Le débat sur la légalisation du cannabis a fait couler beaucoup d'encre et sa remise sur la table est loin d'être finie. La dépénalisation du cannabis fut au centre des discussions politiques, sociales ainsi que des promesses électorales. Entre retombées économiques et bienfaits thérapeutiques, les opportunités se veulent nombreuses et conséquentes. Quelles avantages la légalisation du cannabis peut-elle offrir à la Tunisie? D'après Human Rights Watch, près d'un tiers des détenus tunisiens ont été condamnés suite à la loi 52 dont 70% d'entre eux sont emprisonnés pour avoir consommé du cannabis. Sans comparaison manichéenne, ces fêtards ou consommateurs réguliers se retrouvent dans la même cellule que n'importe quel autre criminel dans un espace de 2,9 mètres carrés par détenu.

The legalisation of cannabis should be tested in London to improve public health and stop young people being drawn into crime, a London mayoral candidate has said. Siobhan Benita, the Lib Dem candidate for next year’s election, said the idea of legalising the drug was “no longer controversial” and the serious crime in the capital meant it was the right place for the idea to be trialled. “Illegal drugs activity, especially in the capital, is a big part of pulling young people into serious violence,” she said. “I want to remove power from those gangs. My question would be, why haven’t we done this yet?" She said legalisation, which would free up police time, had been supported by prominent former police officers. (See also: Labour to ‘consider legalising all drugs’ including cocaine and heroin)

Legalising cocaine is “an option that people need to dare to consider,” according to the mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever (N-VA). De Wever, whose port city is one of the European continent’s major entry points for illegal drugs including cocaine, says he has given up on the illusion that the war against drugs can be won. “The battle against alcohol and nicotine has also been abandoned,” he says. “Those products are legalised. We accept the social consequences.” De Wever has some experience of the problem. In 2017 he announced a plan for the city services to work more closely on a new repressive drugs policy as a test of whether the city could cope with a problem that has local, national and international aspects. (See also: Belgian police seize 11.5T of cocaine in ‘largest overseas drug bust ever’)

After an 11-year-old girl died recently due to a shooting incident in Merksem, politicians have stressed that tackling narco-terror is a top priority, without exception. Ministers and mayors have spoken about stronger controls and even deploying the army to tackle the growing crisis. Could the legalisation of cocaine be part of the solution to reduce drug violence in Belgium? Criminologist Tom Decorte from Ghent University thinks so. He has claimed that it is precisely the illegality of the drug business that creates the biggest economic incentive for criminals and by legalising and regulating it, violent competition could be reduced or even eradicated. (See also: Fines for using hard drugs could increase from €150 to €1,000 |Belgium in Brief: Carrots, sticks, and cocaine)

A determined political movement to end the war on drugs has taken shape across Europe and North America. Harm reduction advocates say lives can be saved and resources spared, if only the state would move away from punishing drug users. Perhaps, some predict, the state could even get into the business of regulating the production and sale of once-illegal substances. Yet proponents of decriminalizing, or even legalizing, drugs have focused mostly on the world’s biggest drug importers and often overlooked the countries responsible for producing and trafficking the drugs to satisfy rich countries’ demand. States such as Mexico.

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?)

The number of drug offences continue to increase in Germany – a very real issue for the country. Drug Commissioner Daniela Ludwig is of course on the right track when she emphasises prevention programmes. Doing away with addiction as a social taboo is an important factor when it comes to combating drug abuse. But it would be even more helpful not to criminalise responsible citizens who use cannabis from time to time. Sixty per cent of offences are linked to plant-based drugs. The criminalisation of cannabis brings people – mostly young people – more quickly into an environment where harder drugs are consumed. Redefining what is illegal could help.

Hace 25 años que São Paulo, la ciudad más poblada de América, combate sin éxito su mayor foco urbano de consumo de crack. Un megaoperativo policial recuperó este año el territorio dominado por el narcotráfico y dispersó a los usuarios por el centro. El uso de la fuerza para luchar contra la adicción ha reavivado el debate entre las dos posturas principales: el tratamiento obligatorio y la reducción de daños. Desde la megaoperación, la policía ha encarcelado a 166 personas y los usuarios que siguen en la calle no han vuelto a concentrarse en un solo lugar. La dispersión es la estrategia. “El principal problema es tratar una situación de salud pública con fuerzas de seguridad. La policía debe dedicarse a la inteligencia y combate al narcotráfico, no a intervenir con los usuarios”.

Los Mossos d’Esquadra activaron en el 2018 el 'Pla d'Acció Marihuana' para luchar contra el 'boom' de esta droga en Catalunya. Dentro de ese plan, la Comisaría General de Investigación Criminal (CGIC) encargó al Área Central de Análisis de la Criminalidad (ACAC) el informe 'El Mercado de la marihuana en Catalunya', que analiza las causas y los riesgos de este fenómeno y que ha sido entregado a la Fiscalía de Catalunya. Las conclusiones del estudio avanzan un escenario preocupante para la paz social: la dimensión de algunas estructuras criminales –la mayoría de origen extranjero– afincadas en Catalunya y dedicadas a la producción y exportación de marihuana hace temer a la policía catalana que en un futuro próximo estas puedan tratar de corromper a los poderes públicos.

A bill that will allow residents to possess and use small quantities of marijuana will go before parliament on 12 December for the first time. According to the country’s latest cabinet notes, the Marijuana Bill will be read a first time and distributed when parliament convenes in 19 days. The bill focuses on decriminalising up to 5g of marijuana, eliminating fines associated with the currently illegal drug. The government is hoping that by passing the Marijuana Bill, it will lessen what it termed the “expensive” costs associated with pursuing convictions and prosecuting people who were caught with small amounts of the drug. (See also: Antigua and Barbuda set to pass inclusive cannabis regulation law)

Banning a plant with hundreds of industrial and medical uses was never going to work out well, but 2022 saw marijuana prohibition reach peak absurdity, not to mention peak confusion for consumers and new businesses trying to make sense of it all. At first glance, cannabis reform appears to be humming along smoothly. Maryland, Missouri and Rhode Island approved legalization initiatives in 2022 as states such as New Mexico and New York raced to establish regulations for legal recreational sales. New laws in mostly blue states expunged cannabis arrests from criminal records for thousands of people. President Joe Biden made moves to pardon federal marijuana prisoners and reconsider the federal “scheduling” of marijuana...

La Audiencia de Barcelona ha castigado con duras penas de prisión a los promotores del primer club cannábico de Cataluña. El tribunal considera probado que la Asociación Barcelonesa Cannábica de Autoconsumo, pionera en la región, se dedicó entre 2010 y 2017 al “cultivo intenso y masivo” de marihuana “para su venta a terceros a través de la asociación”. Y condena a penas de entre seis y cuatro años y medio de prisión a nueve personas (en total 44 años y medio). Los nueve condenados formaron parte o ayudaron al entramado que se dedicó a alquilar naves donde cultivaban marihuana con la que traficaban. El club fue el que se postuló para cultivar marihuana a gran escala en Rasquera (Tarragona),un proyecto promocionado por el Ayuntamiento que no salió adelante por decisión judicial.

Mayor 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)

25th December of 2018 was a historical day for cannabis enthusiasts in Thailand. The (interim) Parliament voted, 166-to-0, to pass new amendments to the country’s Narcotics Act. These legislative changes will allow for the cultivation, importation/exportation, distribution, possession and use of cannabis for medical and research purposes in the Kingdom. The move is regarded by many as a big leap forward, especially as the country still retains a criminal penalty (one year of imprisonment) for the simple use of illicit drugs, including cannabis.

The Metropolitan police could change how it deals with cannabis possession amid concerns stop and search powers damage community relations, and yield little in the way of illegal drugs. The move is part of plans drawn up by London’s mayor to ease the race crisis engulfing policing. More potential changes will be unveiled later on Thursday to the way Britain’s biggest force deals with communities in London. Research starting this month will examine how effective the Met’s pursuit of those suspected of possessing cannabis is in tackling violence in London. Suspicion of drug possession is the most common reason given by officers when using controversial stop and search powers, with black people more likely to be stopped than white.

This policy briefing discusses whether or not the aim of reducing cannabis cultivation is realistic or beneficial for Morocco, what it would actually mean for the major production area the Rif – one of the poorest, most densely populated and environmentally fragile regions in the country – and what that could imply for meaningful sustainable development. The briefing will give some historical background, discuss developments in the cannabis market, and highlight environmental and social consequences as well as the recent debate about regulation in Morocco and about European policies.

Download the briefing (PDF) | Version en français (PDF)

The Netherlands is world leader in the production and trading of synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and amphetamines, with total turnover up to 2017 estimated at €18.9bn, according to a report by the Dutch police academy. The estimate is conservative and the real amount is likely to be ‘many times higher’, with the national turnover of synthetic drugs thought to be between €3bn to €5bn. Good infrastructure and a central geographical position make the Netherlands a good place to base both legal and illegal business. (See also: Dutch ecstasy, amphetamine production among world's largest | Much less ecstasy used (and produced?) in the Netherlands than recent report suggests | Dutch drugs gangs are moving into crystal meth, police say)

The Support Don’t Punish campaign for decriminalising the use of illicit substances is very relevant in Lebanon where the law on drug use and the jumble of the criminal justice system harms young Lebanese whose future is often jeopardised by judicial flaws, the NGO Skoun said. Skoun, which runs addiction treatment centres, has been strongly lobbying for amending the criminal law regarding drug use, with punishment ranging from 3 months to 3 years in prison, in the case of personal consumption, along with a fine. “If you get arrested and prosecuted for drug use it will be on your criminal record and for at least 3 years you cannot apply for a job or get housing loan or move on with your life,” said Michelle Wazan, drug policy coordinator at Skoun.

The increase in cases of charas seizure in Himachal, especially in Kullu, despite police and state government running several programmes to destroy the cannabis crops has left the agencies clueless for years. After some Nepalese were arrested while smuggling charas consignments from Nepal to India to sell it in the name of “Malana cream” in the last few years, police fear that a large quantity of charas being supplied in the market may have been brought from Nepal. The area where cannabis is cultivated in Kullu has decreased over the years due to strict law and police action. (See also: Cannabis crop destroyed on 6,175 bighas in Kullu | Drones to spot cannabis crop in Himachal)

The use of high-visibility policing tactics such as drug dogs and “large scale” strip searching at music festivals “increases rather than decreases” the risks associated with drugs, the New South Wales deputy coroner has said. In landmark findings, Harriet Grahame recommended pill-testing be introduced and said she was satisfied there was “significant evidence” that “intensive and punitive drug policing operations” were increasing “drug-related risks and harm”.  The “wholesale practice of strip-searching young people” was of “grave concern”, and its use to target people suspected of drug possession was “out of line with the purposes” of the legislation. (See also: 'Faces of these young people will remain with me': Coroner urges sweeping changes on drugs)