Smoking cannabis in public is forbidden in the centre of Amsterdam from Thursday, as part of a raft of measures to restrain party tourism. In the Burgwallen Oude-Zijde central area, tourists and residents smoking cannabis in public now risk a €100 fine. On streets such as the Oudezijds Achterburgwal – brimming with prostitution windows, bars, ‘cannabis museums’ and erotic shows – signs warn tourists of the new ban in English and in Dutch. The council has introduced a set of measures, including earlier closing times for brothels and bars, a crackdown on alcohol sales in the red light district, a “stay away” advertising campaign to deter nuisance visitors and now the ban on smoking cannabis in public. (See also: Smoke signals: will public cannabis ban deter nuisance tourism?)

Foreign tourists will be banned from coffeeshops in Amsterdam in future. In a letter to the council, mayor Femke Halsema, the public prosecution service and the police have said that in the future they only want Dutch residents to have access to the shops to buy and smoke cannabis. The mayor also intends to limit the number of coffeeshops in any chain and regulate the supply with a new ‘quality mark’. Although coffeeshops fall under the mayor’s responsibilities, the new proposal will be discussed by Amsterdam council and there is likely to be a transition period before it is enforced. (See the letter from the mayor: Proposal to ban overseas visitors from Amsterdam cannabis coffeeshops| Foreigners face ban from Amsterdam's cannabis cafes)

In the past year, 55 million Americans have used marijuana. The other 260 million are pretty divided in how they feel about that. It will probably not shock you to hear that a substance’s potential to cause addiction, health problems, and social harm has little to do with whether or not it’s legal. Instead, as law professor and criminologist Toby Seddon recently found in a wide-ranging study and historical review, there are two primary factors that influence what we consider to be drugs: race and money. These factors have long been deeply ingrained in how we view intoxication, from the origins of the War on Drugs in the 1970s to the responses to today’s opioid epidemic.

Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO), is a first mover in the industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis’ space in India. Boheco slowly started making inroads in a space that had not been spoken about as openly before in the Indian context. And the results have been heartening for them and the industry as a whole. “Prior to 2013, hemp was rarely mentioned or raised as an interesting opportunity for new industrial and medicinal development horizons, primarily due to the pre-conceived stigma surrounding the recreational use of Cannabis combined with the fear of industrial and medicinal cannabis being misused and re-directed to the illicit cannabis market,” says Jahan Peston Jamas. (See also: Ratan Tata, Rajan Anandan back cannabis research firm)

Germany's likely new government, the left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SPD), Greens and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), have been locked in intense coalition negotiations in recent weeks. One area that’s sure to change is Germany’s drug policy. According to Georg Wurth, President of the German Hemp Association, decriminalisation, which removes criminal penalties for consumption, typically precedes full legalisation and is the more likely outcome, though the parties are still negotiating. “It’s really hard to imagine that we’d jump straight to legalisation. But the signs from the coalition talks are there, and they’ve committed to modernisation. This would fit right in, and make us trailblazers in the global context,” said Wurth.

In die Debatte über eine Lockerung der Bremer Cannabispolitik kommt erneut Bewegung. In einem Interview mit der Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ) hat sich Bremens Bürgermeister Andreas Bovenschulte dafür ausgesprochen, die kontrollierte Abgabe von Cannabis in einem Modellversuch zu testen. Ziel des neuen Vorstoßes ist es laut Bovenschulte, durch die kontrollierte Abgabe von Cannabis einen besseren Jugendschutz und bessere Prävention gewährleisten zu können. Der NOZ sagte er wörtlich: "Man muss sagen: In Sachen Cannabis ist dieses Ziel in der Vergangenheit verfehlt worden." Bremen wolle den Modellversuch in Kooperation mit weiteren Ländern oder Kommunen angehen.

Brain scans have revealed for the first time how a substance found in cannabis plants may help people with psychotic disorders by dampening down abnormal brain activity that arises in the patients. A single dose of cannabidiol, an non-intoxicating extract of the plant, reduced unusual patterns of neural behaviour linked to hallucinations, delusions, and other symptoms of psychosis, researchers found. The impact of the substance has raised hopes that medical preparations of pure cannabidiol, or new drugs based on the compound, may be turned into effective treatments for young people who develop psychosis but do not respond to existing therapies.

Wer in Bremen bis zu zehn Gramm Cannabis für den Eigenkonsum in der Tasche hat, wird ab April nicht mehr strafrechtlich verfolgt. Bei bis zu 15 Gramm können Polizei und Staatsanwaltschaft von einem Ermittlungsverfahren absehen. Bislang lag der Grenzwert bei sechs Gramm. «Ziel ist es, mit mehr Augenmaß auf den Konsum von Cannabis-Produkten zu reagieren, und erwachsene Nutzer der Droge nicht per se zu kriminalisieren», begründete Justizsenatorin Claudia Schilling (SPD) den Schritt. Die generelle Kriminalisierung von Cannabis habe wenig Wirkung gezeigt und nicht zu einem Rückgang des Konsums geführt. (Bremen: Geringe Menge liberaler, bei Eigenanbau gescheitert| Trotz neuer Richtlinien: Besitz von Cannabis kann weiterhin strafbar sein)

Die Fraktionen von SPD und Grünen in Bremen wollen den Konsum von Cannabis legalisieren. Dazu soll der rot-grüne Senat ein wissenschaftlich begleitetes Modellprojekt zur kontrollierten Abgabe der Droge erarbeiten. Nach den Plänen der beiden Fraktionen soll der Besitz von Cannabis für den Eigenbrauch und der Anbau geringer Mengen straffrei bleiben. Einen entsprechenden Antrag wollen die beiden Fraktionen in den Landtag einbringen. (Mehr dazu: Stressfreier kiffen in Bremen | Bremen will Cannabis-Anbau straffrei machen)

Cannabis-Konsum soll künftig nicht mehr von der Polizei verfolgt und eine legale Abgabe in Bremen möglich werden. Darauf haben sich Sozialdemokraten und Grüne bei den Koalitionsverhandlungen geeinigt. Ab wann nicht mehr strafverfolgt werden soll und wo die legale Abgabe von Cannabis erfolgen könnte, ließen Müller und SPD-Landeschef Dieter Reinken im Pressegespräch nach den Koalitionsverhandlungen noch offen. Ein Cannabis-Verkauf am Kiosk ist nicht geplant: Müller bringt Apotheken als mögliche Abgabestellen ins Gespräch: „Es könnte zum Beispiel eine Abgabestelle in Bremen und eine in Bremerhaven geben.“ Für das Modellprojekt wolle man sich auch mit Berlin austauschen. (Mehr dazu: Bremer SPD bremst Cannabis-Pläne)

Die Länder Bremen und Thüringen haben im Bundesrat einen Antrag zu einem liberaleren Umgang mit Cannabis eingereicht. Darin wird die Bundesregierung aufgefordert, eine Änderung des Betäubungsmittelgesetzes einzuleiten, um eine Rechtsgrundlage für wissenschaftlich begleitete Modellprojekte zu schaffen. Dabei sollen Erwachsene Gebrauchsmengen von Cannabis erhalten können. Den Weg über die Länderkammer halten Senat und Parlament für unumgänglich. Denn das Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, das dem CDU-geführten Bundesgesundheitsministerium unterstellt ist, blockiert bislang solche Cannabis-Modellprojekte. (Mehr dazu: Cannabis-Antrag ohne Aussicht auf Erfolg | Berliner Senat unterstützt Cannabis-Modellversuche)

Bermuda’s governor Rena Lalgie announced that the United Kingdom has blocked the Bermuda government’s controversial bid to legalize the use and production of cannabis in the British Overseas Territory. “I previously announced that I had reserved the Cannabis Licensing Bill 2022 for the signification of her majesty’s pleasure under Section 35 (2) of the Bermuda Constitution. I have now received an instruction, issued to me on Her Majesty’s behalf, not to assent to the bill as drafted." The Bill, as currently drafted, is not consistent with obligations held by the UK and Bermuda under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 was intended to create a regulated framework for the growth and sale of the drug. (See also: Crisis looms as Britain blocks cannabis legalisation | The long road to legalisation)

An estimated 1.3 million people in the UK regularly use CBD for a variety of health and wellness reasons – but ingestible CBD products occupy a hazy legal area, characterised by unclear enforcement, restrictive drug laws and over-exuberant marketing claims. This has led to a booming, but not-quite-fully-legal, consumer market. Having until now stood idly by as the CBD craze swept the country, the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has unveiled new plans to better regulate the cannabidiol industry and issue new safety advice for consumers. Under the FSA's new rules, CBD companies have until the end of March, 2021 to submit a product safety dossier to the regulators, or else be pulled from the shelves.

A legal expert at an international immigration firm has warned British tourists and employees that if they smoke marijuana in the US, even in states where it has been legalised, they risk being barred from the country for life. UK visitors can still be arrested and deported from the US even if they consume cannabis in states such as California and Colorado, where the drug is legal, said Charlotte Slocombe, a senior partner at Fragomen in London. Slocombe says her firm and others that deal with US immigration laws have seen a rise in cases where British holidaymakers and green card holders, working legally in the US, are being expelled or denied entry because of cannabis consumption in states where it is legal.

The surprise ousting of the chief executive officer of Canada’s foremost cannabis company is a sign of things to come, some observers warned, as the young industry grapples with investor impatience in the face of what has so far been disappointing financial results. Canopy Growth Corp. announced that Bruce Linton, who founded and grew the firm into the world’s most valuable cannabis company, was “stepping down” from both his role as co-CEO and as a member of the board. But in multiple media interviews, Linton said he had effectively been terminated by the company’s board of directors — a majority of whom had been appointed by Canopy’s largest investor, the U.S.-based alcohol giant Constellation Brands. (See also: How will history judge Canopy Growth’s founder as a dealmaker?)

The Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close (PS) renewed his call for cannabis to be decriminalised and removed from the Belgian penal code. Speaking to Le Soir, Close once again urged a ‘great national debate’ on this divisive subject in view of the upcoming 2024 elections. The Brussels Mayor sustains that by taking cannabis out of the hands of criminal groups, the authorities can focus on the trafficking of hard drugs. Close’s comments come as Brussels has seen a wave of drug-related violence in recent months. Since the start of the year, 22 shootings have been recorded in the capital. According to the police, these often have a link with the drug market and trafficking. (See also: Coffee shops will 'hopefully' soon open in Brussels,' says Mayor)

Not too long ago, Ehud Olmert was trying to lead Israel to a historic peace agreement. These days, the former Israeli prime minister is pushing a different message: Legalize marijuana. Olmert is among a group of former Israeli leaders and security chiefs who have found new careers in the country’s tightly controlled medical cannabis industry. They hope not only to cash in on the local market, but also to clear the way for the country’s major marijuana producers to export. “Everything will change dramatically overnight if there will be legalization,” Olmert, an adviser to the startup Univo, said. In Israel alone, he said, “the market would be unlimited. It would be huge.” Israel is one of the world leaders in medical cannabis consumption and marijuana possession is decriminalized.

Two Canadian researchers hope their work — mapping the cannabis sativa genome — will get rid of the stigma which they say surrounds the cultivation of hemp and marijuana in Canada. University of Saskatchewan's Jon Page and University of Toronto's Tim Hughes hope other scientists will use their work to develop marijuana as a legitimate medical ingredient, and hemp as a high-quality, fast-growing crop.

Ein in Berlin geplanter Modellversuch zur kontrollierten Abgabe von Cannabis als Genussmittel kann voraussichtlich nicht in die Tat umgesetzt werden. Das Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM) lehnte den entsprechenden Antrag ab. Das Vorhabenverstößt  aus Sicht des Instituts gegen das Betäubungsmittelgesetz. Zudem sei der Modellversuch "weder medizinisch noch ethisch vertretbar". Im Zuge des Modellprojekts wollte der Berliner Senat Cannabis kontrolliert und wissenschaftlich begleitet an eine begrenzte Zahl erwachsener Studienteilnehmer abgeben. Ziel sei, Drogenkonsumenten zu einem risikoärmeren oder reduzierten Konsum zu bewegen.

Premier David Burt refused to confirm whether he had held any discussions with the Governor on cannabis regulations approved by the House of Assembly last week. The Premier however maintained that the legislation, if approved by the Senate, could receive Royal Assent despite concerns raised in the House of Assembly. “If our regulations were modelled after what is in place in Canada – another realm of the commonwealth where the Queen serves as head of state – and those are acceptable there, I cannot possibly imagine why they would not be acceptable here.” He said: “We live in a time, a point and place where we can be free to make our own laws and Bermuda has a long tradition of internal self governance and that tradition, I expect in this case, will be upheld and respected.”