• Legalise ecstasy and cannabis to combat drugs crime: think tank

    The government needs to take over the national drugs market for cannabis and ecstasy as quickly as possible
    Dutch News (Netherlands)
    Thursday, June 23, 2022

    nl cannabis cultivation policeDutch drugs criminality could be tackled by legalising ecstasy and cannabis and by a taking a much tougher approach to cocaine smuggling, an independent think tank has said in a report. The Dutch need to work on a ‘credible’ policy when it comes to drugs crime, think tank DenkWerk said in its evaluation, and that includes measures such as closing down port terminals which are not doing enough to intercept drugs transports. The think tank based its recommendations on interviews with 25 representatives from police, customs, the public prosecution office, ports and journalism. Legalisation, one of the report’s key recommendations, would deprive criminals of hundreds of millions of euros in profits. At the same time, it would tackle the illegal dumping of chemicals and discourage youngsters just out of school from getting involved in drugs crime.

  • Thailand cannabis: From a war on drugs to weed curries

    Thailand has given away one million cannabis plants to encourage cultivation
    BBC News (UK)
    Tuesday, June 21, 2021

    thailand cannabis plant handoutThailand legalised cultivating and consuming cannabis this month, reversing a hard-line approach of long prison sentences or even the death penalty for drug offences. Cafés and stalls have been openly selling all kinds of cannabis products, or showing off jars filled with potent marijuana flowers. The minister for public health, Anutin Charnvirakul - architect of the new law - was seen sampling weed-laced curries, and being applauded by farmers who hope it will bring them new sources of income. The new law appears to give Thailand what is perhaps the most liberal approach to marijuana anywhere in the world. For the moment, people can grow and consume as much of the plant as they like, though there are a few limits on how they can market and sell it. (See also: Thousands of cannabis offenders being released, but not all)

  • Study reveals economic impact of Swiss cannabis legislation

    Cannabis generates an annual turnover of around CHF1 billion ($1.03 billion) in Switzerland, according to a new study
    Swissinfo (Switzerland)
    Monday, June 20, 2022

    switzerland flag cannabis2Cannabis generates an annual turnover of around CHF1 billion ($1.03 billion) in Switzerland, according to a new study. The figure, published by the University of Geneva, contains production, import and trade in the shadow economy as well as legal economic activity, notably policing, the justice system, social work and healthcare. It is the equivalent of CHF582 million in annual revenue of the Swiss market for recreational cannabis, according to researchers. In addition, the direct and indirect turnover of the other segments of the cannabis system amount to about CHF425 million annually without factoring in the total gross value added, the study said.

  • Luxembourg law lets you smoke a joint - at home

    Watered down version of government's plan includes growing four plants out of the public eye
    Luxemburger Wort (Luxembourg)
    Wednesday, June 15, 2022

    luxembourg cannabis flagLuxembourg has taken a first step to legalising cannabis, launching a watered down proposal which allows people to grow the drug at home, but leaves out the government's promise to take the trade out of criminal hands entirely. Justice Minister Sam Tanson has put forward a new law which would allow people to grow up to four plants at home, although people must keep them out of sight and can only consume the drug at home. Luxembourg's three neighbouring countries have previously voices their discontent about the plan, fearing the easier rules could cause people to buy the drug in Luxembourg and carry it over the border illegally. But Germany's new government is now pushing ahead with its own law, and Malta has become the first EU country to legalise cannabis. (See also: Pas de registre de contrôle prévu pour le cannabis récréatif)

  • Germany takes first step towards relaxing cannabis law

    Health Minister Karl Lauterbach hopes to present a new law in the coming months
    Deutsche Welle (Germany)
    Tuesday, June 14, 2021

    Burkhard BlienertThe first of five rounds of expert testimony on the liberalization of cannabis laws was to begin in Berlin, the first step in Germany's plan to legalize recreational use of the plant. Titled "cannabis, but safe", the first closed-door presentation will come from Social Democrat (SPD) Burkhard Blienert, the federal government's drug policy expert. Legalizing and regulating the cannabis market was one of the progressive reforms promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government when his SPD signed a coalition agreement with the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the Green Party last year. Expert testimony, the first step in creating new laws, is expected to last until the end of June. (See also: German officials formally launch marijuana legalization effort, with hearings set to begin this week | 5 things to know about Germany’s push to legalize cannabis)

  • What Thailand’s legalization of marijuana means for Southeast Asia's war on drugs

    Time (US)
    Tuesday, June 14, 2022

    thailand cannabis costumeSoutheast Asia, a region of 11 countries and some 680 million people, has long been infamous for having the strictest anti-drug laws in the world. But in a sign that regional leaders are mulling a new approach, Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize marijuana for medical and other purposes. Smoking weed for fun is still illegal, Thai’s health minister clarified to CNN, but he expects legal cannabis production to boost the economy. Over 3,000 inmates incarcerated in Thai prisons for marijuana-related offenses were freed. Martin Jelsma at the Transnational Institute (TNI) in Amsterdam, says a common Southeast Asian approach to regulating marijuana and other narcotics is unlikely to happen. But he believes that in a region “so plagued by excessively repressive drug policies, the positive influence of Thailand’s recent policy changes on the regional debate is most welcome.”

  • What about the UN? Coming down off that high

    Regulation decriminalising dope hits early hurdles
    The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
    Sunday, June 12, 2022

    thailand marijuana awakeningThailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to delist the cannabis plant from the government's Category 5 narcotics list, following the publication of a Ministry of Public Health announcement in the Royal Gazette. Only cannabis oil extracts containing more than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the psychoactive ingredient responsible for feelings of euphoria -- are still considered a Category 5 substance, regulated by narcotics control and suppression laws. The UN will also examine the country's draft law on cannabis and hemp and if it decides the bill violates the 1961 Convention on narcotic drugs, Thailand will be required to take corrective steps and report back. The Narcotics Control Board (NCB) admitted there are concerns about impacts from the delisting because Thailand is a signatory of the 1961 treaty on narcotic drugs.

  • Le projet de loi autorisant le cannabis à domicile adopté

    Un projet de loi qui s’insère dans une approche de réduction des risques mais aussi de prévention de la criminalité
    Luxemburger Wort (Luxembourg)
    Vendredi, 10 juin 2022

    luxembourg cannabisLe Conseil de gouvernement a approuvé le projet de loi qui doit autoriser la culture par des personnes majeures d'un maximum de quatre plants de cannabis dans la sphère privée. La nouvelle avait déjà fait parler d’elle fin octobre: le gouvernement luxembourgeois avait officialisé sa volonté d'autoriser la culture et la consommation de cannabis dans la sphère privée. Si le projet de loi a été adopté, il faudra cependant attendre le vote du texte à la Chambre des députés pour installer des plants chez soi. Concrètement, la consommation personnelle de cannabis sera donc autorisée et une personne majeure pourra librement cultiver jusqu’à 4 plantes de cannabis par foyer (exclusivement à partir de semences). (Lire aussi: Luxembourg : la loi pour cultiver du cannabis chez soi est prête)

  • ACT government agrees to decriminalise small amounts of illicit drugs, such as ice, heroin and cocaine

    Users of small amounts of illegal drugs would be fined rather than charged under the proposed law
    ABC News (Australia)
    Thursday, June 9, 2022

    australia decrimThe ACT is set to become the first Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise small amounts of commonly used illicit drugs, such as ice, heroin, cocaine and speed. Under a proposed law that the government has now endorsed, police would continue to target dealers and try to disrupt Canberra's drug trade. However, people found with amounts considered to be "personal possession" — smaller than trafficable quantities — would be subject to fines rather than criminal charges. The decision follows the recommendations of a Legislative Assembly inquiry into the proposal, which was tabled by Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson last year.

  • Thailand legalises cannabis trade but still bans recreational use

    A wider draft law on cannabis control is currently being considered in Thai parliament
    BBC News (UK)
    Thursday, June 9, 2022

    thailand legal cannabisPeople in Thailand can now grow cannabis plants at home and sell the crop after the nation removed marijuana from its banned narcotics list. The nation is the first to advance such a move in South-East Asia, a region known for its stringent drug laws. But recreational use is still banned, even though advocates say the easing effectively decriminalises marijuana. The government is hoping that developing a local cannabis trade will boost agriculture and tourism. It's even giving away one million cannabis seedlings to citizens to encourage pick-up. (See also: Thailand makes marijuana legal, but smoking discouraged)

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