• Doctors want focus on benefits of ganja instead of profits

    The MAJ also proposed that with proper regulation, a tax should be applied against marijuana as is done for alcohol and tobacco
    Jamaica Observer (Jamaica)
    Wednesday, April 12, 2017

    The Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) has slammed the focus on profits instead of studying the benefits of marijuana since its decriminalisation two years ago. "The decriminalisation of marijuana should provide a stimulus for further research into the beneficial uses of marijuana. It should allow us to research the long-term negative effects of marijuana such as the effects on our lungs. It should also allow us to reap the benefits of the reputation of Jamaican marijuana. However, the discussions seem to have taken a turn for the worse, with the rhetoric focusing more on outselling our competitors without due consideration for potential adverse effects on our people, especially our youth," the MAJ said.

  • The DEA chief will ‘have to check’ whether DEA lets drugs into communities on purpose. (It does)

    The use of confidential sources in drug investigations has come under fire in recent years, particularly after several high-profile deaths
    The Washington Post (US)
    Tuesday, April 11, 2017

    Federal law allows informants, like those employed by the DEA, to engage in “otherwise illegal activity” as part of an investigation. Those activities include “trafficking in what would be considered as large quantities of controlled substances” — 450 kilos of cocaine, for instance, or more than 90,000 kilos of marijuana. Aside from direct involvement in drug deals, law enforcement officials may also allow drugs to flow into communities because they're interested in seizing the cash proceeds from the sale of those drugs. In 2015, the DOJ's Inspector General criticized the DEA for how it tracked and approved the illegal activity of its sources.

  • Drug reform push stalls

    The Global Commission on Drug Policy was in Thailand last week to show support for reform of the country's "war on drugs" laws
    The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
    Monday, April 10, 2017

    While there has been some progress in modernising drug laws, there is almost no good news in Thailand or the region. Despite Gen Paiboon's pioneering effort in his last months as minister of justice, little has changed. He has new duties at the Privy Council. The permanent secretary of justice has sent a proposal to the council to re-schedule some drugs, notably methamphetamine. It is highly questionable whether the current government or its National Legislative Assembly will act. Without at least a show of support from Asean, true reform of drug laws is almost impossible. But Asean as a group is, at best, split over the issue. Except for Gen Paiboon, political leadership is clearly lacking. While Thailand badly needs drug reform, chances of success seem slim.

  • The world’s first pot-focused exchange-traded fund

    Investors can gain exposure to a budding industry, set to profit from Canadian legalisation
    The Economist (UK)
    Monday, April 10, 2017

    The launch of the world’s first cannabis-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF), on the Toronto Stock Exchange, is welcome news to aficionados of marijuana. As with any ETF, the fund spares would-be investors the need to pick out their own favourite stocks, or indeed weed out dodgy ones, as it will simply replicate and track an index, in this case the North American Medical Marijuana Index. The most important factor driving dreamy valuations of Canadian cannabis companies is the imminence of full legalisation, and the ensuing expectation of a vastly larger market. This means that companies in the sector are currently “trading like speculative tech stocks”, says Khurram Malik of Jacob Capital Management, based on sometimes rosy projections of future recreational sales.

  • Is Md. ready for 'heroin assisted therapy'?

    Taking opioid overdose deaths seriously requires consideration of new policies that get users out of street heroin markets
    The Baltimore Sun (US)
    Monday, April 10, 2017

    The idea of giving heroin addicts heroin to keep them from crime and other dangers has never been popular with American politicians. Yet several Western European countries routinely provide pharmaceutical-grade heroin to high-risk users in medically-supervised facilities with minimal problems; the patients in these programs are much less likely to use street heroin when compared with patients in methadone programs. Given the tripling in heroin-related deaths in the last five years, it is time to give this innovation prompt consideration.

  • Liberals set to table marijuana legislation, but key details need to be resolved

    The proposed legislation is also expected to call for plain packaging for recreational marijuana
    The Globe and Mail (Canada)
    Monday, April 10, 2017

    The federal government will table a bill to legalize recreational marijuana on Thursday that is expected to tightly control the ability of producers to market their products to the public, federal sources said. But key issues such as how to deal with drug-impaired driving have yet to be fully resolved. The government has indicated its legislation will be highly restrictive and designed to discourage people from consuming marijuana, especially under the age of 18. The bill is expected to include tough penalties for those who provide marijuana to children and teens, sources said. (See also: Marijuana industry braces for mergers as legalization looms)

  • Oregon set to shield marijuana user data from US officials

    Oregon's move was one of the first major responses to mixed signals about President Donald Trump administration's stance on the federal prohibition on marijuana
    The New York Times (US)
    Monday, April 10, 2017

    Oregon state lawmakers who fear heightened marijuana enforcement by federal agents overwhelmingly approved a proposal to protect pot users from having their identities or cannabis-buying habits from being divulged by the shops that make buying pre-rolled joints and "magic" brownies as easy as grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the liquor store. The bipartisan proposal would protect pot consumers by abolishing a common business practice in this Pacific Northwest state where marijuana shops often keep a digital paper trail of their recreational pot customers' names, birthdates, addresses and other personal information.

  • Dagga ruling leaves authorities in a haze

    The court’s decision is saying the legislature must change the legislation to bring the law in line with this decision
    Weekend Argus (South Africa)
    Sunday, April 9, 2017

    There is uncertainty among various government institutions around the Western Cape High Court’s ruling which allows for the possession, cultivation and use of dagga at home. The Constitutional Court has to confirm the Western Cape High Court ruling and only then will Parliament act on rectifying legislation or introducing a new bill. People charged for possession of cannabis will have their cases stayed, awaiting the decision to change the legislation, and then withdrawn pending the change in the legislation. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was not in a position to comment at this stage and referred the matter to the Department of Justice. (See also: Why the dagga ruling isn’t a victory for stoners just yet)

  • Medical ganja’s slow journey irks foreign investor

    Lack of unity between the different parties that need to be in congruence in order for Jamaica to be an international ganja-exporting force
    Jamaica Observer (Jamaica)
    Sunday, April 9, 2017

    A foreign investor is expressing concern that Jamaica’s delay in establishing a medical ganja industry is providing other countries with the advantage to maximise from the opportunities to cement themselves in the export trade. Recently, Health Canada, issued export permits to a licensed Canadian firm for medical cannabis oils, which received purchase orders for distribution to both Australia and the Cayman Islands for pharmacy dispensing, triggering more concern that Jamaica is too slow in getting the industry up and running. Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick approved a bill that amends the Misuse of Drugs Bill 2016, allowing cannabis oil to be imported and sold for medicinal purposes. (See also: NCDA again defends ganja study amid criticisms)

  • How Jeff Sessions wants to bring back the war on drugs

    Crime task force will review existing marijuana policy
    The Washington Post (US)
    Saturday, April 8, 2017

    When the Obama administration reduced harsh prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, rave reviews came from across the political spectrum. Civil rights groups and the Koch brothers praised Obama for his efforts, saying he was making the criminal justice system more humane. There was one person who watched this with some horror. Steven H. Cook, a former street cop who became a federal prosecutor, saw nothing wrong with how the system worked — not the life sentences for drug charges, not the huge growth of the prison population. He went everywhere — Bill O’Reilly’s show on Fox News, congressional hearings, public panels — to spread a different gospel. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has brought Cook into his inner circle at the Justice Department.

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