• UN agency urged to publish leaked paper backing drug legalisation

    The UNODC paper said decriminalizing personal use of now-illicit drugs could reduce the incarceration of millions of people worldwide
    AFP
    Wednesday, October 21, 2015

    ihrc2015-decrimDelegates at the 2015 Harm Reduction Conference in Malaysia called on the United Nations drugs agency to officially release a leaked paper detailing an apparent landmark UN recommendation in favour of decriminalisation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had originally intended for its paper to be presented this week in Kuala Lumpur, but scrapped those plans and has since claimed it was "not a final document."

  • Pot legalization looks certain for Canada

    Advocates and experts say it's only a matter of time after the Liberal Party's election romp
    US News & World Report (US)
    Wednesday, October 21, 2015

    Carrying a torch for marijuana legalization, the Liberal Party of Canada emerged like a phoenix from parliamentary election to an absolute majority in the country’s House of Commons. Supporters and political scientists say, the party likely will make good on a campaign pledge to make Canada the world’s next country to allow cannabis for recreational use. "When can Canadians expect you to legalize pot if you're elected?" a reporter asked Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau. "We're going to get started on that right away," he said. (See also: Harm-reduction drug programs may get OK under new Liberal government)

  • The truth behind the UNODC's leaked decriminalisation paper

    The UNODC claims that the briefing is not a final or formal document, and does not amount to a statement of its policy position
    Steve Rolles (Transform)
    Tuesday, October 20, 2015

    decrim-unodc-transformThe UN Office on Drugs and Crime has responded to the 'leak' of its paper calling for the decriminalisation of drug possession for personal use. The document was to be presented by the UNODC at the International Harm Reduction Conference in Kuala Lumpur, and an embargoed copy had already gone to select media (the norm for such publication events). When it was then pulled at the last minute, the BBC, which had already filmed a news segment on it, decided to release it anyway. Richard Branson was filmed for the segment, and was sufficiently annoyed when the UNODC backtracked, that he broke the story himself on his blog.

  • Canada's newly elected Liberals may legalize marijuana

    That could impact US drug policy
    Vox (US)
    Tuesday, October 20, 2015

    With the Liberal Party's electoral victory in Canada, the US's northern neighbors could soon undertake an enormous change in drug policy: marijuana legalization. The policy was a big part of the Liberals' campaign: "We will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana. Canada's current system of marijuana prohibition does not work. It does not prevent young people from using marijuana and too many Canadians end up with criminal records for possessing small amounts of the drug."

  • Cannabis research 'being stifled' by US government, says think tank

    Federal policy is "interfering with the relationship between doctor and patient"
    The Independent (UK)
    Tuesday, October 20, 2015

    In a new report, Ending the U.S. government’s war on medical marijuana research, researchers at the Brookings Institution call on the federal government to eliminate roadblocks to medical marijuana research in the U.S. "The federal government is stifling medical research in a rapidly transforming area of public policy that has consequences for public health and public safety," authors John Hudak and Grace Wallack, say. "Statutory, regulatory, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers have paralyzed science and threatened the integrity of research freedom in this area."

  • UN attempt to decriminalise drugs foiled

    The UNODC paper also suggests low-level dealing should not be criminal offence
    BBC News (UK)
    Monday, October 19, 2015

    unodc-brief-decrim-wsA paper from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been withdrawn after pressure from at least one country. The document, which was leaked, recommends to consider "decriminalising drug and possession for personal consumption", arguing "arrest and incarceration are disproportionate measures". The UNODC has been under pressure for some time to make a clear statement regarding decriminalisation. UN agencies including the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS have been explicit in their opposition to drug users facing criminal sanctions on health and human rights grounds. The UNODC says the document is under review.

  • UN poised to call for decriminalisation of drugs, says Richard Branson

    Businessman says he is breaking embargo as he fears political pressure will lead to withdrawal of statement at last minute
    The Guardian (UK)
    Monday, October 19, 2015

    richard-branson5The United Nations is on the verge of issuing a call for all governments to decriminalise the possession and use of all drugs, according to businessman and global drugs campaigner Richard Branson. In a statement on the Virgin website, Branson has claimed that the call is included in an as-yet unreleased, embargoed statement by the UN office on drugs and crime (UNODC) and marks a “refreshing shift” from a body that has “shaped much of global drug policy for decades”. (Transform: Leaked document shows UN agency in charge of drug war wants world to decriminalise all drugs)

  • Steep fall in cannabis offences points to silent relaxation of drugs policy

    Police cite shrinking budgets and reduced stop and search, as possession offences recorded in England and Wales drop by almost a third
    The Guardian (UK)
    Sunday, October 18, 2015

    uk-stop-searchThe number of cannabis possession offences in England and Wales has plummeted since 2011 as forces divert shrinking budgets into tackling more serious crime and officers rein in stop and search. Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal offences – including penalty notices, cautions, charges and summons – fell by almost a third from a peak of 145,400 in 2011-12 to 101,905 in 2014-15. The figures include all cannabis possession offences, not just those that led to arrests or prosecutions. The fall in offences cannot be explained by police opting for quick cautions over lengthy prosecutions. (See also: The other green belt)

  • Mexico supreme court to discuss legalizing recreational marijuana

    Reuters
    Saturday, October 17, 2015

    Mexico's supreme court plans to discuss a proposal that could effectively legalize the consumption and production of marijuana for recreational use in a session on 28 October. Judges will vote on whether to declare unconstitutional parts of a federal health law prohibiting the growth and consumption of marijuana after a nonprofit group filed an injunction against a 2013 decision by health regulator Cofepris. Political pressure on Mexico to liberalize its stance on marijuana has been rising since the U.S. states of Washington and Colorado legalized possession and sale of the drug for recreational use in 2012.

  • La consommation de cannabis désormais passible d'une simple amende

    Objectif : réduire le flot de procédures judiciaires et frapper au portefeuille
    L'Express (France)
    Vendredi, 16 octobre 2015

    Le décret d'application de la transaction pénale ouvre la possibilité aux policiers de proposer une amende aux auteurs de petits délits, comme la consommation de cannabis. Les uns y verront un premier pas vers la dépénalisation de la drogue douce. Les autres, un moyen efficace de soulager les tribunaux sans se montrer totalement laxiste. La transaction pénale est l'une des mesures phares de la réforme pénale de Christiane Taubira. Son décret d'application a été publié en toute discrétion, rapporte Le Monde.

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