• Marijuana clubs rise out of decades-old Spanish laws

    Government officials worry that Barcelona’s members-only cannabis clubs are becoming a magnet for marijuana tourism
    The New York Times (US)
    Thursday, July 10, 2014

    cannabis-club-barcelonaThe number of cannabis clubs that have opened in Barcelona recently has some experts saying this city will soon challenge Amsterdam as the go-to destination for vacationers who want to get high in peace. In the last three years, new clubs have opened, particularly in tourist areas, in many cases circumventing the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. About 300 new cannabis clubs have opened in Barcelona and the surrounding Catalan region, a result, at least in part, of enterprising Spaniards looking for new ways to earn a living.

  • Cannabis farmers to resist state’s decision to destroy crops

    The annual destruction of cannabis crops came to a halt in 2012 after farmers blocked the roads
    The Daily Star (Lebanon)
    Wednesday, July 9, 2014

    The government's decision to begin destroying cannabis farms in the Bekaa Valley has angered impoverished farmers whose livelihoods rely heavily on drug production, with doubts arising as to whether the policy can continue to be implemented amid the unstable security and political situation in Lebanon. Cannabis farmers in the area have previously vowed to defend their crops with their lives.

  • Uruguay legal cannabis sale delayed to next year, says president

    BBC News (UK)
    Wednesday, July 9, 2014

    Uruguayan President Jose Mujica has said the start of legal cannabis sales will be delayed until next year due to "practical difficulties". Sales in state-owned pharmacies were due to begin as early as November. But in an interview with the AFP news agency, Mujica said government-produced marijuana could end up in the illegal market if implementation of the law was rushed. Note: Government denies delay (in Spanish), see also Uruguay may delay marijuana sales, or maybe not.

  • Washington state retail marijuana shops to open Tuesday

    The Denver Post (US)
    Tuesday, July 8, 2014

    Washington state issued its first retail marijuana licenses Monday, a day ahead of the start of legal sales. And 21 hours before the only store licensed to sell in Seattle was set to open, a line already was forming. The start of legal pot sales in Washington on Tuesday marks a major step that's been 20 months in the making. Washington and Colorado stunned much of the world by voting in November 2012 to legalize marijuana for adults over 21. (See also: State’s retail pot gets rolling Tuesday and Few pot stores ready for business on opening day)

  • Heerlen mayor criticises government marijuana policy

    Mayors want the government to allow experiments with regulated marijuana production
    Dutch News (Netherlands)
    Monday, July 7, 2014

    The Dutch government's cannabis policy has created a monster whose tentacles are spreading throughout the country, according to Paul Depla the mayor of Heerlen. Depla, one of 35 mayors who want production of marijuana to be legalised, said that government policy is making it far too easy for people to become criminals. 'Under the current policy, all you need is an attic and you can start growing marijuana,' Depla said. 'This has created a monster with tentacles that reach everywhere.'

  • 'Denmark will definitely legalize weed'

    The Local (Denmark)
    Monday, July 7, 2014

    Copenhagen city officials have tried three times to legalize cannabis within the city. All three times, the answer from the national government has been a resounding no. Nevertheless, the prominent marijuana activist Khodr ‘Cutter’ Mehrisays it is only a matter of time until cannabis is legalized not only in the capital, but throughout all of Denmark. “By 2020, you’re going to [be able to] come by my coffee shop and buy a pound of weed,” he said.

  • Canada's 'Prince of Pot' to be released from U.S. prison

    Marc Emery — sentenced in 2010 for selling marijuana seeds to Americans — will find a changed world in which many of his ideas are now accepted
    The Toronto Star (Canada)
    Monday, July 7, 2014

    When the poster child for marijuana legalization is released from a U.S. prison later this week, he'll be re-entering a world where many of his ideas have taken root and in some places have sprouted right up. Marc Emery, Canada’s self-styled “Prince of Pot,” concludes a five-year sentence and will emerge into a lucrative marijuana landscape, where two U.S. states are now issuing recreational pot licences, medical growers are reaping profits and investors aren’t hedging on potential opportunities.

  • Court sides with coffeeshops in dispute over 'back door' deals

    The Amsterdam Herald (Netherlands)
    Friday, July 4, 2014

    coffeeshop3Three coffeeshops who had nearly 70 kilos of cannabis confiscated have avoided prosecution after a court ruled police had tacitly endorsed their activities. Officially coffeeshops are limited to a stockpile of 500 grams. The appeal court in The Hague found that the owners had co-operated throughout with police, the local council and the tax office, all of whom knew the coffeeshops had far more than the permitted amount in stock.

  • La majorité se greffe au débat sur le cannabis

    Le PJD contre la légalisation de sa culture, mais ne présente pas d’alternatives crédibles
    L'Economiste (Maroc)
    Vendredi, 4 juillet 2014

    Le PJD est été pris de court par ces deux partis qui avaient fait de la défense de la légalisation de la culture de cannabis, et de l’appel à une amnistie au profit des agriculteurs poursuivis par la justice. C’est pour cela qu’après avoir planté le décor avec des discours sur les dysfonctionnements dont souffre le monde rural, Abdallah Bouanou, chef du groupe parlementaire du PJD, est passé au vif du sujet. Pour lui, «la présentation de la légalisation de la culture de cannabis dans le Rif comme outil de développement social est plutôt lié à des surenchères électorales. Surtout que les mêmes positions ont été affichées par ces partis avant les élections de 2009».

  • Oui au cannabis, mais pas pour les mineurs

    Le groupement interpartis remanie son projet de régularisation du marché du cannabis
    Tribune de Genève (Suisse)
    Vendredi, 4 juillet 2014

    switzerland-cannabisComment régulariser le cannabis? Lancé en 2012, un groupe interpartis a élaboré un projet rendu public à la fin de 2013. Celui-ci pose les bases d’une distribution et d’une consommation contrôlées, car «il est évident que le système actuel fondé sur la répression a échoué», explique Arnaud Moreillon (PS). Six mois plus tard, les délégués remanient leurs concepts sur la base des retours enregistrés, notamment auprès des partis, de professionnels de la sécurité et de la santé, ainsi que diverses villes suisses. Les délégués ont décidé d’exclure les mineurs de toute distribution légale, le point le plus controversé du projet d’origine.

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