• In bloody drug war, Mexico's new leader may try negotiating

    The new administration would move fast to reconsider drug policies and a militaristic approach
    Reuters (UK)
    Monday, July 2, 2018

    For the past 12 years, Mexico has fought violent drug gangs by deploying thousands of police, soldiers and intelligence officers to crack down on cartels and their leaders. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a leftist who won on Sunday after two previous attempts at the presidency, wants to rewrite the rules of the drug war, aides said, suggesting negotiated peace and amnesties for some of the very people currently being targeted by security forces. “The failed strategy of combating insecurity and violence will change,” Lopez Obrador said in his victory speech Sunday night, repeating his call to address the socioeconomic ills that push people toward the drug trade and other crimes.

  • South Australia's cannabis crackdown based on 'nonsense', experts warn

    Liberal government to increase penalties for possession and introduce prison sentences
    The Guardian (UK)
    Monday, July 2, 2018

    The South Australian government’s plan to introduce harsher penalties for cannabis possession is based on “nonsense” reasoning and flies in the face of a global move towards decriminalisation of the drug, experts have warned. SA’s attorney general, Vickie Chapman, announced plans for a dramatic increase in penalties for cannabis possession in the state, with fines to quadruple and prison sentences to be introduced. If passed, the SA bill would overturn three decades of cannabis policy in the state. When the government abolished criminal penalties for possession in 1987 it prompted similar changes in the ACT and Northern Territory. Tim Mellor from the SA Law Society warned that the government’s bill reflected a lack of “evidence-based justification”.

  • Police commissioners urge Home Office to drop opposition to addicts’ ‘fix rooms’

    Glasgow city councillors recently unanimously supported calls for development of such a facility
    The Scotsman (UK)
    Monday, July 2, 2018

    There are renewed calls for the UK government to allow the opening of a drug consumption room in Glasgow after three police and crime commissioners backed the idea as a way of saving lives. The elected commissioners for Durham, North Wales and West Midlands said they were “deeply concerned” about the Home Office’s opposition to the use of drug consumption rooms (DCRs), which are sometimes referred to as “fix rooms”. Earlier this year the UK government rejected a proposal by Glasgow City Council to open a ‘‘fix room”. The plan came among amid growing concern over the number of HIV infections related to intravenous drug use. (See also: Scots drug deaths hit new record high | Theresa May just says no to safe drugs facility in Glasgow)

  • Could psychedelics transform mental health?

    Think of magic mushrooms and LSD and it's likely that science is not the first thing that springs to mind
    BBC News (UK)
    July 1, 2018

    psilocybinPsychedelic drugs are more likely to be associated with hippies and the counterculture of the 1960s than people in white lab coats and clinical trials. But that might soon change. Increasingly, scientists are looking at whether these mind-altering drugs - which also include mescaline and DMT among others - might also have the potential to be mind-healing. A number of small studies have found psychedelics to show promise in treating mental health disorders like depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, often where other treatments have failed. Now UK researchers are about to take part in the first major trials into whether one of these hallucinogenic drugs could be more effective than a leading antidepressant in the treatment of depression.

  • Recreational marijuana now legal in Vermont

    There is no legal commercial market for marijuana
    USA Today (US)
    Sunday, July 1, 2018

    As of Sunday, recreational use of marijuana is legal in Vermont — within boundaries of some clear and not-so-clear rules. Vermont becomes the ninth state to legalize marijuana and the first state to do so through its state legislature. Gov. Phil Scott signed the law in January with "mixed emotions." The law allows adults to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, two mature and four immature plants. But authorities can't answer some questions and say clarity of the rules will come with case law. Some examples include how police will enforce the one-ounce marijuana limit when it comes to edibles, the boundaries in public versus private consumption and what exactly a secure pot garden looks like.

  • Cannabis for medical use legalised in Luxembourg

    Cannabis to be prescribed by GPs, available at hospital pharmacies
    Luxembourg Times (Luxembourg)
    Friday, June 29, 2018

    Cannabis for medical use has been made legal in Luxembourg. The government unanimously passed the draft law to decriminalise the use of cannabis for patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis or neurodegenerative diseases. Under the draft law, all general practitioners who have undertaken specific training will be able to prescribe the drug. This came as a result of an opinion submitted by the Council of State which overturned the initial draft of the text allowing only specialised medical professionals such as oncologists or neurologists. Luxembourg will use cannabis coming from Canada. (See also: Luxembourg is latest EU country to legalise medical cannabis)

  • Legalising cannabis 'would raise £1bn in tax for the UK'

    In its report, the Institute of Economic Affairs estimates that around three million people in Britain used a total of 255 tonnes of cannabis last year
    BBC News (UK)
    Friday, June 29, 2018

    Legalising cannabis would raise £1bn a year in tax for the UK. A report from the Institute of Economic Affairs has valued the UK's black market at £2.6bn. Legalising would also lead to savings for public services including the police. It comes after former Conservative leader Lord Hague called on the government to consider legalising cannabis for recreational use. The government has promised to review the use of medicinal cannabis following high-profile cases involving severely epileptic children. The Home Office stressed that the drug will remain banned for recreational use. (See also: Legalising cannabis could be ‘win-win-win’ for UK, says thinktank | Ron Hogg: Regulation of cannabis market would not mean a free for all | The risk of underestimating the UK cannabis market)

  • Melbourne's first safe injecting room, clean, sterile and 'will save lives'

    The centre has the feel of a modern medical clinic — clean and sterile
    ABC News (Australia)
    Friday, June 29, 2018

    Up to 300 people a day are expected to use Victoria's first medically supervised drug injecting room when it opens in the coming days. The Victorian Government committed to a two-year trial at the North Richmond Community Health Centre, after three separate coroners called for a supervised space. Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said it would save lives. "I look forward to speaking to less families who have been subject to the trauma and grief of losing loved ones," he said. The centre is made up of different rooms where users are assessed, an injecting space, and treatment and recovery rooms.

  • Paris: Cannabis 'coffee shops' raided and closed by police

    Earlier this month French prosecutors signaled they were not happy with the new businesses
    The Local (France)
    Thursday, June 28, 2018

    Police raided the two "coffee shops" and took three people in for questioning. The cafes were immediately closed and it's not clear if they will reopen. The new cannabis-selling shops in Paris, which opened in the 2nd and 11th arrondissements of the city, took advantage of a grey area in the law which has not classified the legal status of CBD (cannabidiol) products made from hemp, including toothpaste, creams, cakes and teas as well as cannabis. The products in these shops are supposed to contain only 0.2 percent of THC which means that they have no effect on a person's mind unlike normal cannabis available illegally. (See also: Cannabis : en France, la bataille du CBD est engagée)

  • New regulations may spark Canada’s craft cannabis revolution

    With full legalization delayed until the fall, Canadians are enjoying the options that come with micro-licensing
    High Times (US)
    Thursday, June 28, 2018

    While legalization in Canada is delayed until October 17th, 2018, Canadians are celebrating as micro-licenses are finally coming out, ushering in the second wave of legalization. These micro-licenses are revolutionary for the industry, including smaller cultivators and processors more able to adapt to local consumer demand. Additionally, black-market genetics will finally be regulated. There will be no restrictions on how many licenses an individual can possess, opening the door to cannabis co-ops with decentralized diverse distribution systems. With calls for cannabis amnesty reaching the mainstream news, Health Canada finally announced that they will not discriminate against those with previous non-violent cannabis convictions.

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