The issue of ganja played very prominently in Jamaica in 2015 with some advocates trumpeting the dawn of a “new green golden kingdom”, while some opponents predicting the doom of our youths to the “green demon”. However, a sober analysis of the situation will reveal that even though there were indeed some victories in relation to how we treat with ganja in Jamaica, there is still a lot more to achieve and pitfalls to be mindful of in relation to our policy on establishing a fully legally regulated ganja industry.

More than 8,000 convicted people and suspects will be cleared of legal charges when kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is removed from the narcotics list on Aug 24, Office of Narcotics Control Board secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkol said. Kratom (Migragyna speciosa) is a tropical evergreen plant with opioid properties and some stimulant-like effects. It had long been used in tradtional medicine but was declared a Class 5 narcotic under the Narcotics Act of 1976. The law was amended in 2021 to remove kratom from the list. The amendment was published in the Royal Gazette on May 26 and the removal of kratom from the narcotics list is effective from Aug 24.

At the recently concluded 6th Latin American and 1st Caribbean Conference on Drug Policy, held in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, I started a discussion on the cannabis situation in Jamaica with a statement that “A lot has happened and a lot has not happened”, and this is the very same way I wish to start the engagement in this blog. Jamaica has in the last two (2) years has been thrust into the midst of the international discourse on drug policy reform, with specific emphasis on Cannabis reform.

Cannabis activists in Trinidad & Tobago have praised the proclamation of legislation to decriminalise use and possession in small amounts, but said that it is only the beginning. "It is a start. Not the start we would have liked but is a start," said CEO of advocacy NGO Cannabis and You Javed Baksh. With decriminalisation people will be able to legally have cannabis at home and use it (four plants per person and under 30 grammes of flower and under five grammes of resin) but this has already been happening. "People been doing that for how many years. They get it at home and use it at home. Some have grown in their residences. I have it grown years ago." (See also: Process for ganja pardons begins | How marijuana records will be expunged)

The Drug Committee in Thailand approved three draft legislations for amnesty. If these drafts become law, even possessors of cannabis, who are not patients or research units, will be pardoned. “We have already passed the draft regulations, but there are still many steps left. The Food and Drug Administration [FDA] will have to put these drafts through public hearings and gather opinions for further review,” FDA secretary-general Tares Krassanairawiwong said. The approved drafts included three announcements designed to grant amnesty to government agencies, private firms, community enterprises, practitioners of traditional Thai medicine, research organisations, patients and everybody else who use and possess cannabis.

A refined draft bill to lay the legal groundwork for a regulated adult-use cannabis regime in Bermuda will soon be presented to the island’s legislature. That puts the British island territory among a small group of countries where the establishment of a regulated industry for recreational marijuana is under active consideration. Bermuda recently concluded month-long public consultations over the proposed law and policy document outlining how a regulated cannabis market would look on the island. The proposal is a major pivot from the government’s previous plan to establish a medical industry. That plan was scrapped after it was concluded it “did not go far enough to meet public expectation,” the attorney-general said. (See also: New cannabis law ‘will help overcome stigma’)

President Biden pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration would review whether marijuana should still be in the same legal category as drugs like heroin and LSD. The pardons will clear everyone convicted on federal charges of simple possession since it became a crime in the 1970s. Officials said full data was not available but noted that about 6,500 people were convicted of simple possession between 1992 and 2021, not counting legal permanent residents. The pardons will also affect people who were convicted under District of Columbia drug laws; officials estimated that number to be in the thousands. Biden urged governors to follow his lead for people convicted on state charges of simple possession, who vastly outnumber those charged under federal laws.

As Canada prepares to legalize marijuana this summer, politicians are facing growing calls to grant a blanket amnesty for people convicted under the existing drug laws – many of whom belong to marginalized groups. Since the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was elected in 2015 on a manifesto promise to legalize cannabis, more than 15,000 people have been charged over marijuana-related offences – joining close to 500,000 Canadians with marijuana convictions on their criminal record. The Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty launched a petition asking the government to consider pardons for possession charges. The group hopes to gain at least 5,000 signatures by the end of May.

The half-million Canadians with criminal records for cannabis possession received some encouraging news. Four Liberal cabinet ministers held a news conference to announce that the government is bringing in legislation to expedite pardons for those who were busted with amounts of 30 grams or less. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters that the intention is to remove the stigma of criminal records for simple possession, which will make it easier for people to find housing, employment, and volunteer in their community. (See also: Pardons for past cannabis crimes have major limitations, and there's no simple fix | NDP introduce a private member's bill calling for cannabis amnesty)

Parliament approved a cannabis law that will allow users to carry, buy and grow amounts of the drug, making Malta the first European country to introduce laws to regulate recreational cannabis use. MPs backed the Responsible Use of Cannabis bill by 36 votes to 27. All Labour MPs voted in favour of the bill while the opposition voted against it. The reform must be signed into law by President George Vella - a process that usually happens within days of parliamentary votes. Vella, a doctor by profession, has faced calls from NGOs and lobby groups that oppose the reform plans to refuse to sign the bill into law. (See also: Through the smoke: What you need to know about new cannabis rules | Malta becomes first European country to legalise recreational cannabis)

From St. John’s to Vancouver, from Southern Ontario to the Far North, Canada’s nearly century-old prohibition on recreational cannabis lifted on Wednesday – and in Ottawa, the Trudeau government also promised new legislation to let people convicted of simple possession apply for pardons more easily. Not everyone who wanted to smoke up on the first day were able to: Relatively few bricks-and-mortar stores were open, and in Ontario, the most populous province, online retail is the only option until physical stores get the go-ahead next year. While demand was strong, supply was short on Day 1, and could be for the weeks to come. (See also: Canadians welcome legal pot sales, put up with supply issues on opening day)

Canadians will get pardons if they were convicted of possessing marijuana before it was legalised. That means their criminal record for cannabis possession is kept separate from other criminal records - but it doesn't erase the crime. It could still affect people in situations like job applications, travelling abroad and getting houses - and the person who wants a pardon has to apply and pay for it. Some politicians argue that pardoning doesn't go far enough and something called expungement - when all government records of the crime are erased - should happen instead. "We now need to go back and be able to remove the stain that is on the record," the New Democratic Party's Guy Caron said.

To accompany Bill 13-21, a coordination of cannabis growers and the descendants of farmers met with the parties represented in the Lower House to present a memorandum. It calls for authorizing the recreational use of this plant, establishing a general amnesty, defining a reference price and granting more roles to cooperatives. Mohammed Kharchiche, a member of the coordination, referred to the question of cooperatives. «The role of these has been reduced in the bill, acting only on collection and distribution of the harvest for companies which creates a sort of monopoly». The coordination considers that «cooperatives must also have the right to proceed with the transformation of the product and its valuation, so that they can really participate in local development».

Canada’s federal government is currently working to pass a bill that would provide pardons for people convicted of minor cannabis possession. With a federal election around the corner, it may be too little, too late. As a result of mounting pressure, Canada’s federal government is now struggling to pass this bill before politicians leave the capital for the summer break. If the bill does not pass, it is unlikely to do so before a national election this fall, leaving tens of thousands of lives hanging in the balance. What Canadian legalization lacks are the important measures needed to repair the damage caused by almost a century of prohibition.

Significant policy shifts have led to an unprecedented boom in medical cannabis markets, while a growing number of countries are moving towards the legal regulation of adult non-medical use. This trend is likely to bring a range of benefits. Yet there are growing concerns over the many for-profit cannabis companies from the global North that are aggressively competing to capture the licit spaces now opening in the multibillion-dollar global cannabis market. This threatens to push small-scale traditional farmers from the global South out of the emerging legal markets.

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Le PAM a réussi à réunir les cultivateurs de cannabis de la région de Bab Berred. Des centaines de personnes, liées à la culture de cette plante sujet de polémique, se sont rassemblées dans une tente caidale dressée pour l’occasion à la sortie du village de Bab Berred, non loin du poste de la gendarmerie de la région. Dans l’assistance, des propriétaires ou de simples ouvriers agricoles travaillant les terres cultivées par le cannabis. Pour les agriculteurs qui ont pris la parole, il s’agit de sortir la région tout entière de la peur. Selon certains d’entre eux, la culture de cannabis est la seule source de revenus, mais aussi des tracas et de chantages que subissent les habitants de ces régions. (Lire aussi: Dans les régions du cannabis – sur la piste des 48.000 wanted)

Hamid Chabat, Secretary General of the Istiqlal Party, one of Morocco's major opposition political parties, has again called for amnesty for cannabis growers in the north of the kingdom. He said that nearly 80,000 cannabis growers are released on bail and risk going back to prison at any moment because of their involvement in the cultivation of cannabis, while "corrupt and money launderers enjoy amnesty." He added that the majority of these small growers lack identity documents and cannot exercise their voting rights.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis plans to mass-pardon 2,732 convictions of low-level marijuana possession through an executive order after signing a bill earlier this year that gave him that authority. “This really catches Coloradans up with where the law is today,” he said. House Bill 1424, passed by the General Assembly earlier this year, included a provision that allows the governor to pardon those who have convictions on their criminal records for possessing up to 2 ounces of marijuana — the current legal limit for medical marijuana users. Polis’ pardon, however, will only apply to convictions in state courts through 2012 of up to 1 ounce for recreational use, consistent with Colorado Amendment 64, passed by voters in 2012.

Tras la firma del Acuerdo de paz con las Farc, casi 100 mil familias campesinas admitieron haber cometido uno o varios delitos: participaron en actividades vinculadas a los cultivos de uso ilícito, tráfico y fabricación de estupefacientes, destinación ilícita de muebles o inmuebles y tráfico de sustancias para el procesamiento de narcóticos. Los aceptaron al firmar los acuerdos del Programa Nacional Integral de Sustitución de Cultivos de Uso Ilícito (Pnis)con los que prometieron arrancar sus matas de coca y abandonar esa actividad para reemplazarla por proyectos productivos legales. El proyecto busca detener la persecución penal contra los pequeños agricultores, eliminar los procesos en curso y absolver las penas de quienes se inscriban y cumplan los programas de sustitución.

The decriminalisation of kratom, long used as a herbal remedy but which some health regulators around the world have criticised as potentially unsafe, was welcomed by human rights advocates. Kratom is part of the coffee family, used for centuries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea for its pain-relieving and mildly stimulating effects. It has become increasingly popular in the United States. The change to Thai law means "the general public will be able to consume and sell kratom legally", government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said, while more than 1,000 prisoners convicted of offences related to the drug will be freed. (See also: Thailand legalizes kratom, popular plant-based painkiller)