• Cannabis strength doubles across Europe in 11 years

    A study tracking increased potency of both herbal and resin types of the drug points to greater dangers for users
    The Guardian (UK)
    Sunday, December 30, 2018

    Cannabis potency has doubled across Europe in the past decade, according to the first study to track changes in the drug across the continent. The study, published in the journal Addiction and conducted by researchers from the University of Bath and King’s College London, finds that both cannabis resin and herbal cannabis have increased in strength and price with potentially harmful consequences for users. In herbal cannabis, concentrations of THC – the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis which has been linked to psychosis – increased from 5% in 2006 to 10% in 2016. For cannabis resin, THC concentrations remained relatively stable between 2006 and 2011 before increasing rapidly from 10% to 17% between 2011 and 2016.

  • Mexico moves towards legalising cannabis

    End of prohibition is a big step in a country on the frontline of the drug wars
    Financial Times (UK)
    Friday, December 28, 2018

    mexico destroying cannabis fiedOlga Sánchez Cordero, interior minister in Mexico’s new leftist nationalist government, has submitted a bill to Congress to end prohibition and start regulation. Since the ruling party controls Congress, the bill is unlikely to run into trouble; indeed, it is expected to be passed within weeks. Mexico will be the third country in the world to make marijuana cultivation and consumption legal. Latin America’s second-largest economy, which briefly legalised all drugs in 1940, will follow in the footsteps of Uruguay and Canada, as well as more than 30 US states where cannabis has been legalised for medicinal or recreational use or both. The big difference is that, unlike Mexico, none of the other places is a major producer of illegal drugs.

  • Cannabis firms in conflict of interest for owning both pot producers and marijuana clinics, critics charge

    Controversy has long swirled around the financial links between pharmaceutical companies and doctors; studies suggest such connections can adversely affect medical decision making
    National Post (Canada)
    Thursday, December 27, 2018

    canada dollar cannabisWhen doctors at the Solace Health Network of cannabis clinics prescribe their patients medical marijuana, one government-licensed producer of the drug might come quickly to mind. The clinics’ parent company, after all, is Terrascend, which also owns a cannabis grower and seller. A direct ownership link between doctor-staffed clinics and the manufacturer of their main treatment tool would be unheard of if it involved a pharmaceutical firm. But in the fast-evolving cannabis industry, Terrascend’s arrangement is far from unique — and quite legal. Close to a dozen companies across the country have combined pot-producing operations and marijuana-treatment clinics under the same corporate umbrella, in what seems to be a growing trend.

  • Germany delays roll-out of medical marijuana

    Opposition lawmakers have rebuked the government for a "deliberate obstruction" of legal cannabis laws
    Deutsche Welle (Germany)
    Thursday, December 27, 2018

    The production and distribution of medical marijuana in Germany will be delayed once again. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices has said it needs more time to decide the rules for awarding licenses to cannabis producers. Medical marijuana has technically been legal in Germany since March 2017, but the Federal Ministry of Health has repeatedly postponed the implementation of the legislation. Now, authorities are saying that the first licenses may not be awarded until the second quarter of 2019. While prescriptions skyrocket for products containing cannabis, there is still no legal framework for the large-scale production of legal cannabis in Germany.

  • Farmers giddy over new medical marijuana law

    Longtime cannabis activist Buntoon Niyamabhra called on the government to cancel patent applications from foreign multinationals
    The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
    Wednesday, December 26, 2018

    Thai farmers welcomed a new law allowing cultivation and use of marijuana for medical purposes, in an Asian first that promises an economic bonanza but also fears that foreign companies could reap the rewards. Thailand's National Assembly passed a bill legalising the use of marijuana and kratom – a traditional herb – for research and medical use. The bill, which still outlaws recreational use and has strict limits on the amount an individual can carry, requires royal assent. The National Farmers Council of Thailand praised the law as providing a "new economic crop" to help farmers diversify their production. But some fear foreign companies and pharmaceutical giants are in pole position to scoop up valuable patents to produce the medical cannabis and extracts.

  • Israeli lawmakers approve medical cannabis exports law

    There are eight cultivating companies in Israel - many of which have resorted to opening farms abroad to get into the international market
    Reuters (UK)
    Wednesday, December 26, 2018

    israel cannabisIsrael's parliament has given its final approval to a long-awaited and controversial law to allow exports of medical cannabis, a move that is likely to boost state coffers. Lawmakers voted 21-0 in favour of the bill, which still needs approval from cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli companies - benefiting from a favourable climate and expertise in medical and agricultural technologies - are among the world's biggest producers of medical cannabis. The finance and health ministries estimate exports could raise tax income by 1 billion shekels (208.9 million pounds) a year. The bill to allow exports imposes tough regulations on exporters and threatens jail terms and hefty fines for violations.

  • Decriminalisation of marijuana in T&T by June 2019 says Rowley

    Consultations with stakeholders have already begun with public sessions to begin after feedback is received from interest groups
    Loop (Trinidad & Tobago)
    Saturday, December 22, 2018

    Marijuana should decriminalised in Trinidad and Tobago by mid-2019. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley made the revelation while speaking with reporters. His comments come after Attorney General Faris Al Rawi said legislation on the decriminalisation of marijuana will be laid in Parliament in the first half of 2019. “We expect that by May to June of 2019, the decriminalisation would have been affected.” The Prime Minister further stressed that decriminalisation does not mean legalisation: “There is a big difference between decriminalisation and legalisation of marijuana. We have committed to decriminalisation. What we are working on now is the method by which and what that represents in terms of the use.”

  • Damning review of synthetics law

    The report said the law had not achieved its purpose of protecting health and minimising harm
    Newsroom (New Zealand)
    Wednesday, December 19, 2018

    synthetic cannabis2The long-overdue review of the Psychoactive Substances Act paints a damning, but unsurprising, picture of the law’s failing. The Act was put in place in 2013, and amended in 2014, in response to new substances popping up faster than lawmakers could regulate. The law aimed to safely regulate the chemicals used in party pills, and then synthetics (synthetic cannabis). But a Ministry of Health review of what was supposed to be a ground-breaking approach to drug law, instead speaks at length about its failures – a view shared by Minister of Health David Clark. The results of the review come hot on the heels of Clark’s new plan to deal with psychoactive substances and a look at the failed Psychoactive Substances Act will come as part of a wider review of drug policy.

  • Duterte's Philippines drug war death toll rises above 5,000

    Enforcement agency says 5,050 lives lost in president’s war on drugs, mostly at police hands
    The Guardian (UK)
    Wednesday, December 19, 2018

    Derrick Carreon, a spokesman for the Philippine drug enforcement agency (PDEA), said that, according to official figures, between July 2016 and the end of November this year, 5,050 lives were lost, mostly at the hands of the police. The official toll falls well short of estimates given by human rights groups and campaigners for victims, which vary from 12,000 to 20,000. Many of the undocumented killings, rights groups say, were carried out by “death squads” and unofficial militias. Last week, Chito Gascon, the chairman of the Philippine commission on human rights, said the toll could be as high as 27,000, though he emphasised that investigating the deaths was complex because police withheld records on anti-drug operations.

  • Tilray goes global with Novartis marijuana sales partnership

    Tilray and Sandoz Canada have been working together since March, when they announced an alliance to develop new medical cannabis products and collaborate on research and education
    Swissinfo (Switzerland)
    Tuesday, December 18, 2018

    Tilray Inc. has signed a global partnership with a division of Swiss drug giant Novartis AG to develop and distribute its medical marijuana in legal jurisdictions around the world. The Canadian pot firm said Tuesday it’s reached an agreement with Sandoz AG to boost the availability of medical cannabis products globally, building on an existing alliance with Sandoz Canada Inc. The two companies will work together to commercialize Tilray’s non-smokable medical marijuana offerings, co-brand certain products, develop new products and educate pharmacists and physicians about pot.

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