With Canada the largest nation to completely legalize marijuana, the world’s most valuable pot company, Canopy Growth Corp., founded in 2013 and now worth about $6.4 billion, is one of the most controversial pot companies, the embodiment of Big Marijuana that critics contend uses size, market power, and lobbying prowess to accelerate the loosening of cannabis laws around the world and shoulder out competitors and smaller businesses. Already Big Alcohol, Big Tobacco, and Big Pharma have bought their way into Canopy and other marijuana companies. And, like those longstanding giants, the new cannabis corporations are spending millions of dollars lobbying for laws that let them sell large volumes of potentially addictive products.

It started 85 years ago as a farm on Moshav Ein Iron growing peaches and avocados, but if the plans of the Israeli company Breath of Life come to fruition, it could become a major player in the world medical marijuana industry. The company, which also calls itself BOL Pharma, took a major step in that direction over the weekend when it filed for an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange in what is expected to be a company valuation of $1 billion. It’s an ambitious valuation, but BOL has made its ambitions quite clear and has put together a company with research and development capabilities, a pipeline of products and extensive growing areas.

The Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) has joined other stock markets across the globe in bracing for the impact of the Cannabis Banking Bill, which is currently before the US Congress. Having already been passed by the US House of Representatives on September 25, the SAFE Banking Act, which now goes to the Senate, where if it is passed would lift restrictions in the US on American banks doing business with cannabis companies. As a result of this move, securities exchanges in Jamaica and around the world are considering the implications for their own economic institutions. At present, foreign-based financial institutions with US banking relationships cannot freely work with legal cannabis businesses.

Some local ganja farmers are fuming over reports that a licence has been granted to a company to import Canadian cannabis into Jamaica. Speaking inside the ‘Jamaica Cannabis Industry Forum’ WhatsApp group, President of the Jamaica Cannabis Licensed Association, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, asked growers to figuratively “holster [their] weapons and keep [their] powder dry”, noting that the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) was aware of the ire created within the local industry following the latest development. (See also: Hylton slams Hill’s ‘dubious’ claim on ganja imports | Gov't to formulate local cannabis policy following Canadian company backlash)

It has been one year since the government launched a program offering Canadians with a criminal record for simple pot possession a fast, free pardon — but only 257 people have been granted one so far. Critics say the low number proves the program is "unconscionable" and a "total failure." They're calling on the government to deliver an automatic removal of those criminal records. According to figures provided by the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), 458 people have applied to the program. Of those, 259 were accepted for consideration, with 257 granted and two discontinued. Another 194 applications were returned because the person was ineligible or the file was incomplete, while five more are still in the works.

Trudeau's argument for legalization is concerned less with creating benefits, and more with reducing harms. He starts from the same place that many legalization opponents start from — concern for the safety of children. He points to an easy-to-overlook fact: It's alreadyincredibly easy for teenagers to get high if they want to. In 2015, for instance, nearly 80 percent of U.S. 12th-graders said it would be easy for them to obtain marijuana. It's clear, in other words, that current policies centered on making the drug completely illegal are doing little to keep it out of the hands of kids who want to use it.

Aquellos aventureros que en 2016 invirtieron en la firma de cannabis Canopy Growth cuando esta salió a la bolsa, hoy hubiesen capitalizado cerca del 3.500%. La compañía, valuada en unos 14.000 millones de dólares, concentra gran parte de su actividad en las fértiles tierras colombianas, pero acaba de iniciar sus operaciones en el cono sur, con base en Argentina. La presencia de la firma se limita por ahora a un gerente médico, una gerente financiera, un portavoz y la proyección de una oficina con una decena de empleados para 2020, aunque su CEO regional, Marcelo Duerto, asegura que llegaron “para quedarse”, dado que el potencial de Argentina en el mercado es muy grande. (Véase también: Adiós al 'unicornio del cannabis ' en Argentina: echó a su CEO y no tendrá ocina local)

El productor canadiense de marihuana Canopy Growth y la firma de inversión estadounidense especializada en este producto Acreage Holdings han alcanzado un acuerdo que otorga al primero el derecho a adquirir el 100% de las acciones del segundo por un importe total de 3.400 millones de dólares (3.000 millones de euros). Según informan ambas compañías en un comunicado, el acuerdo está supeditado a que la producción y venta de cannabis sea legal en Estados Unidos, además de a la aprobación de sus accionistas y de la Corte Suprema de British Columbia, en Canadá. (Véase también: La canadiense Canopy Growth compra el productor de cannabis español Cafina)

Las dificultades económicas derivadas de la covid-19 no han hecho mella en el cannabis legal canadiense. De hecho, sus ventas han aumentado. Las cifras muestran un incremento en el consumo durante los meses de crisis sanitaria, aunque un factor esencial para explicar esta mejoría en los libros de cuentas es, según los expertos, que los clientes están abandonando cada vez más el mercado negro. Los liberales de Justin Trudeau legalizaron la marihuana recreativa en Canadá en octubre de 2018, convirtiéndolo en el segundo país en implementar la medida tras Uruguay. Ya hace meses, una encuesta de la firma Léger arrojó que el 27% de los usuarios canadienses de cannabis la estaba consumiendo más durante la pandemia.

Es un negocio que cada año mueve unos US$150.000 millones. Por ello, no sorprende que grandes compañías estén luchando por hacerse con una parte del mercado global de la marihuana ofreciendo productos tan diversos como cervezas o galletas para perros. Así lo señala un informe de la empresa calificadora de riesgos Standard & Poor's, que prevé una expansión del sector en la medida en la que crece el uso legal de la marihuana. El reporte advierte que ese crecimiento podría ser volátil debido a los cambios en el marco regulatorio, pero apunta hacia el crecimiento en sectores como la salud, las bebidas alcohólicas, las gaseosas o los productos de belleza.

Sales of regulated adult-use cannabis in Canada overtook illegal transactions for the first time in the third quarter of 2020, according to new Statistics Canada data. That development demonstrates the success of legalization in these early years, experts say, though more needs to be done regarding taxes and promotions rules to put the regulated industry on firmer ground to compete with the legacy market. Falling prices, a wider breadth of consistent inventory and growing retail options have all contributed to the legal market’s success. Spending on nonmedical cannabis products in the third quarter of last year reached 824 million Canadian dollars ($644 million).

If New Zealand votes to legalise cannabis in 2020’s binding referendum, we will have a unique opportunity on our hands. Creating a licit market from scratch means the government can legislate for particular outcomes, before the gates are open and the proverbial horse has bolted. As it relates to harm caused by drug laws, this means there is an opportunity to legislate and regulate a legal cannabis market so that communities who have suffered under prohibition benefit economically and socially from the licitmarket. Righting wrongs and closing gaps are best done alongside decriminalisation right at the outset. (See also: Regulating cannabis - a challenge we are more than up to)

Algo muy grave está sucediendo con la regulación de la cannabis en México. Por mandato de la SCJN, el Poder Legislativo está obligado a publicar a más tardar el 30 de abril la regulación para la venta y consumo de mariguana. El dictamen de ley presentado por el senador por Hidalgo de Morena, Julio Menchaca, parece que fue preparado por las trasnacionales canadienses dedicadas a la industria cannábica. Al grado que en la primera versión había párrafos en inglés. Lisa Sánchez, de MUCD, ha señalado que no sólo perpetuaría el régimen punitivo, sino que impondría una carga adicional sobre un sistema de justicia que ya se encuentra rebasado. (Véase también: AMLO rechaza el consumo lúdico de la marihuana e insiste solo en su uso médico)

A partir de hoy, el consumo de productos comestibles elaborados con cannabis es legal en Canadá, un año después de que el Gobierno canadiense aprobase la legalización del consumo recreativo de la marihuana. Pero aunque el consumo de productos comestibles y bebidas que contengan cannabis es legal, los consumidores canadienses no podrán comprarlos al menos hasta dentro de dos meses, ya que el Ministerio de Sanidad de Canadá requiere 60 días para aprobar la venta de productos. Además de comestibles, a partir de hoy también son legales los extractos de cannabis, como los utilizados para vapear, y cremas derivadas de la droga. El Ministerio de Sanidad de Canadá ha establecido un límite de diez miligramos de THC por paquete de producto para comer o beber.

The federal plan to legalize recreational marijuana does not include the general amnesty for past pot convictions some would like to see, says Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale. Newly tabled legislation would allow people 18 and older to publicly possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in non-dried form. But the Trudeau government is not considering a blanket pardon for people with criminal records for possessing small amounts of the drug, Goodale said in an interview. The government has also made it clear that the move to legalization by mid-2018 doesn’t mean lax law enforcement during the transition period. (See also: Marijuana legalization: What was Justin Trudeau smoking?)

Luxembourg is set to largely follow the example of Canada in legalising the recreational use of cannabis, two ministers said after a field trip to the country where the drug has been legal since 2018. Luxembourg's plans to allow production, purchase and consumption of the drug under certain circumstances have shaped up after the trip. The ministers aim to present a legislative act by autumn this year after consulting the State Council, the advisory organ to Luxembourg's parliament. They acknowledged that "neighbouring countries aren't too happy about this", but said they would seek dialogue with these countries to look at measures to prevent smuggling. (See also: Cannabis legalisation to occur this legislature | Wegen Cannabis nach Kanada: Etienne Schneider und Felix Braz haben sich über Weed informiert)

Some of Canada's biggest cannabis producers are facing proposed class-action lawsuits in the United States after investors were hit with steep financial losses in the stock market. At least nine U.S. law firms are pursuing cases against Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis and Hexo Corp. in American courts. Although the allegations vary, each pot producer is accused of misleading investors or failing to disclose certain problems with their businesses. When those problems became publicly known, the lawsuits claim, share prices plunged and investors were stuck with losses. "[Investors] are mad; they were taken by surprise," said Reed Kathrein, a lawyer at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, which is pursuing claims against all three producers.

El bloqueo que Washington ejerce sobre las operaciones financieras de la banca federal con dinero proveniente del negocio del cannabis golpea a las farmacias uruguayas que no pueden colocar su recaudaciónn en los bancos locales, por utilizar como corresponsales a las instituciones de Estados Unidos (EEUU).El problema se manifiesta, por ejemplo, cuando al comprar la marihuana en la farmacia no se aceptan las tarjetas de crédito o débito, por el riesgo a que los bancos cierren las cuentas a estos comercios. Tan así que el propio Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (Ircca) no publicita cuáles son los 38 locales habilitados para comercializar legalmente este producto, de modo de no exponerlos a la sanción.

Cases of substance-use disorders are exactly what the federal government is hoping to avoid in its push to legalize recreational marijuana, and they may be the biggest test of whether legalization is ultimately successful. They could also prove to be immensely challenging. That it’s even possible to become dependent on cannabis could come as a surprise to many, especially young people. A survey conducted by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), published last year, found that a majority of youth were unaware that cannabis can be addictive and lead to withdrawal symptoms. Marijuana use among young people has declined over the past few years, but Canada still has one of the highest rates in the developed world.

Two years after the sale of marijuana was legalized in Canada, and researchers have yet to see the feared increase in use, says Michael Boudreau, a criminology professor at St. Thomas University. About six per cent of Canadians report they consume cannabis on a daily basis, a number that's remained unchanged from before legalization. "So there, we're not seeing a skyrocket use of cannabis," said Boudreau. In fact, use of cannabis in the age bracket of 15 to 17 has been cut in half, down to 10 per cent from the 20 per cent it was before legalization. But cannabis consumption for those between the ages of 18 and 24 is 33 per cent, which Boudreau said is relatively unchanged. (See: ‘The kids are alright’: reflections on two years of legal cannabis in Canada)