• Legal and social: this is how the first Cannabis Club in the Netherlands would like marijuana

    Not everyone would immediately associate the concept of Cannabis Social Club to the city of Amsterdam
    31mag (Netherlands)
    Thursday, October 15, 2015

    tree-of-life2How does a Social Club fit in the Dutch capital, with its about 200 coffee shops? "The concept of The Tree of Life is very different than a coffeeshop," says Rosaria Ricci, president of the club. "First of all, it is not for profit. Secondly, it addresses marijuana lovers and not anonymous customers. Plus, the association also has a political goal: to change the current legislation. The cultivation of marijuana is not allowed at the moment. Finally, it focuses on the therapeutic functions of cannabis from a scientific point of view. All these elements are almost entirely absent within the activity of a coffeeshop."

  • Once and for all, marijuana is not a gateway drug

    Correlation isn't the same thing as causation
    Vice (US)
    Tuesday, October 13, 2015

    As the 2016 election approaches, marijuana legalization is in the air once again, with ballot initiatives likely to succeed in at least five states, including California. As usual, politicians – including some presidential candidates – are trying to turn back the tide by spreading fear that weed is a gateway to more dangerous drugs. But research increasingly shows not only that the "gateway" theory is incorrect, but that weed may actually help people with addictions stop taking other drugs, rather than start.

  • Cannabis legalisation worth millions - government report

    The study notes that 2.2 million people aged 16 to 59 are thought to have used cannabis last year - smoking a total of 216 tonnes
    BBC News (UK)
    Tuesday, October 13, 2015

    Legalising cannabis could generate hundreds of millions a year in tax and cut costs for the police and prisons, an internal Treasury report found. Regulating the market would "generate notable tax revenue" and "lead to overall savings to the criminal justice system". The Treasury study, at the behest of the Liberal Democrats when they were in coalition, was never published. Analysts reviewed the work of the Institute for Social and Economic Research, which estimated that licensing cannabis could help reduce the UK budget deficit by up to £1.25bn a year.

  • Oregon legalizes pot, and nobody cares

    $11 million worth of pot sold during the first seven days of legalization
    USA Today (US)
    Monday, October 12, 2015

    oregon-welcomeOregon is the third American state to legalize recreational marijuana sales, following neighboring Washington, where legal pot debuted in the summer of 2014, and Colorado, where cannabis has been legal since Jan. 1, 2014. Hardly anyone is paying attention. The next big test for legalizing marijuana will come in California in 2016. If legalization passes in America’s most populous state, more than a sixth of the nation's population would live where recreational marijuana is legal.

  • Today's cannabis debate shows how irrational Westminster has become

    Cannabis is the great snickering joke of drug laws
    Politico (UK)
    Monday, October 12, 2015

    We are witnessing a policy failure of epic proportions, and the debate parliament holds – one it has been forced to hold by public petition – will be conducted with a handful of MPs in a legislative attic. Cannabis is the great snickering joke of drug laws, which are in themselves a disaster. The failure of attempts to control it over the last 50 years means it is socially very widely accepted and available almost everywhere, writes Ian Dunt. (Tory minister slammed for 'ignoring evidence' drug should be legalised)

  • Liberal Democrats set up expert panel on cannabis legalisation

    Group including former government adviser and ex-chief constable will consider how a legal market for cannabis could work in Britain
    The Guardian (UK)
    Monday, October 12, 2015

    The Liberal Democrats are to set up an expert panel to establish how a legal market for cannabis could work in Britain, paving the way for them to become the first major political party in the UK to back its legalisation. The move is backed the party’s health spokesman, Norman Lamb, and by a former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Brian Paddick. It is in line with a 2014 party conference resolution which called for a review of the effectiveness of a regulated market in relation to health and reduced criminal activity.

  • Cannabis cultivation to be legalised in Uttarakhand albeit for industry

    There is a growing demand for bio fibre and the fibre of the cannabis plants meets the industrial needs
    Hill Post (India)
    Monday, October 12, 2015

    india uttarakhand hempResident of the small mountain state Uttarakhand will now be able to take up cultivation of cannabis purely for industrial purposes. According to officials of the excise department cannabis plants or hemp that have a THC content of 0.3 to 1.5 per cent can be used for industrial purposes. “The normal ranges of THC content in plants that grow wild in Uttarakhand in abundance is four to five per cent and this is which makes it give a high when smoked and is illegal to cultivate”, they added. Chief minister Harish Rawat said that villagers in the state will be given permission for the cultivation of hemp plants, with the condition that they will sell the produce only to the state government and not to private parties as they are chances of it being misused for  purposes other than industrial.

  • Marijuana legalization urged for open debate

    If marijuana was legalized and regulated, Canadians could “really talk about the dangers”
    The Globe and Mail (Canada)
    Monday, October 12, 2015

    Marijuana has emerged as an issue in the federal election campaign in Canada. The Liberals promise legalization, the NDP pledge at least to decriminalize it, and the Conservatives vow further crackdowns and are using the debate to attack their opponents. Legalizing and regulating marijuana would help – not hurt – young people who suffer from mental illness or use the drug to self-medicate, say psychiatrists and addiction experts. (See also: Majority of Canadians support decriminalizing marijuana: poll)

  • The other green belt

    UK authorities are taking a more relaxed attitude to cannabis growers
    The Economist (UK)
    Saturday, October 10, 2015

    It takes a lot for marijuana growers in the UK to attract police attention. Four forces – Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham and Surrey – declared that they would henceforth respond only to tip-offs and “blatant” weed use. Many other forces have also scaled things down, albeit quietly. The police budget has been cut by 25% in the past five years, and constables haven’t the time to go looking for those with a couple of plants at home. Many forces have long been sceptical about the value of prosecuting low-level drug offenders.

  • Cannabis coffee shops given red light in Berlin

    The Federal Institute of Pharmaceuticals halted plans to introduce legal cannabis establishments in the city
    The Local (Germany)
    Monday, October 5, 2015

    germany-nicht-highThe Federal Institute of Pharmaceuticals (BfArM) has rejected plans for legal cannabis sales in Berlin's Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain district. The borough had submitted plans for four "specialist cannabis shops" back in June. It was hoped that opening the shops would diminish illegal trade in the drug, reducing its availability to teens and young people and lessening the overall health risk for consumers. Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain has already launched legal action to contest the decision. (See also: Berlin district loses marijuana legalization bid)

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