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David Cameron urged to take 'now or never' step on drugs reform
Cross-party committee says prime minister should set up royal commission on Britain's failing drug laws
The Guardian (UK)
Monday, December 10, 2012
David Cameron should urgently set up a royal commission to consider all the alternatives to Britain's failing drug laws, including decriminalisation and legalisation, an influential cross-party group of MPs has concluded. The Commons home affairs select committee says after taking evidence from all sides of the drug debate, that "now, more than ever" there is a case for a fundamental review of all UK drug policy. (See also: Committee calls for Royal Commission to examine UK Drug Policy) -
Portuguese drug policy shows that decriminalisation can work
But only together with improvements in health and social policies
LSE Blog (UK)
Monday, December 10, 2012
The Home Affairs Select Committee in the United Kingdom report on drug policy draws on lessons from Portugal’s decriminalisation of drug possession and puts forward a case for the UK reconsidering its own policies. Alex Stevens assesses the situation in Portugal, noting that while decriminalisation has coincided with a fall in the most problematic forms of drug use, it is not the only factor. (See also: Portugal: Ten Years After Decriminalization) -
Administration weighs legal action against States that legalized marijuana use
The New York Times (US)
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Senior White House and Justice Department officials are considering plans for legal action against Colorado and Washington that could undermine voter-approved initiatives to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in those states, according to several people familiar with the deliberations. -
Pot is now legal in Washington state. Should we do the same?
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Although Canada has long toyed with decriminalizing marijuana, that idea was shelved when Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office. Earlier this year, the Liberal Party endorsed marijuana legalization. A poll conducted earlier this year found that two-thirds of Canadians say it should be decriminalized, in sharp contrast to the position of the Harper government. -
Smokers celebrate as Wash. legalizes marijuana
The Seattle Times (US)
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The crowds of happy people lighting joints under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning with nary a police officer in sight bespoke the new reality: Marijuana is legal under Washington state law. Hundreds gathered at Seattle Center for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalization measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they cheered and sparked up in unison. -
With I-502, will more young adults use pot?
The Seattle Times (US)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Some researchers think marijuana use among 18- to 25-year-olds will increase when Initiative 502 goes into effect, but college students say the drug is already so easy to obtain that they don't believe pot use will go up. Roger Roffman, a principal supporter of I-502 and a professor emeritus who has studied marijuana use and dependency for nearly 30 years thinks use will increase. He expects new norms to evolve, including norms that will discourage abuse. "I think the way this initiative is written is going to feed into the gradual evolution of safer use, and better decision-making." -
8 Visions for the future of legal pot
The future of cannabis is up for grabs, but drug policy reformers have major strategic differences about how to proceed
Alternet (US web)
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Some drug policy reform leaders, fearing an official backlash, are urging a cautious, go-slow, approach: make it as easy as possible for the feds to back off and let the states do their thing. Other voices, claiming a pro-pot electoral mandate, are calling for bold, assertive moves to implement the will of the voters. -
Investors see profit potential in new pot law
The Seattle Times (US)
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Votes in Washington and Colorado last month to legalize pot for recreational use turbocharged marijuana as a legitimate business opportunity. Business people packed a marijuana-industry conference in Denver the day after the election, and shares of publicly-traded companies spiked — one that sells marijuana vending machines jumped 3,000 percent. -
Turning over a new leaf
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Faced with this soiled wedge between state legislation and federal law within the United States, Mexico's President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto and his advisors have already concluded there will have to be a significant change in their anti-narcotics policy. Weeding out the marijuana issue was prudently left to behind closed door discussions. -
Noureddine Mediane, “Il faut dépénaliser le cannabis”
Maroc Hebdo (Morrocco)
Vendredi, 30 novembre 2012
Le président du groupe de l’Istiqlal à la Chambre des Représentants, Noureddine Mediane, évoque la nécessité pour l’Etat de revoir son système répressif contre les 200.000 familles vivant du cannabis. "La culture du cannabis est toujours considérée comme un sujet tabou au Maroc. Je pense que nous devons rompre avec cet état d’esprit. D’où mon idée de lancer un débat national sur cette culture si répandue dans notre pays. Ce débat doit trancher si nous devons maintenir cette culture ou la faire disparaître définitivement."
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