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Germany will likely legalize adult-use cannabis in 2024
The so-called Traffic Light coalition, made of the Social Democratic Party, the Free Democratic Party, and The Greens, has finally reached an agreement on establishing the rules for the regulation of cannabis in Germany
Forbes (US)
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
The coalition government in Germany is finalizing details for long-awaited cannabis legalization, including dates for cannabis cultivation and the establishment of cannabis clubs. The legalization of cannabis possession and cultivation will take effect on April 1, 2024, while the establishment of cannabis social clubs is expected to become possible from July 1. The coalition has adjusted the rules concerning the possession and consumption of cannabis, aiming to make them less stringent than initially intended. The quantity of dried cannabis allowed for home cultivation is set to be doubled, increasing from 25 to 50 grams. -
German government to loosen up cannabis legalisation law
Germany's coalition government has agreed the final draft of the law to legalise cannabis - and plans to relax the rules even more than previously planned
The Local (Germany)
Monday, November 27, 2023
Recreational use of cannabis is set to become legal in Germany. The government has agreed the final draft of the legislation that will be discussed and voted on in the Bundestag next year. According to the latest draft, the bill is set to be less strict than previously planned. Possession of up to 50 grams will be allowed - instead of 25g. Criminal liability will only apply from people being in possession of 60g in private areas, and from 30g in public areas. The possession and consumption of cannabis will remain prohibited for young people under the age of 18. In a second later phase, the government plans to set up so-called "model cities" that will pilot the sale of weed in licensed shops. (See also: Entkriminalisierung zum 1. April 2024) -
Cannabis loopholes to be closed
The minister still supports the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes but not for recreational use
The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Monday, November 20, 2023
The Public Health Ministry in Thailand has completed the first draft of the Cannabis-Hemp Act and said it will not reclassify cannabis as a narcotic, Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said. Dr Cholnan said the new law is based on amendments to the first draft. It has been updated to address various public concerns or loopholes that allow people to use cannabis for recreational purposes, he added. The core of the law still defines cannabis as a controlled herb, while any extract that contains more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) remains listed as a narcotic. -
Cannabis : pourquoi la France bloque quand nos voisins européens assouplissent la législation
« Aujourd'hui la lutte contre la consommation de cannabis coûte très cher à l'État français »
Le Républicain Lorrain (France)
Dimanche, 19 novembre 2023
« Clubs de cannabis, culture à domicile, Weed care… » : l'Allemagne, le Luxembourg, les Pays-Bas, la Belgique et la Suisse - ces pays frontaliers de la Lorraine et de la Franche-Comté - assouplissent leurs législations et le regard de la société sur l’usage du cannabis. La France maintient, quoi qu'il en coûte, une politique de prohibition stricte et refuse aujourd'hui d'ouvrir un débat de société sur ce fait de société. Qui sont ces fumeurs de joints, combien coûte la prohibition stricte à la française, où en sont les français avec le cannabis ? État des lieux en France et à quelques encablures de nos régions. -
‘Prohibition is failing’
Ex-AFP boss says criminalising cannabis use does more harm than good
The Age (Australia)
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
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) -
Spain’s confusing cannabis policies spark similar problems faced by US states
Legal confusion over the drug’s status in regions like Catalonia and open European borders are allowing the illicit market to flourish
Politico (US)
Sunday, November 12, 2023
“For some years, there was the possibility to regulate [cannabis in Spain] and keep it in the hands of those who aren’t crime-related,” said Óscar Parés, deputy director of the Barcelona-based ICEERS, speaking of past efforts to regulate cannabis clubs in regions of Spain like Catalonia. “We missed the train somehow.” Catalonia is home to some of the world’s oldest cannabis consumption spaces, with the first club opening in Barcelona in 2001. As of 2023, Catalonian law enforcement estimates there are 450 cannabis clubs in the region. Catalonia’s clubs have become a model for other European countries looking to legalize cannabis consumption without running afoul of EU and international law. -
Weed is now legal in Thailand. How long will the high times last?
Cannabis shops have multiplied since the drug was decriminalized, with caveats, in June. But some lawmakers are pushing for tighter regulation
The New York Times (US)
Friday, November 10, 2023
Thailand’s military government is carrying out an experiment: What happens when a country in Asia, a region where drug laws tend to be harsh, essentially legalizes marijuana overnight? But the high times may not last. Sprawling draft legislation, which is expected to move through Parliament in the coming weeks, will seek to regulate legal gray areas around the cultivation, sale and consumption of the drug. It could become law as early as next year. Exactly how the law would affect the industry and consumers, will depend very much on the fine print. But, for the moment, its exact scope and focus are being negotiated in a parliamentary committee, out of the public eye. -
State Department’s permissive reading of international drug treaties is ‘good sign’ for marijuana rescheduling, lawyer says
The comments could signal a potentially meaningful shift in the U.S. reading of global drug treaty obligations
Marijiana Moment (US)
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Recent comments by a U.S. State Department official to a United Nations (UN) drug commission are being seen by some legal experts as “a good sign” for marijuana’s potential domestic move to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), at least in terms of clearing the country’s obligations under international law. Patt Prugh, a senior legal advisor and the primary counsel for the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, told the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) that the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and other global drug conventions take a “highly respectful” stance toward member states’ domestic policies that don’t have an “international dimension” and ought to be weighed against their duties to protect human rights. -
High times in Basel: Swiss city experiments with recreational cannabis
Switzerland has launched legal cannabis experiments in various cities this year to assess the benefits of regulating the supply of the recreational drug
Swissinfo (Switzerland)
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
370 adults taking part in Basel’s “Weed Care” scheme – a 2.5-year recreational pot smoking study. Its aim is to examine the impact of regulated cannabis supply on the health and consumption behaviour of users with a view to possible changes to the Swiss law. Basel was the first of seven Swiss cities to launch scientific studies this year. The results - especially on health risks, smoking habits and problematic consumption - will be closely scrutinised in the coming years. The pilot projects have public support yet remain contentious. Could Switzerland’s cautious step-by-step scientific approach offer a new way forward for countries considering whether to allow recreational cannabis? (See also: Switzerland’s pioneering legal cannabis experiment: Basel’s story) -
B.C. toxic drug deaths ‘largely preventable,’ coroner says, amid push for expanded safer supply access
While as many as 225,000 British Columbians are estimated to use unregulated substances, fewer than 5,000 per month receive safer supply prescriptions
Vancouver City News (Canada)
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
The BC Coroners Service is urging the province to “immediately pursue” expanded access to safer supply as a new report on toxic drug deaths finds many of them have been “largely preventable.” The Coroners Service says in a statement that it is pushing the government to increase access for those who are at risk of “significant injury or death” to receive the safer supply without a prescription. “The experts on the panel were thoughtful, committed, and practical in identifying an approach that we feel can guide future efforts to expand access to viable alternatives to an illicit supply of substances that is only increasing in volatility and toxicity.” (See also: B.C. Coroner’s death panel recommends issuing drugs without prescription to stop overdoses | B.C. rejects coroner panel’s call to expand access to safer-supply program)
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