif still 'in the dark'
Monday, 08 May 20232023 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 ...
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Au Maroc, la « beldiya » tente de résister aux variétés de cannabis importées
Friday, 05 May 2023Depuis sa maison de Ketama, à 1 700 mètres d’altitude, Abdellatif Adebibe surplombe la vallée où les embruns d’iode venus de la Méditerranée se mêlent aux senteurs des cèdres. « Nous sommes ici dans ...
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Mayor looking to shut down Pusher Street permanently
Thursday, 04 May 2023Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen is indicating that she wants to completely shut down Pusher Street due to the violence associated with the illegal cannabis trade. She has had enough of the violence and ...
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How did Sweden end up with its zero-tolerance attitude to drugs?
Wednesday, 03 May 2023Johan Wicklén, a prize-winning journalist for Sweden's public broadcaster SVT, published a book on the history of Swedish drugs policy titled Vi ger oss aldrig, or "We will never give way", subtitled ...
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Cannabis issue still causing jitters
Wednesday, 03 May 2023Since the Thai government legalised cannabis on June 9, 2022 by removing the plant from the list of prohibited narcotics, the tourism sector was expected to reap a windfall as Thailand was the first ...
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State cannabis sales will not be implemented in current legislative period
Friday, 28 April 2023Ministers Claude Meisch, Paulette Lenert and Sam Tanson presented a new bill, which would lead to the installation of 14 state sales points around the country as part of the recreational cannabis pil ...
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