El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid (TSJM) ha confirmado la absolución de los tres fundadores de un club de cannabis, tras rechazar el recurso de la Fiscalía que pedía condenas de más de cinco años de prisión por delitos de pertenencia a asociación ilícita y contra la salud pública por tráfico de drogas. El tribunal superior confirma la sentencia absolutoria dictada por la Audiencia Provincial al considerar que no quedó acreditado que los acusados constituyeran una asociación con apariencia de legalidad para vender la droga, ni que hubieran entregado marihuana o hachís a personas que no fueran socias, ni que las cuotas tuvieran otro destino que sufragar los gastos del club de cannabis.

The EU is planning to combine migration, counter-terrorism, and security in its new repressive anti-drug agenda that could have far-reaching consequences for Morocco. The European Commission has been developing this new strategy far away from public scrutiny. The drastic new drug agenda was only revealed after 29 civil society organizations spoke up in protest of the EU’s shadowy dealings. “It’s worrying because drug policy is now captured in the security agenda, just as counter-terrorism and illegal migration, it’s all being put in the same package,” Tom Blickman from he Transnational Institute said. “Supply control policies don’t work, it has been tried for more than fifty years. They have not worked in the past, do not work now, and will not work in the future.” 

The possession of small quantities of cannabis, if for personal use rather than re-sale, is already not treated as a criminal offense in Switzerland. However, the highest court in Switzerland clarified that such mini-amounts are also not liable for seizure – that is, if there is no proof of any crime having taken place, and if the user is not nabbed while actually consuming the drug. In 2008 Swiss voters rejected legalisation, but in 2012 parliament reduced the penalty for possession and consumption of small amounts to a fine – in order to relieve the police and judiciary and save costs. (See also: Swiss police face confusion about hard drug rules)

The man running the UK’s most progressive drug diversion scheme believes it’s “totally ludicrous” for officers to seek to arrest drug users at a mobile drugs van in Scotland. David Jamieson, crime commissioner for the West Midlands, set up the  Divert scheme in Birmingham to channel drug addicts committing low level crimes into treatment instead of jail. He revealed that, in just five weeks, more than 100 minor drug offenders have agreed to enter into treatment programmes instead of being dealt with in courts. He is a major support of Drug Consumption Rooms, which have been a core part of drugs policy in most European countries - but are banned in the UK.

As the House debates ways to reform policing in the United States, it’s critical that we not only analyze the structures under which law enforcement operates, but also the extraordinary powers that they have been granted — powers that often provide them with the ability to interact with citizens whenever and wherever they please. One common pretext provided by police for these citizen interactions is that they suspect that someone has either used or is in possession of marijuana. That is why Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) has suggested the need to amend federal anti-marijuana laws during the recent hearing on policing practices. 

Tourists in Prague may get the impression that the Czech capital is also the cannabis capital of Europe. From stickers to posters, the iconic leaf of the marijuana plant is all over the place. It adorns the windows and facades of plenty of shops offering everything someone might need to grow the plant. But that first impression is misleading. These products contain at most 1% of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and they won't get you high. The possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana, hashish or hemp oil or the growing of up to five cannabis plants is an offense with a fine of up to €500. Around 20,000 Czechs are fined each year. (See also: Czech Republic plans to legalize cannabis in coordination with Germany)

District Attorney Chesa Boudin joined other elected officials and activists to criticize Mayor London Breed’s plan to flood San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood with police and crack down on drug dealers as well as people who use drugs in the open. Boudin, Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton and Public Defender Mano Raju said at a news conference that the plan was flawed because it relied on failed policies to deal with problems. Those who provide addiction treatment or harm-reduction services called for the mayor to quickly ramp up “evidence-based” alternatives, including treatment, housing, education and jobs. (See also: Breed’s emergency plan for the Tenderloin draws backlash | Advocacy orgs denounce Mayor Breed’s call for an emergency order)

Australia is not keeping pace with global best practice cannabis policy, a report from the public health research organisation the Penington Institute has found, with decriminalisation predicted to save taxpayers around $850m each year. With more than 90% cannabis-related charges since 2010 being for personal use or possession offences, the Cannabis in Australia 2022 report, published on Thursday, found that criminalising people who use cannabis costs Australian taxpayers $1.7bn a year in law enforcement costs. According to the report, 702,866 people have been arrested for cannabis-related offending in Australia since 2010, with nine out of 10 of these arrests for personal use or possession.

Similar to other countries in the region, Ghana is experiencing growing drug availability, trafficking and consumption. This phenomenon, more and more visible and problematic for a decade now, is related to the development of a new cocaine trafficking route through West Africa, from Latin America and towards Europe or North America. The strategic choice of traffickers to use our region for transit is based on many issues that provide opportunities for drug traffickers: the weakness of institutions; the lack of transparency of financial institutions; and corruption. One can wonder why Ghana is unsuccessful in controlling drugs, when it applies the harshest penalties for drug-related offences in West Africa?

The relentless crackdown by security forces on the mainly cannabis-smoking youth in Beirut has had several negative repercussions on the Lebanese society. Young, impressionable teenagers in Beirut are increasingly getting drawn to what is called "synthetic cannabis" or otherwise known as "K2" or "spice." A mixture of herbs is usually laced with cannabinoids such as cannabicyclohexanol. The exact effects of this mixture are still not well understood, but early studies suggest a severe increase in chances of psychosis.

For the past three months, the Rif region in northern Morocco has been experiencing widespread protests and social unrest following the death of Mouhcine Fikri, a 31-year-old fish vendor who was crushed by the compactor of a garbage truck. Fikri was illegally selling swordfish, a species protected during the fall season, when police officers seized it and unlawfully threw it in the garbage truck without first providing official notification. In addition to opposing these questionable police procedures and their sometimes tragic consequences, the Rifans, supported by protesters in Rabat and Casablanca—Morocco’s capital and financial hub, respectively—have been marching against what is called in Maghreb Arabic the “hogra,” which translates as “disdain.”

Vancouver police have arrested drug policy activists Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum after executing search warrants on the Drug User Liberation Front office and their homes. Since 2020, Nyx and Kalicum have held protest events and operated a compassion club to supply tested heroin, cocaine and meth to drug users, despite the risk of arrest for breaking Canada’s controlled substances laws. Nyx and Kalicum said they were driven to break drug laws through firsthand experience of the overdose crisis. Vancouver police say Nyx and Kalicum were arrested so police could question them as part of an ongoing investigation. DULF has operated a compassion club for months and has frequently spoken to media about the specifics of the model. (See also: Study shows selling tested drugs saves lives)

The police busted and dismantled fewer synthetic drug labs and cannabis plantations last year, latest figures show. The number of discovered drug labs fell by 35 percent. The number of cocaine laundries, crystallization sites, and packaging sites was 63 percent lower. The police attributed the decrease to them arresting various drug gangs and criminal networks after breaking into encrypted phone services like EncroChat, Sky, and ANOM. Last year, the police also dismantled fewer cannabis plantations - 2,285 compared to 2,894 in 2020. This number has been falling for years. In 2017, the police dismantled over 4,600 cannabis farms. (See also: Fewer drugs labs dismantled as criminals are forced to change tack)

Legalising cannabis can have major benefits for all citizens. If carried out correctly, everyone will benefit from less crime and stronger rule of law. Legalising the drug will especially help protect young people and may even lower their consumption of the drug. It is also a way of raising taxes for the state, instead of fuelling criminal organisations, which currently control the illegal market. These benefits are increasingly recognised by the public. Crucial to seeing these benefits come about, is the way legalising cannabis is done and how the drug is priced once it is made legal. These are the findings from researchI’ve carried out with colleagues in France. (Read also: Millions use cannabis, but figures for how many become dependent aren't reliable)

El gobierno planteó en la Rendición de Cuentas enviada al Parlamento declarar como un dato “no sensible” las direcciones de los autocultivadores y clubes cannábicos registrados en el Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (IRCCA) y de los respectivos lugares de plantación, cultivo y cosecha de cannabis. Mediante una nueva redacción del artículo 8 de la Ley de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (19.172) establece que “sólo la información relativa a la identidad de los titulares de los actos de registro tendrá carácter de dato sensible”, en los términos que prevé la Ley de Protección de Datos Personales (18.331). (Véase también: Clubes cannábicos "preocupados" porque Interior pueda pedir información al Ircca)

Más de 8 de cada 10 personas que usan cannabis en la Argentina lo hacen con fines recreativos. En rigor, se trata del 82,4% de los usuarios, según se desprende de la Primera Encuesta Nacional de Personas que Usan Cannabis, que consultó a 64.646 personas mayores de 16 años de todo el país entre noviembre y diciembre de 2020. Esa enorme proporción de usuarios aún permanecen perseguidos legalmente: según la Ley de Drogas (que lleva el número 23.737) puede ser penalizada una persona que traslade al menos una semilla de cannabis, si así lo disponen las fuerzas de seguridad, un fiscal y un juez. (Véase también: En el país hay más de un millón y medio de usuarios de cannabis)

Albert Tió, uno de los referentes del movimiento asociativo de cannabisde toda España, va a ingresar en la prisión para cumplir los cinco años de cárcel que le impuso la Sección Séptima de la Audiencia Provincial de Barcelona por una intervención de marihuana realizada en 2014 en la asociación de usuarios Airam de la que él era secretario. Tió sigue pendiente de la tramitación del indulto que han apoyado más de 15.000 personas y cuya petición se encuentra en el Ministerio de Justicia, así como de un recurso contra su condena presentado ante el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos en Estrasburgo. Tió fue uno de los promotores de la iniciativa popular que dio origen a la ley de clubes de cannabis que aprobó el Parlamento catalán en 2017, declarada posteriormente inconstitucional.

El Ayuntamiento de Jaume Collboni (PSC) ha puesto en su punto de mira a los clubes sociales de cannabis de Barcelona y admite ya que su voluntad es cerrarlos todos. El Consistorio está buscando las vías para clausurar “con seguridad jurídica” unos espacios que se han convertido durante la última década en una de las principales vías de acceso a la sustancia que tienen sus usuarios en la ciudad. El Ayuntamiento ha emprendido una nueva campaña de inspecciones junto a la Guàrdia Urbana que ha supuesto la entrada en al menos una veintena de estos locales en los que se suele consumir cannabis. 

La legalización del cannabis podría reportar a Alemania unos ingresos fiscales anuales y un ahorro de costos de unos 4.700 millones de euros (5.340 millones de dólares), además de crear 27.000 nuevos puestos de trabajo, según una encuesta realizada, mientras políticos discuten las normas para el incipiente sector. El estudio realizado por el Instituto de Economía de la Competencia (DICE, por sus siglas en alemán) y encargado por la Asociación Alemana del Cáñamo, concluyó que la legalización podría generar unos ingresos fiscales adicionales de unos 3.400 millones de euros al año. Al mismo tiempo, podría suponer un ahorro de costos en el sistema policial y judicial de 1.300 millones de euros al año, al tiempo que crearía decenas de miles de puestos de trabajo en la economía del cannabis.

Las fuerzas de seguridad del Estado ponen cada día en España 433 multas por tenencia y/o consumo de drogas en la vía pública; la inmensa mayoría de ellas por cannabis. Desde que entró en vigor la conocida como Ley Mordaza, en 2015, la estadística en torno a las sanciones por cannabis se ha disparado: el número de multas impuestas ha subido un 24%, el importe medio de la multa lo ha hecho un 34% y la recaudación total del Estado por esta partida, un 68%, según datos del anuario estadístico del Ministerio del Interior. Esta evolución se ha dado en un marco en el que el consumo de cannabis entre la población ha subido, pero muy ligeramente. (Véase también: 10.401 euros de multa por un porro en el bolsillo y ser reincidente)