• Gang violence could end open cannabis trade in anarchist commune Christiania

    Organised criminals have taken over ‘Pusher Street’ market in the Danish capital and are vying for dominance
    The Guardian (UK)
    Tuesday, May 9, 2023

    denmark christiania greenlightThe 40-year history of the open cannabis trade on “Pusher Street” in the heart of the Christiania neighbourhood of Copenhagen could be over as the city’s mayor said she was willing to shut it down over the commune’s fears about rising gang violence. Ever-worsening violence in the “green light” district, as organised criminal gangs have moved in and vied for dominance, has prompted growing concerns over residents’ safety. The mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, has now warned in an interview with the Ekstra Bladet newspaper that the violence has to end and offered to close Pusher Street’s drug trade down if the 1,000 people living in the Christiania commune agree.

  • Thailand’s cannabis sellers say US growers are eating their lunch

    Local cannabis growers say their business is being undercut by cheaper illegal imports from overseas
    Al Jazeera
    Monday, May 8, 2023

    thailand 420Nearly a year after Thailand decriminalised cannabis amid promises of an economic bonanza, Thai growers and sellers say they are being undercut by illegal imports from the United States that sell for a fraction of the price of homegrown buds. Thailand struck cannabis from its list of banned narcotics in June 2022 after a high-profile campaign by Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to establish the kingdom as a global hub for cannabis for medical purposes. But Thailand’s parliament has yet to pass a long-awaited cannabis bill, leaving the regulatory framework for the industry in limbo. The Bhumjathai Party’s big promises have predictably fallen flat, with big money from the US, the Netherlands and Canada dashing hopes of a booming domestic industry, according to veteran cannabis advocate Chokwan “Kitty” Chopaka.

  • Morocco: Two years after cannabis law, farmers in the Rif still 'in the dark'

    Kif producers are encouraged to abandon the illegal market and sell their crop for medical and industrial purposes, but few dare to take the plunge
    Le Monde (France)
    Monday, May 8, 2023

    morocco cannabis azila2023 may be the year of his first legal cannabis harvest in Morocco. After years of semi-underground, Aziz has decided to move over to "the legal side." The farmer from the Rif, a mountainous region in northern Morocco that is home to one of the world's largest cannabis-producing areas, intends to turn his back on drug traffickers and sell his kif to companies involved in the manufacture of cannabis products. "Two Americans came to the village a few days ago," he said. "They want to build a factory in the area and will need large quantities. They are interested in our plants. We haven't talked about price yet." "What I fear is that the benefits will go to the state, laboratories and multinationals and that we will be left behind," said Farid, in his fifties, who grows kif in a nearby village.

  • Au Maroc, la « beldiya » tente de résister aux variétés de cannabis importées

    Les défenseurs du « kif » local, moins fort en THC et mois gourmand en eau que les semences venues d’Europe et d’Amérique du Nord
    Le Monde (France)
    Vendredi, 5 mai 2023

    Abdellatif AdebibeDepuis sa maison de Ketama, à 1 700 mètres d’altitude, Abdellatif Adebibe surplombe la vallée où les embruns d’iode venus de la Méditerranée se mêlent aux senteurs des cèdres. « Nous sommes ici dans le temple du kif », présente le cultivateur de 70 ans, président de l’Association pour le développement du Rif central. A l’instar du laboratoire Pharma 5, qui, dans une étude publiée par le média marocain Le Desk, met en avant la qualité de la beldiya, sa moindre teneur en THC, son odeur et sa saveur uniques… Un label « made in Rif » ? « Made in Ketama », préfère Abdellatif Adebibe, qui, lui, défend une « appellation bio, appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), équitable » dans la « zone historique du kif ».

  • Mayor looking to shut down Pusher Street permanently

    Sophie Hæstorp Andersen says that she has had enough of all the violence associated with illegal cannabis trade
    The Copenhagen Post (Denmark)
    Thursday, May 4, 2023

    hells angels denmarkMayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen is indicating that she wants to completely shut down Pusher Street due to the violence associated with the illegal cannabis trade. She has had enough of the violence and crime fostered by ‘activities’ taking place in the area. “If the residents of Christiania are clear in wanting to close down Pusher Street and do something else with the area, Copenhagen Municipality is prepared to support making a plan to find out what can be done with the street,” Andersen told Ekstra Bladet tabloid. Andersen contends that the situation at Pusher Street has reached a level that can no longer be tolerated. (See also: Lord Mayor wants Pusher Street closed)

  • How did Sweden end up with its zero-tolerance attitude to drugs?

    Since the late 1960s, government after government has constantly sought to drill a zero-tolerance message into the public mind.
    The Local (Sweden)
    Wednesday, May 3, 2023

    Johan WicklénJohan Wicklén, a prize-winning journalist for Sweden's public broadcaster SVT, published a book on the history of Swedish drugs policy titled Vi ger oss aldrig, or "We will never give way", subtitled: "This is what happened when Sweden lost the war on drugs". Generations of Swedes, Wicklén argues, have been through a process of indoctrination on drug use and drug policy, making it difficult for policy makers today to propose more rational, pragmatic solutions to the problem. Sweden's hardline stance on drugs was set in the late 1970s. "That's when the authorities formulated the idea of a drug-free society. That's when we were starting to distance ourselves from a lot of other countries. The policy is restrictive: that means that illegal drugs are not tolerated in any way."

  • Cannabis issue still causing jitters

    Legalisation did not have intended effect
    The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
    Wednesday, May 3, 2023

    thailand 420Since the Thai government legalised cannabis on June 9, 2022 by removing the plant from the list of prohibited narcotics, the tourism sector was expected to reap a windfall as Thailand was the first country in Asia to allow hemp consumption for certain purposes, other than recreational use. A month after decriminalisation, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) published rules and regulations concerning cannabis and hemp use in the country in a bid to inform and warn tourists about prohibitions against smoking in public. The bid followed a number of reports about foreign tourists who possessed or consumed cannabis without knowing they could face harsh punishment.

  • State cannabis sales will not be implemented in current legislative period

    Government ministers presented a new pilot project for the introduction of recreational cannabis sales points, although the bill will not appear in the Chamber of Deputies in this legislative period
    RTL Today (Luxembourg)
    Friday, April 28, 2023

    luxembourg cannabisMinisters Claude Meisch, Paulette Lenert and Sam Tanson presented a new bill, which would lead to the installation of 14 state sales points around the country as part of the recreational cannabis pilot project. Consumers would be able to purchase up to 5 grams a day, or 30 grams a month, with two government production licences to be awarded. However, the pilot project has not yet been established in a legal text, and is expected to be presented to the EU Commission soon. It is not yet known when it is due to start, although it is thought it will not take place until the next parliamentary period. The bill on growing up to four cannabis plants at home, however, has been improved and is likely to be pushed through as part of a first phase. (See also in German: Cannabis ganz legal an 14 Verkaufspunkten im Land - irgendwann)

  • Legalise it? Czechia moving closer to regulated cannabis but obstacles remain

    Because of the Schengen space it’s very complicated to allow a substance in one country once you don’t have regular borders to other countries
    Radio Prague (Czech Republic)
    Tuesday, April 25, 2023

    czech cannabis point prahaThe Czech cabinet recently approved drug policies that include introducing a strictly regulated cannabis market. The details of the plan are still being fine-tuned – but there already obstacles in sight. The exact rules are now being drafted by an expert group. The state’s drugs policy chief, Jindřich Vobořil, said previously that taxation on legalised cannabis could bring no less than CZK 15 billion into the state coffers annually. The authorities in Germany are discussing a similar move. However, they recently had to tone down their intentions somewhat following concerns from the European Union.The Czech government’s plans could run into similar obstacles. Another aspect is that all elements within the five-party Czech government coalition may not be in unison on the matter.

  • Singapore executes man for cannabis trafficking

    A Singaporean man was hanged for conspiring to smuggle a kilogram of cannabis. Singapore has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws
    Deutsche Welle (Germany)
    Tuesday, April 25, 2023

    singapore cannabis executionSingapore executed a man accused of coordinating a cannabis delivery, despite pleas for clemency from his family and protests from activists. The United Nations Human Rights Office had asked Singapore to "urgently reconsider" his scheduled execution over one kilogram of cannabis. Activist Kirsten Han from the Transformative Justice Collective confirmed that the execution had been carried out, and that his family had been given the death certificate. Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was convicted in 2017 of "abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic" 1,017.9 grams of cannabis, twice the minimum volume that merits the death sentence. He was sentenced to death in 2018 and the Court of Appeal upheld the decision. (See also: Singapore hangs 2nd citizen for cannabis trafficking this year amid protests over death penalty)

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