British Columbia used to supply half of Canada’s marijuana, export it to the United States by the hockey bag, and bring home a bong-full of blue ribbons for its exotic “B.C. bud” strains from international Cannabis Cup competitions in Amsterdam. Premier John Horgan argues that this history is the main reason why legal marijuana has fizzled so far in B.C., a year into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s bold legalization experiment. Horgan’s government is moving to take over the “economic development” part of legal cannabis from Ottawa, because its ponderous Health Canada licence system for growers is working great for mass-market producers in Ontario and Quebec. And it’s killing B.C. bud. (See also: British Columbia chamber lobbies province over craft cannabis cultivation)

A village in Lebanon, where cannabis grows everywhere, has long counted on hashish for income. But the country’s economic crisis has farmers reconsidering the crop. The Lebanese pound has lost 80 percent of its value against the United States dollar since last fall, and farmers have taken the hit. The costs of imported fuel and fertilizer needed to grow the crop have soared, while the Lebanese pounds that growers earn by selling their hash are worth less and less. Lebanon’s financial crisis has also undermined the drug’s domestic market, and the war in Syria has snarled smuggling routes, making it harder for middlemen to reach foreign markets.

The Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill, which aims to cater for those who use marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, has been met with fierce opposition in Parliament. The cannabis plant in South Africa was decriminalised by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) in September 2018 and gave Parliament 24 months to amend the relevant laws. Almost five years later, Parliament is now looking to finalise the bill, which was tabled in 2020. Although it is not a criminal offence for an adult citizen to use, possess or grow cannabis for personal consumption at home, the buying and selling of marijuana remains illegal. The public was invited to provide comments on the proposed amendments to the bill.

As the Tripura government continues its crackdown on cannabis, a state BJP leader has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking legalisation of the drug across the country for medicinal and industrial purposes. Prasenjit Chakraborty, former state BJP spokesperson and founder of Janajagaran Mancha, a social service organisation, said in his letter that the country can benefit from proper and scientific application of cannabis, or ‘ganja’. Chakraborty requested the PM to form a high-power commission to research the subject and tell the government about the benefits of cannabis as a medicinal plant and as raw material in industrial applications. (See also: Jammu and Kashmir first in country to develop medicines from cannabis; institute signs pact with Canadian firm)

For centuries, the mountains of the Rif have been a centre of cannabis farming. Morocco is to this day the biggest producer of cannabis resin in the world, according to the United Nations. In July 2021 in an effort to improve the economy of one of the poorest regions, the kingdom decided to officially approve a bill legalising the production of cannabis for industrial, medicinal and cosmetic uses in the Rif. Up to now, the local farmers who have made the choice to grow cannabis legally are still few. By May, only about 400 of them had received authorization to begin. According to Khalid Mouna, a Moroccan anthropologist, with a focus on the Rif and kif, the small-scale local farmers might become the ones who will be left behind by the new law.

Former Australian Federal Police boss Mick Palmer has said the prohibition of cannabis use “is not just failing, it is causing real harm” as he described his journey from a hard-nosed policeman to a vocal advocate for cannabis law reform. He said the widespread use of cannabis indicated fear of arrest was not working as a deterrent. In 2019, 37 per cent of Australians said they had used cannabis at least once. However, for those unfortunate enough to be arrested for use and possession of cannabis, Palmer said, the outcome could be a “severe, whole-of-life” punishment, with convictions having the ability to wreck people’s careers. (See also: A new leaf? Push for Victoria to lead the way on cannabis legalisation)

France is known for having some of the strictest laws regarding marijuana in Europe – while simultaneously maintaining one of the highest rates of cannabis usage in the EU. A group of French senators – from the Socialist, Green and centre-right Les Républicains parties – are trying to change those laws, and call for marijuana to be legalised in France. The group of 31 co-signed a statement published in French newspaper, Le Monde, on August 10th. In the statement, the senators promised to launch a ‘consultation process’ to submit a bill to legalise marijuana in the coming months. Nearly one in two French people (45 percent) said they were in favour of legalisation, according to a survey by the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT).

In Nhlangano, in the south of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), the illegal farming of the mountainous kingdom’s famous “Swazi gold” is a risk many grandmothers are ready to take. In what is known locally as the “gardens of Eden”, a generation of grandparents are growing cannabis, many of them sole carers for some of the many children orphaned by the HIV/Aids epidemic that gripped southern Africa. Currently, there is only one legal Eswatini cannabis grower: the US-based Profile Solutions Inc has a licence to grow and process medical cannabis and hemp for a minimum of 10 years. But, despite the risks, the Swazi gold grandmothers do not want to join the legal market: “Legalising weed might be a threat to our market, as prices might drop. We want the current situation to remain in place.”

In 2018 Canada became the second country, after Uruguay, to legalise recreational use. By catching the green wave, Canopy Growth’s co-chief executive, Bruce Linton, has built, in under six years, a company valued by the stock market at £11.5bn, positioned to be the number one global player. Though Canopy has yet to make a profit, revenues reached C$225m last year. More than half comes from its recreational cannabis brand Tweed, even though legalisation only took hold halfway through the year. But breaking America is the biggest prize in the near future. Canopy recently signed a C$4.5bn deal giving it an option to buy the US cannabis firm Acreage, putting it in pole position to grab a slice of the US if it opens up further.

Cannabis companies are positioning themselves for the greater likelihood that federal cannabis restrictions will be loosened significantly. Sales are already booming. Cannabis sales hit $20 billion last year — a 50 percent jump over 2019. Legalization continues to spread across the country, with more than one-third of Americans now living in states where marijuana is fully legal. “There's no stopping the industry now,” said Andrew Kline, who recently joined the law firm Perkins Coie after serving as public policy director for the National Cannabis Industry Association. “The bigger players are going to be interested in acquiring smaller companies and becoming multi-state operators or expanding their footprint in different states.”

The pungent aroma of cannabis and the sound of dub music fill the air at a hacienda as about 150 smokers, users, growers, activists and business people gather for Mexico’s second annual Toquefest. In anticipation of the long-delayed legalisation of cannabis – after a number of supreme court decisions decreed the right to cultivate and deemed unconstitutional the ban on recreational use – the war on weed in Mexico is winding down and the festival is just one of 20 marijuana-related events being held across the country. Bills have been passed in both legislative chambers over the past two years but they have not agreed on the same version.

The cannabis legalisation referendum was watched closely by progressive politicians and campaigners in Australia. For the first time, the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed that more Australians now support the legalisation of cannabis (41 per cent) than oppose it (37 per cent). Professor at the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University Nicole Lee said the survey results were ‘significant’. “At the moment the states and territories are responsible for drug policies. Depending on what state you’re in there are different consequences for using it.” The Australian Capital Territory became the first state or territory in Australia to legalise cannabis a year ago, and police data shows there has not been any meaningful increase in cannabis-related arrests since.

Organizaciones que fomentan la despenalización de la mariguana rechazaron el dictamen que se discute en el Senado, pues dijeron está hecho “a modo”. Lamentaron que sus demandas no fueron consideradas por los legisladores y mucho menos los dejaron hacer uso de la máxima tribuna para dar a conocer sus demandas en materia de regulación de la hierba. Las organizaciones agrupadas en el Movimiento Cannábico Mexicano, además manifestaron que las propuestas del anteproyecto de dictamen se basan en el miedo, prejuicios y las necesidades de regular el “uso problemático” en vez de reconocer la posibilidad de un “uso responsable” por parte de los adultos. (Véase también: Organizaciones piden cambios al predictamen del Senado para regular la marihuana)

Une large majorité des quelque 250.000 personnes qui ont participé à une consultation citoyenne sur le cannabis dit "récréatif" plébiscitent la légalisation de cette drogue dont l'usage est interdit en France, a-t-on appris de sources parlementaires. Quelque 80,8% des répondants se disent d'accord avec une autorisation de la consommation et de la production dans un cadre régi par la loi, selon les résultats de cette consultation lancée mi-janvier par une mission d'information parlementaire. 13,8% se déclarent favorables à une dépénalisation. A l'inverse, 4,6% sont pour un renforcement des sanctions et seulement 0,8% pour le maintien du cadre légal en vigueur. (Lire aussi: Interrogés lors d’une consultation citoyenne, les Français se disent partisans d’une légalisation du cannabis récréatif)

En 2023, se cumplen diez años de la aprobación de la Ley 19.172, la que en su momento puso a Uruguay en el centro del debate internacional sobre políticas de drogas, y Juan Ignacio Tastás, director ejecutivo del Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (Ircca), cree que es una buena oportunidad para que el sistema político se proponga rediscutir la ley, sacarse algunos miedos y flexibilizar el acceso. Todo esto se daría, además, en un año preelectoral, con cuestionamientos previos a la ley dentro de la misma coalición de gobierno, claroscuros en el accionar policial con algunos autocultivadores, cada vez más farmacias y un proyecto de ley que pretende venderle a turistas.

Diputados, asesores de altos cargos y responsables de organismos reguladores de distintos países pasan una semana visitando media docena de estos espacios en la capital catalana. El interés internacional que suscitan los clubes de cannabis en España (especialmente en Barcelona, donde se calcula que hay unos 300) contrasta con la falta de regulación de estos estos recintos en nuestro país. Sin ninguna ley que avale su existencia, todos han crecido al amparo de un vacío legal, presentándose como asociaciones privadas de fumadores cuyos socios disponen de un cultivo de cannabis compartido. 

El líder de los demócratas en el Senado de EE.UU., Chuck Schumer, se posicionó a favor de “legalizar” el cannabis y argumentó que esa medida ayudará a traer justicia a las minorías afroamericana e hispana, encarceladas de forma desproporcionada por la posesión de esa sustancia. Schumer es uno de los pocos líderes políticos de EE.UU. que se ha pronunciado a favor de despenalizar la marihuana, cuyo consumo recreativo es legal en 18 de los 50 estados del país mientras que otros 37 permiten el uso médico, aunque a nivel federal se mantiene la prohibición. Desde hace meses, Schumer lleva trabajando junto a los senadores Cory Booker y Ron Wyden en una gran reforma de las leyes federales que rigen la marihuana y podrían presentarla formalmente en el Congreso en las próximas semanas.

Como secretario de la Federació d’Associacions de Cànnabis de Catalunya (CatFAC) desde el 2017, Eric Asensio es uno de los activistas mejor informados sobre la actualidad asociativa y la lucha por la regulación del cannabis en España. En estos momentos de desconcierto, en los que la situación internacional es favorable pero en nuestro país la represión se ceba con las asociaciones y el sector, la división del movimiento cannábico en una sopa de siglas no ayuda ni tampoco deja ver los esfuerzos del activismo más comprometido. Inmune al desaliento, pero crítico con la situación, Eric Asensio señala en sus respuestas la necesidad de la unión para asumir los retos presentes y el futuro inmediato, sin dejar de recordar los logros pasados y la experiencia acumulada.

A mediados de agosto, el director de la Policía Nacional uruguaya, comisario Mario Layera, sacudió el avispero en plena campaña electoral cuando aseguró que la solución global al narcotráfico debía ir de la mano de la legalización y regulación del consumo y ya no en su tradicional faceta prohibicionista. Admitió luego que la ley 19.172 no cumplió con uno de sus cometidos más importantes: sacar al cannabis del conjunto de las sustancias que se trafican y así dar un golpe al narcotráfico. "Si hay más gente que quiere acceder legalmente y no puede, va a caer en otros modos. Creo que deberían habilitar el autocultivo, e incluso que los que cultivan puedan vender, que se arme una competencia y un mercado legal", propuso.

As South Africa looks to enter the booming commercial cannabis market, which could be worth up to R27 billion locally by 2023, the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, has repeatedly reiterated the plant’s economic promise for the Eastern Cape, the country’s poorest province. “We must not be left behind as cannabis is brought into the spotlight and the world jumps to grab their drag on the spliff,” said the department’s MEC Nomakhosazana Meth at a stakeholder event in August. But despite the fanfare, Beecee Nombanga, a Manhlaneni community leader, remained sceptical that small-scale growers would see any benefits from a legal trade that was geared towards “big companies in big towns who have a lot of resources that we simply don’t have”.