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'Dare to legislate': Brussels mayor repeats call to legalise cannabis
For Close, the problem of drugs in society will never be solved by the police alone
The Brussels Times (Belgium)
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Following the reported agreement by the German Government on the legalisation of cannabis, Brussels mayor Philippe Close reiterated his plea to decriminalise and eventually legalise its use in Belgium and Brussels. Over four million adults consume cannabis in Germany, which is why Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to crack down on the organised crime behind it by legalising and regulating the product and no longer considering it narcotics. "My full support for the socialist Chancellor Olaf Scholz who dares to legislate on cannabis," said Close on Twitter, tagging Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne. "It is time our country took the same direction. It is not about promoting a product but about managing it." -
Dutch marijuana growing experiment runs into more delays
The experiment has been beset by problems
Dutch News (Netherlands)
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Marijuana growers who have been selected to take part in the government’s controlled cultivation trials said that they will not be ready to start early next year as the government intends, NRC reported. Nine of 10 firms have written to ministers about the problems and some have spoken to the paper directly about the issues. The experiment should have begun to 2021 but is now due to start in the second quarter of 2023. But the growers now say the end of next year is a more likely date. As yet, some of the growers have been unable to get a bank account because of bank concerns about money laundering and supporting criminal behaviour. High energy prices, delays on the supply side and problems with the track&trace system which will monitor where the marijuana products go and are sold are also causing difficulties. -
Germany: Lauterbach outlines cannabis legalization plan
An adult would be allowed to carry 20 to 30 grams of cannabis for their own consumption, details of the plan show. However, the legislative process could be a long one
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach presented his plans on the legalization of cannabis. He said that Germany's drug policy had to be renewed because the current policies weren't successful. His aim was to evoke better health policies and increased protection for minors. Germany was not trying to imitate the Dutch model, as the country didn't have a regulated market. Rather, the plan signified "the most liberal legalization of cannabis in Europe", while also entailing "the most regulated market" in the EU. This approach could become a model for Europe. However, before it can be taken forward, the European Commission has to check whether the plan was viable under European and international law. (See also: Germany sets out plans for cannabis legalisation amid EU law worries | Kiffer müssen auf grünes Licht aus Brüssel warten) -
Can drug users lives be saved by giving them uncontaminated heroin and cocaine?
A Vancouver “compassion club” is buying illicit drugs and testing for impurities before distributing them to users at risk of overdose
The Toronto Star (Canada)
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Canada remains in the grips of a deadly toxic drug crisis that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands. It’s a crisis that has been blamed on a war — the war on drugs — fuelled by what policy experts and people who use drugs say is a mix of prohibition, criminalization, lack of supports and stigma. In the face of what is called government foot-dragging on providing the tools needed to stem the tide of death, activists are taking action, recently launching a fulfilment centre and compassion club in Vancouver, which procures, tests, repackages, and distributes drugs to people at high risk of overdose. The group is risking their liberty in the process, as the club is not legal — but they’re fighting the federal government in court so that it can be. They haven’t been shy about publicizing their activities, and have even been visited by the federal minister for addictions. -
Over a quarter of cocaine seized in Latin American ports destined for Antwerp
The data suggests that over a quarter of transatlantic cocaine shipments are now bound for Belgium
The Brussels Times (Belgium)
Saturday, October 22, 2022
This year, an estimated 200 tonnes of cocaine destined for overseas have already been seized in Latin American Ports, 65 tonnes of which were destined for the port of Antwerp, reports Belgian newspaper Le Soir, citing statistics by the United Nations and Belgium’s FPS Finances. The port of Antwerp, Europe’s second-largest, has long been a favourite destination for the trafficking of cocaine to Europe. Last year, Belgian customs agents seized 89 tonnes of the white powder at the port, partially as a result of Belgium’s Sky-ECC sting. As a result of the lucrative trade, the city has witnessed an explosion in the amount of drug-related violence. -
ACT becomes first Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise illicit drugs in small quantities
People found with small amounts of drugs for personal use, including heroin and cocaine, will be cautioned, fined or referred to drug programs
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, October 20, 2022
The Australian Capital Territory has become the first Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise illicit drugs in small quantities. Laws passed in the territory’s parliament mean people found with small amounts of nine different types of illicit drugs will not be criminally prosecuted. Instead they will be cautioned, fined or referred to a drug diversion program. The substances decriminalised include heroin, cocaine and speed. The ACT health minister, Rachel Stephen-Smith, said focusing on harm-minimisation rather than punishing drug users was the way forward. “The ACT has led the nation with a progressive approach to reducing the harm caused by illicit drugs with a focus on diversion, access to treatment and rehabilitation and reducing the stigma attached to drug use,” she said -
Details on cannabis legalisation: Lauterbach plans with these key points
Since the decision of the traffic light parties in the coalition agreement to legalize cannabis, there have been puzzles as to how the government intends to proceed
RND (Germany)
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
In Germany, the purchase and possession of 20 grams of cannabis from the age of 18 should in principle be exempt from punishment. This emerges from the key points of Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) for the planned legalization of cannabis. They are currently being coordinated between the ministries involved. After that, the self-cultivation of up to two cannabis plants should also be allowed. The amount of the intoxicating substance THC in legalized cannabis should not exceed 15 percent. In order to prevent "cannabis-related brain damage", however, only products with a maximum THC content of 10 percent may be sold to young people between 18 and 21 years of age. (See also: Germany’s plan to legalize cannabis is out. Here’s what it says | Ampel will sich international abstimmen) -
Vobořil: The state could raise up to CZK 15 billion annually by taxing addictive substances
The government should receive a final document with individual plans and deadlines by the end of the year
ČTK (Czechia)
Monday, October 17, 2022
Czechia could gain up to CZK 15 billion (EUR 600 million) a year thanks to new taxation of addictive substances and more efficient collection. The proposal also envisages the introduction of a strictly regulated cannabis market. It could bring up to CZK 4 billion (EUR 160 million) from the sale of cannabis products and from licensing. "We want to introduce a legal cannabis market. The fact that we have some portion of addictive substances under prohibition is a great social experiment that is not working," national drug coordinator Jindřich Vobořil said. He is discussing with colleagues in other states. (See also: Drug Reporter: How will Czechia legalise cannabis? | Could Czechia become second EU country to legalise recreational cannabis?) -
Booming cocaine production suggests the war on drugs has failed
Now some politicians in Latin America and Europe are saying so publicly
The Economist (UK)
Thursday, October 13, 2022
There is no shortage of people willing to plant and harvest coca; and there is no shortage of cocaine. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), global production hit a record 1,982 tonnes in 2020. That number is up by 11% on the year before, and nearly double the amount produced in 2014. Plenty of Latin American presidents have said the war is not working—though they tend to do so only once they have safely left office. Now some of those in power are beginning to speak up, too. In an interview with The Economist, Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s new president, talked of leniency for repentant gang members, decriminalising coca-leaf production and creating places where Colombians could consume cocaine in a supervised environment. -
What is HHC?
The hemp-derived cannabinoid has a lot of potential, but invites many questions, too
Leafly (US)
Wednesday, October 12, 2021
Among the wave of hemp-derived cannabinoids sweeping the country—delta 8 THC, delta-O THC, and delta-10 THC among them—few have eluded public understanding more than HHC. Googling the compound brings up a host of contradictory information: about its legality, its effects on the body, and even whether it occurs naturally in the cannabis plant. Hemp-derived HHC isn’t THC, but it offers a THC-lite experience. Making sense of HHC is complicated in part because it has only recently reached the market and only a handful of retailers are selling it, mostly in the form of vape carts. The cannabinoid offers lots of potential, however; don’t be surprised if you start hearing more about it soon.
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