Detrás del bajo porcentaje de usuarios comprando cannabis por vías legales en Uruguay, lo que falta es un esquema de incentivos que -como en cualquier mercado- sea atractivo para los consumidores. La rigidez que presentan las alternativas legales en relación al registro, la elección de una única vía de acceso, los topes máximos a las cantidades que se puede adquirir o autocultivar legalmente, la poca variedad, parece que son contraproducentes para maximizar el alcance de la política. La regulación uruguaya de cannabis 2.0 tendrá, entonces, que repensar un diseño que otorgue mayor flexibilidad y contribuya a la expansión de un mercado legal, y no de uno gris como hasta ahora.

Una de las más graves falencias del dictamen aprobado es que mantiene la apuesta por el sistema de justicia penal como una herramienta regulatoria. ¿Son necesarios estos delitos para controlar al mercado? ¿Son imprescindibles tantos requisitos para el consumo? La respuesta es no, pues no sólo son desproporcionados, sino que carecen de sentido en un sistema en el que el cannabis es legal y que busca la justicia social. La permanencia de estos delitos y los requisitos para el consumo, evidencian que lo que se busca es la protección de los intereses económicos de aquellas personas o empresas que tienen la suficiente capacidad económica para ingresar al mercado legal del cannabis. Es claro que lo que aprobó el Senado resultó en un peor escenario al que vivimos actualmente, sin regulación.

Regular la mariguana para que puedas sembrarla y consumirla en tu casa, pero solo si te registras en un padrón y permites que las autoridades entren a tu domicilio, para comprobar que cumples con todos los requisitos. Esto es lo que propone Morena en el Senado. Sin embargo, organizaciones advierten que estas medidas serían intrusivas, y que la iniciativa en realidad se basa en el miedo y los prejuicios. Además, señalan que el dictamen terminaría beneficiando, sobre todo, a las grandes industrias cannábicas, antes que a campesinos y grupos vulnerables.

En marzo 2021, en redes sociales y entre la opinión pública se podía leer mucho sobre la aprobación del uso lúdico de la mariguana en México; sin embargo, es un camino que aún no concluye, ya que su discusión sigue en el Senado y que además se postergó para el próximo periodo legislativo. Es así como 2021 parecía ser el año para que México tuviera una regulación completa alrededor de la mariguana, lo cual no sucedió, ya que un día antes de que terminaran las labores del Senado, el 14 de diciembre, se presentó la iniciativa. Uno de los momentos más destacados en 2021 fue la declaratoria general de inconstitucionalidad de la SCJN, publicada el 28 de junio, la cual propone eliminar de la Ley General de Salud a la mariguana como droga ilícita y privilegiar el derecho a decidir de las personas.

Colombia será el primer país que lleve a una discusión legislativa la regulación de la quinta droga más consumida en el mundo y la segunda más incautada, según cifras de Naciones Unidas: la cocaína. En el Congreso será radicado un proyecto de ley de los senadores Iván Marulanda, del Partido Verde, y Feliciano Valencia, del Mais, que busca cambiar la guerra con la que país lleva décadas enfrentando el narcotráfico, sin lograr acabarlo pero con altos costos en vidas y dinero. La iniciativa plantea el control del Estado de la producción y comercialización de la hoja de coca y la cocaína para arrebatarle a las mafias este negocio, también aborda la regulación aludiendo a derechos como la vida digna, la salud, y el libre desarrollo de la personalidad, así como a la necesidad de reducir los riesgos por consumo.

Psychotherapist Mariella Dimech has been appointed the first executive chair of the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis. She tells how she plans to stifle the black market and raise awareness on cannabis use in Malta. "Back when I worked at Caritas I was concerned that legalisation would create a ‘free for all attitude’. I had just come back from rehabilitation training in the US, where we were taught a zero-tolerance, punitive approach towards drug rehabilitation. And I was very adamant about it during my time as programme coordinator at Caritas. But I learned from experience that it’s not the only way to go about it. And I now believe that a harm-reduction approach is also necessary." (See also: Cannabis may be legal. But it’s not a ‘free-for-all’: Mariella Dimech)

As cannabis producers add to their harvest as Canada prepares to legalize recreational use starting Oct. 17, some companies are already exploring novel ways to dramatically reduce the cost of growing pot. While most cannabis companies build massive indoor facilities and greenhouses to meet the expected demand that Canadians will have for legal pot, the cost needed to operate these modern grow-operations is also climbing with the average cost of producing marijuana hovering at about $1 a gram. Now, producers are turning to old-school methods such as outdoor production as well as new technological innovations in an effort to reduce the cost of growing a gram to pennies on the dollar. (See also: Retail investors in Canadian cannabis are 'buying air,' analyst says)

Mbuso has been growing cannabis for 14 years. He lives and tends the illicit crop in Swaziland, which is now known officially as Eswatini. Mbuso is just one of scores who depend on high demand from their larger neighbour South Africa for their potent cannabis strain known as "Swazi Gold". They are worried that a recent legal amendment in SA could choke their businesses. In September, South Africa's Constitutional Court decriminalised the use and cultivation of cannabis in private space. But the decision did not legalise its trade or distribution. Florida-based company Profile Solutions Inc has recently received a coveted 10-year licence to produce and sell hemp and medical-grade cannabis in Eswatini. But small-scale farmers are still being prosecuted, detained and having their crops burnt.

Cannabis may be legal in Vancouver but visitors looking to score are likely to run into a seemingly counterintuitive suggestion: try the black market. Recreational marijuana was legalised across Canada in October 2018. And yet on Reddit, the specialist forum website used by millions every day, many of Vancouver’s cannabis connoisseurs still swear by their underground supply. This is one of the major issues facing North America’s marijuana companies, which experts say are in the midst of a dotcom-style market crash. Little over a year ago companies that cultivate and sell cannabis were seen by investors as one of the hottest tickets in town. Now billions of dollars have been wiped off the market values of the industry’s largest companies.

Last month Lebanese President Michel Aoun signed an order paving the way for a change in the country's legislation. If the bill passes through parliament then the production of cannabis could be allowed. But for the moment, the whole plan is confused and far from concluded. To start with, the type of plant the government is proposing to be legalised is not the same variety the farmers currently sow. Perhaps more problematic though, is that it's being suggested that the law will not allow anyone who currently grows cannabis illegally to be involved in future legal production. So instead of benefiting from a change in the law, the farmers who rely on the plant for their livelihood would be out of a job. (See also: In Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, locals divided over legalisation of medical marijuana)

A Los Angeles government program set up to provide cannabis licenses to people harmed by the war on drugs has been plagued by delays, scandal and bureaucratic blunders, costing some intended beneficiaries hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. Black entrepreneurs and activists across LA said that the city’s embattled “social equity” program has left aspiring business owners on an indefinite waiting list, causing potentially irreparable damage to their families’ finances and preventing them from opening marijuana shops they have been planning for years. The community most disproportionately targeted by marijuana arrests is again facing discrimination.

Mike Babins and Maria Petrucci cleared grey-market cannabis from the shelves of their dispensary last year on the eve of federal legalization, uncertain what the new market would bring. A year later, sales of recreational pot have been brisk and longtime customers have remained loyal following the Evergreen Cannabis Store’s months-long transition from a “grey market” municipal licence to a provincial licence under the new system. “I’m so happy to see how many of those people come back and say, ‘Wow, this weed is so much better.’” Black-market cannabis still accounts for about two-thirds of the cannabis bought in Canada, so B.C.’s 85 licensed private retailers and seven government stores may be competing more with illicit operators than with each other.

Luxembourg steps up preparations for new legislation to fully legalise recreational cannabis. "After decades of repressive policies, we have acknowledged that this policy does not work, that it did not meet expectations. So it's time to change mindsets, change our concepts and try something else," said Health Minister Étienne Schneider, who is also vice prime minister. Luxembourg wouldn't become a cannabis tourism hotspot, mainly because non-residents wouldn't be allowed to buy it. "It is not about meddling in [other EU countries'] national policies, but simply of discussing the observations we made in Luxembourg," Schneider said. "I hope that this Luxembourg initiative will also have a positive impact on the other countries of the European Union."

Minister of Justice Sam Tanson of Luxembourg defended the government's decision to regulate recreational cannabis consumption, pointing out that this was already included in the governing coalition's programme before the last national elections in 2018. The initial plan of the coalition between the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), and the Green Party (déi Gréng) was to legalise cannabis. However, Tanson explained that because the government does not want to allow cannabis consumption in public spaces, they now prefer to talk about "regulation" rather than "legalisation." Tanson stressed that the long-term goal of the government remains the creation of state-approved selling points for cannabis. 

British Columbia used to supply half of Canada’s marijuana, export it to the United States by the hockey bag, and bring home a bong-full of blue ribbons for its exotic “B.C. bud” strains from international Cannabis Cup competitions in Amsterdam. Premier John Horgan argues that this history is the main reason why legal marijuana has fizzled so far in B.C., a year into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s bold legalization experiment. Horgan’s government is moving to take over the “economic development” part of legal cannabis from Ottawa, because its ponderous Health Canada licence system for growers is working great for mass-market producers in Ontario and Quebec. And it’s killing B.C. bud. (See also: British Columbia chamber lobbies province over craft cannabis cultivation)

The 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 South Africa was decriminalised by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) in September 2018 and gave Parliament 24 months to amend the relevant laws. Almost five years later, Parliament is now looking to finalise the bill, which was tabled in 2020. Although it is not a criminal offence for an adult citizen to use, possess or grow cannabis for personal consumption at home, the buying and selling of marijuana remains illegal. The public was invited to provide comments on the proposed amendments to the bill.

For 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 2021 in an effort to improve the economy of one of the poorest regions, the kingdom decided to officially approve a bill legalising the production of cannabis for industrial, medicinal and cosmetic uses in the Rif. Up to now, the local farmers who have made the choice to grow cannabis legally are still few. By May, only about 400 of them had received authorization to begin. According to Khalid Mouna, a Moroccan anthropologist, with a focus on the Rif and kif, the small-scale local farmers might become the ones who will be left behind by the new law.

Former Australian Federal Police boss Mick Palmer has said the prohibition of cannabis use “is not just failing, it is causing real harm” as he described his journey from a hard-nosed policeman to a vocal advocate for cannabis law reform. He said the widespread use of cannabis indicated fear of arrest was not working as a deterrent. In 2019, 37 per cent of Australians said they had used cannabis at least once. However, for those unfortunate enough to be arrested for use and possession of cannabis, Palmer said, the outcome could be a “severe, whole-of-life” punishment, with convictions having the ability to wreck people’s careers. (See also: A new leaf? Push for Victoria to lead the way on cannabis legalisation)

The Eastern Cape government is calling for the protection of the local cannabis industry in South Africa. Dohne Agricultural Development Institute research director Dr Mfundo Maqubela said in a virtual presentation to Parliament’s Justice and Correctional Services Portfolio Committee that there could be no cannabis industry if the local market is not developed. Last November, the Eastern Cape government embarked on a roadshow to gauge public sentiment about the draft bill. The bill in its present form has been accused of discriminating against people who did not have access to private spaces in which to grow their own cannabis, and it failed to make provisions on how growers could access seeds for cultivation. (See also: The poor must be included in SA’s cannabis industry boom, says Cosatu)

In 2018 Canada became the second country, after Uruguay, to legalise recreational use. By catching the green wave, Canopy Growth’s co-chief executive, Bruce Linton, has built, in under six years, a company valued by the stock market at £11.5bn, positioned to be the number one global player. Though Canopy has yet to make a profit, revenues reached C$225m last year. More than half comes from its recreational cannabis brand Tweed, even though legalisation only took hold halfway through the year. But breaking America is the biggest prize in the near future. Canopy recently signed a C$4.5bn deal giving it an option to buy the US cannabis firm Acreage, putting it in pole position to grab a slice of the US if it opens up further.