The possession, cultivation and use of cannabis for private use is expected to be passed into law in two years’ time. The legalisation of the private and commercial use of cannabis forms part of the country’s plan to revive its ailing economy which has been further battered by Covid-19. Decriminalising cannabis has previously been touted by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni as one of the ways the country could plug in the hole in dwindling tax revenues. By 2023, South Africa ought to have declared hemp as an agricultural crop, made amendments to the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, and developed a new policy and legislation for the commercialisation of cannabis. (See also: New cannabis rules proposed for South Africa – to be introduced within next 2 years)

The Czech government presented a draftof a cannabis regulation bill that, does not include the previously envisioned regulated cannabis market. The Pirates party, which has traditionally been a strong advocate of cannabis legalization, stated that the text was a "compromise version" and they plan to negotiate additions. The proposed bill includes rules for legal cultivation, operation of cannabis clubs, licensed sales and exports, and taxation. It also sets restrictions on production and sales, and proposes registration of users, small growers, and cannabis clubs. Although there was consensus on certain points, there is still a political debate about cannabis clubs. The Pirates want to discuss an extension of the bill to allow for a pilot testing of a regulated market.

The cannabis industry’s moral challenge is to ensure the groups who have suffered the most under the drug war can participate in the green rush and enjoy the spoils of legalization. Marijuana insiders often refer to the “cannabis space” – a term broad enough to include a social justice movement and unapologetic capitalism – and recognize no contradiction between them. For growers who operated in California’s gray and illegal markets and now want to transition into the legal market, the economics can be brutal. In the illegal market, an Emerald Triangle farmer might have sold a pound for $3,000 tax-free. Now the price is more like $600, before taxes and compliance related costs. (See also: High stakes: cannabis capitalists seek funds to drive drug trade)

The cannabis authority in Malta has been assured that local banks will not turn down potential cannabis clubs on the grounds that they are selling marijuana, after the associations raised concerns that the industry could be deemed too risky. Leonid McKay, who heads the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis, said the issue had been raised during discussions with various stakeholders, including banks and non-governmental organisations. These meetings resulted in feedback from informal contacts with banks that they would possibly refuse to open bank accounts for prospective cannabis clubs – dubbed Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations.

The Federal Institute of Pharmaceuticals (BfArM) has rejected plans for legal cannabis sales in Berlin's Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain district. The borough had submitted plans for four "specialist cannabis shops" back in June. It was hoped that opening the shops would diminish illegal trade in the drug, reducing its availability to teens and young people and lessening the overall health risk for consumers. Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain has already launched legal action to contest the decision. (See also: Berlin district loses marijuana legalization bid)

From St. John’s to Vancouver, from Southern Ontario to the Far North, Canada’s nearly century-old prohibition on recreational cannabis lifted on Wednesday – and in Ottawa, the Trudeau government also promised new legislation to let people convicted of simple possession apply for pardons more easily. Not everyone who wanted to smoke up on the first day were able to: Relatively few bricks-and-mortar stores were open, and in Ontario, the most populous province, online retail is the only option until physical stores get the go-ahead next year. While demand was strong, supply was short on Day 1, and could be for the weeks to come. (See also: Canadians welcome legal pot sales, put up with supply issues on opening day)

As Morocco's 2021 round of elections approaches, the cannabis question is once again on the table. The Moroccan government approved the bill to legalize medicinal cannabis for export on March 11 of this year. Proponents of the bill argue that the legalization of cannabis is intended for the promotion of its medical use and that the lucrative revenues will boost the Moroccan economy. The bill was introduced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, who said it would positively impact the underdeveloped regions of northern Morocco and improve economic prospects for the Riffian population. Amid the run-up to the 2021 elections, the question of the legalization of cannabis legalization has grown more divisive among political parties and is being weaponized to glean votes. 

Following decades of rising cannabis use and talk of liberalisation, Switzerland had appeared poised to become the marijuana capital of Europe. The country still boasts some of the highest rates of cannabis use in Europe, but Switzerland's pot movement has taken a hit in the past few years: proposed liberalisation did not come to pass, enforcement has been on the rise and use among the country's youth has decreased. Enforcement varies widely from canton to canton, but cannabis remains an illegal narcotic throughout the country. Possession, use and distribution are punishable by up to three years in prison, and thousands of offences are recorded each year.

Cuando en Argentina hablamos de cannabis qué es legal y qué no es una duda permanente. En principio, es importante tener en claro que desde hace años se vive un proceso de transición de la prohibición total a estados parciales de legalidad. La ilegalidad del cannabis y la penalización de su cultivo y tenencia son parte de la ley vigente. Hablamos de la ley 23.737, conocida como la Ley de Drogas. En esta norma, sancionada en 1989, están tipificadas todas las conductas que pueden ser penadas en relación al cannabis y otras sustancias psicoactivas. En los últimos años, la legitimidad del uso medicinal del cannabis fue abriendo espacios tanto a nivel cultural como legal. En 2017 se sancionó la ley 27.350, conocida como la Ley de Cannabis Medicinal.

Recientemente se ha vuelto a poner en marcha la discusión sobre cannabis en el Senado de la República y nuevamente se evidencian las contradicciones entre el discurso y la voluntad política de quienes tienen la responsabilidad de generar las leyes que garanticen los derechos de las personas usuarias y la posibilidad de generar una industria benéfica para México. Pocos casos como el de la cannabis ilustran tan claramente las insuficiencias profesionales y la falta de independencia de nuestro Poder Legislativo frente a la agenda del Ejecutivo, donde la llamada "representación popular" ha fallado una y otra vez para cumplir con su deber de legislar para modificar el estatus legal de la planta de la cannabis y de sus usuarios.

Hasta este lunes había en el Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (IRCCA) 83.719 usuarios registrados para el consumo de la marihuana regulada que se comerciliza a través de las tres vías previstas por la ley. De esa cantidad, 15.157 personas se dedican al autocultivo doméstico de cannabis. Otras 10.026 están afiliadas a alguno de los 298 clubes de membresía habilitados. Las otras 58.536 adquieren el producto en alguna de las 38 farmacias autorizadas. Si se toma en cuenta que, según el último reporte del Observatorio Uruguayo de Drogas de diciembre de 2022, había en Uruguay unos 260.000 consumidores de marihuana y la proporción de los que recurren a algunas de las tres vías legales llega casi a la tercera parte del total.

Últimamente, se han observado indicios evidentes de un giro en los enfoques adoptados por los Gobiernos con respecto al cannabis recreativo. Uruguay en 2013 y Canadá en 2018, así como varios estados de los Estados Unidos desde 2012, han tomado medidas para controlar el cannabis a través de mercados regulados desde la semilla hasta la venta, en lugar de prohibirlo. Más recientemente, el nuevo presidente de México y el nuevo Gobierno de coalición de Luxemburgo y Malta también han anunciado su intención de regular el mercado del cannabis recreativo. Esta se considera cada vez más una vía más prometedora para proteger la salud y la seguridad de las personas, y ha cambiado el panorama de las políticas de drogas y los términos del debate.

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Imagine that you run a perfectly legal business but are unable to open a simple checking account at a national bank. Believe it or not, that’s the case right now for anyone licensed to sell cannabis in the US. Given the size of the cannabis industry, it’s pretty shocking. But it may be about to change. In the US, 38 states have legalized marijuana for medical use and 23 of them have legalized it for recreational purposes, including three territories and the District of Columbia. An additional eight states have decriminalized its use. Both red and blue states with legalized marijuana laws have collected $15bn in tax revenue between 2014 and 2022, with $3.77bn in tax revenue attributed to 2022 alone.

The rally at the state capitol on April 20, the unofficial holiday for pot aficionados, brought out green-wigged supporters ringed in wisps of smoke. These days, they are far from the only people advocating for the legalization of marijuana. Black Lives Matter activists, who are seeking business opportunities for minority communities and say they have been hit hard by drug laws, joined the Hartford rally, as did labor organizers who want to see the industry unionized. More broadly, cannabis companies, banks and new marijuana trade organizations are deploying platoons of lobbyists to state capitals and Washington, D.C., to help shape the ground rules for the industry as more states legalize use, and as Congress weighs measures that could further legitimize the market.

Malta’s laws for the sale of recreational cannabis could likely make room for large players seeking to corner the market, with the prospect of cannabis retailer ‘chains’. Malta’s not-for-profit model in the sale of cannabis has been a founding principle for the fledgling regulator, the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC). But under the laws and directives issued by the authority, large associations will be able to have multiple distribution sites, as well as grow cannabis in greenhouses in rural settings usually outside the development zones. The largest association possible to grow cannabis being allowing a maximum of 500 members, such a cannabis club will also be able to split the volumes of cannabis it grows across multiple distribution sites. (Clarification: Multiple distribution points for cannabis associations)

In September 2018, the Constitutional Court decriminalised the private cultivation of cannabis by adults for personal private consumption. This created an opportunity for businesses to ‘privately’ grow and prepare cannabis for clients. But recent police action has nipped their operations in the bud, so they want legal clarity. In October this year, police in the Western Cape announced that provincial detectives had arrested two suspects on drug trafficking charges. It turned out the target of this clampdown had been The Haze Club (THC). This service is what is known as a cannabis grow club – there are apparently several in South Africa – and involves a business leasing to clients what it deems to be private space, in an appropriate facility, where it cultivates clients’ cannabis on their behalf.

In Germany the possession of cannabis is illegal. Even small amounts are prosecuted, but charges are usually dropped. The definition of this "small amount" varies depending on the federal state. Most states do not prosecute up to 6 grams. The state of Berlin, being the most liberal, allows 15 grams. However the use and consumption of cannabis is not forbidden in Berlin, it’s actually one of the most liberal cities in the world regarding cannabis. Germany's number one open illegal market to buy cannabis in public is Görlitzer Park, affectionately known as "Gorli" by the locals.

Before Canada legalized recreational cannabis in October 2018, there was considerable debate about its potential effects. Some predicted it would trigger an economic “goldrush,” while others worried it would lead to public health “tragedies.” As it turns out, certain trends were already underway before legalization and continued afterward. On the flip side, some changes did not happen as anticipated. The percentage of adults using cannabis had already been increasing prior to 2018. Unsurprisingly, it continued to rise after legalization. There was a boost after legalization beyond the ongoing trend. But part of that might have been from people becoming more open about cannabis use. On the other hand, teenagers’ cannabis use hardly budged after 2018.

According to cannabis industry analytics firm Headset, pot sales in the United States spiked in mid-March, with sales growth peaking at 64% in the week ended March 16 — the highest growth rate since at least the beginning of 2019. But after people had apparently replenished their stockpiles for fear dispensaries might be closed amid virus shutdowns, sales decelerated during the last two weeks of the month to the "mid- to high-single-digit range," the Headset analysts said. In the course of April, most US federal states surprisingly declared cannabis an "essential good" like groceries, allowing pot dispensaries to offer curbside delivery. In Germany efforts to ensure a high-quality domestic supply, means the country is now aiming for the first local cannabis harvest by the end of this year.

There is now a unique moment to build a coherent regulatory framework that would prevent the growing cannabis market from being concentrated in the hands of large for-profit conglomerates, beholden to purely commercial interests, which might well introduce new harms just as those created by prohibition are being mitigated. It is particularly important do so before big actors such as the United States follow and legalize medical cannabis at the federal level. There is first a pressing need to knock down the considerable market barriers that exist for small-scale farmers from traditional producer countries in low- and middle-income countries. These actors have often been those most affected by the so-called “war on drugs”, which has fostered discrimination, poverty, violence, and fear.