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Federal prosecutors maintain hard line on pot as legalization looms
The prosecution service maintains it is applying the same rules after the election as it did before
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Monday, February 22, 2016
As Canada heads toward a new era of legal marijuana use, federal prosecutors are still trying to jail people who grow small amounts of cannabis in their home to sell to others, sending a tough-on-drugs message that some say is at odds with the new approach. And they continue to seek criminal records, and sometimes jail time, for people charged with simple possession of marijuana for their own use. (See also: Vancouver pot dispensaries face hurdle in ‘ridiculous’ board review) -
Laws in the works for marijuana decriminalization
The gamut of recommendations on the decriminalization of marijuana in Belize also includes drug education and rehabilitation for repeat offenders
Amandala (Belize)
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Laws for the decriminalization of marijuana, for possession of up to 10 grams, are in the works in Belize. After Cabinet gave its nod for the legal drafting, the Attorney General’s Ministry began working on amendments to the Criminal Code which would remove criminal penalties in the event that persons are found with marijuana. The Government is not moving to legalize marijuana use. Persons found with small quantities of marijuana would instead receive a fine through a sort of ticketing system. It is only in the event that the person fails to pay the fine that he or she would face incarceration. -
Ex-NSW DPP boss pushes to legalise drugs
Former NSW director of public prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery is pushing to get all illicit drugs decriminalised
AAP (Australia)
Friday, February 19, 2016
Former NSW director of public prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery joined federal Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale to call on Australian governments to reconsider treating drug users as criminals. "I am calling on the legalisation, regulation, control and taxation of all drugs," Mr Cowdery said. "It's extremely frustrating to see the criminal justice system brought in to attach criminal records and all of the trauma that goes with it to people that are not criminals and who are not harming society." -
UNGASS 2016: What prospect for change?
Don’t even expect to see a consensus around those two words ‘harm’ and ‘reduction’
Matters of Substance (New Zealand)
February 2016
With the UN’s drug control policy setting bathed in opaque diplomatic light, civil society advocates are left looking for the subtleties of language and tone to spot any sign of change. The NGOs closest to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world’s drug problem in April aren’t expecting dramatic changes, but they do see things moving in the right direction. “We’re not going to have the end of prohibition in April, the treaties are not going to be torn up and started afresh in April. There are still a lot of repressive voices in there." -
Aus für Coffee-Shop-Idee? Kreuzberger Pläne erneut abgelehnt
Im Herbst 2015 hatte es den Antrag des Bezirks abgelehnt, mit dem die Genehmigung von Cannabis-Verkaufsstellen erreicht werden sollte
Die Welt (Germany)
Donnerstag, 18. Februar, 2016
In dem Vorhaben reguliert weiche Drogen wie Haschisch und Marihuana zu verkaufen, muss der Berliner Bezirk Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg erneut eine Schlappe hinnehmen. Das zuständige Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM) hat einen Widerspruch des Bezirks abgewiesen. Das BfArM erklärte, der Verkauf von Cannabis zu Genusszwecken sei mit dem Betäubungsmittelgesetz nicht vereinbar. Das Gesetz verbietet Cannabis und lässt nur wenige Ausnahmen in medizinisch begründeten Fällen zu. -
Legal pot has its benefits, but little economic impact
Trudeau has stated that he expects only "modest returns" from legalization
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Each week, there seems to be a new headline declaring that piles of cash will soon flood into the economy once legalization comes into effect. The latest report, from CIBC World Markets, says Canada’s federal and provincial governments could pocket $5-billion a year in tax revenues from the sale of legal marijuana. A few major players are set to cash in, most notably Tweed Marijuana Inc., which absorbed its closest competitor, Bedrocan Cannabis Corp., in a $61-million deal this past summer. As for the rest of us? We’ll hardly notice. The economic impact of legalization will be negligible. -
Marijuana legalization unlikely to blame for Denver crime increase
“Crime is up,” said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson, ”but I don’t know if you can relate it to marijuana”
The Denver Post (US)
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Marijuana policy experts and Colorado officials urge caution when trying to grade legalization’s impacts. But there is one thing that legalization supporters, opponents and neutrals within Colorado agree on: It’s unlikely marijuana has much to do with Denver’s recent uptick in crime. Since 2012, when Colorado passed recreational marijuana legalization, the number of crimes in Denver has grown by about 44 percent, according to figures the city reported to the National Incident Based Reporting System. In the past, police have argued that system potentially overcounts crimes and have preferred to cite the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which shows a 3.5 percent increase. Both increases are tempered when taking population growth into account. (See also: Students explore impact of marijuana legalization) -
Norway to sentence some drug addicts to treatment rather than prison
"More addicts will rid themselves of their drug dependency and fewer will return to crime"
The Independent (UK)
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Norway's courts will now be able to sentence drug-addicted convicts to treatment programmes instead of sending them to jail. Following trials in Bergen and Oslo, the narkotikaprogrammet (narcotics programme) is being introduced nationwide, effective immediately. Announcing the expansion of the programme, Justice Minister Anders Andundsen said: “We’re rolling out a program that has been tested since 2006, in which addicts have been sentenced to treatment with concrete follow-up." "The goal is that more addicts will rid themselves of their drug dependency and fewer will return to crime,” Anundsen continued. “But if the terms of the programme are violated, the convicts must serve an ordinary prison term." (See also: Norway: The emperor’s new drug policies) -
The right way to do drugs
The argument for the legalisation of cannabis has been won. Now for the difficult bit
The Economist (UK)
Saturday, February 13, 2016
It is like a hash-induced hallucination: row upon row of lush, budding plants, tended by white-coated technicians who are bothered by the authorities only when it is time to pay their taxes. Cannabis once grew in secret, traded by murderous cartels and smoked by consumers who risked jail. Now, countries all over the world have licensed the drug for medical purposes, and a few are going still further (see article). Four American states have so far legalised its recreational use; Uruguay will soon be joined by big, G7-member Canada in the legal-weed club. Parliaments from Mexico to South Africa are debating reforms of their own. -
'Cannabis clubs' set for four Swiss cities
Four Swiss cities have agreed to launch pilot projects for the creation of cannabis clubs allowing members to use the drug without penalty
The Local (Switzerland)
Friday, February 12, 2016
Representatives of the cities Zurich, Basel, Bern and Geneva met to discuss how to regulate the sale of cannabis, broadcaster SRF reported. Cannabis is illegal to possess in Switzerland, even if police in many cantons turn a blind eye to personal use. A maximum of 2,000 people will participate, which remains a small share of the more than 500,000 people who use cannabis. Geneva’s proposed pilot project would authorize the controlled use of cannabis for youth and adults suffering from serious problems linked to the drug.
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