Un atelier de travail s’est tenu, le 6 mars au siège de la province de Chefchaouen, afin d’examiner les modalités concrètes de soutien aux coopératives pour le lancement de la saison de culture du cannabis légalisé. Cet atelier, qui s’est déroulé en présence du gouverneur de la province de Chefchaouen, Mohammed Alami Ouaddane, du directeur général de l’Agence nationale de réglementation des activités relatives au cannabis (ANRAC), Mohammed El Guerrouj, des chefs des services extérieurs concernés, et des représentants de 11 coopératives spécialisées dans la production et la valorisation du cannabis, a permis aux coopératives concernées de présenter leur perception sur le sujet, et a été l’occasion d’écouter les interventions des services techniques qui les accompagnent.

Learn how lessening the barriers for small farmers while raising them for large companies can help to steer legal cannabis markets in a more sustainable and equitable direction based on principles of community empowerment, social justice, fair(er) trade and sustainable development.

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Through manipulating trust and exploiting public ignorance, cannabis charlatans – new and old – are trying to construct corporate empires, some of which appear to be based on corruption, collusion and exploitation. Without transparency, credibility and integrity from the get-go, the equitable growth and sustainability of the South African cannabis community stands to be sacrificed purely for the sake of profit. In 2018 the Constitutional Court ruled that the prohibition of cultivating, possessing and consuming cannabis in private in South Africa was unconstitutional. Since then, much has been happening around cannabis. Unfortunately, the bulk of this action has been based on a misunderstanding of what both the new and developing laws mean, creating a great deal of uncertainty.

It’s been five years since the Canadian government legalized and regulated non-medical cannabis cultivation, commerce, and consumption. California is ahead of us by two years, having followed a similar experiment in 2016 when it legalized recreational cannabis. Today, California and Canada are facing similar challenges though they have adopted vastly different regulations. The two jurisdictions offer an interesting contrast in how regulatory frameworks can support or undermine a nascent legal cannabis industry. Evidence from the past five years suggests that the regulations have failed to provide equitable access to the industry and develop balanced tax structures. Legalization in Canada and California also remains hampered by the legacy of global cannabis prohibition.

Dozens of legal cannabis producers, backed by billions in investor capital, were expected to put the black market on its heels, launching Canada to the forefront of an expanding global industry with the promise of mass-produced, high-quality, heavily regulated marijuana. But scandals, sluggish earnings and executive shakeups have replaced the soaring expectations of a year ago. Government data show that the legal market has only supplanted 14 per cent of the black market since legalization on Oct. 17, 2018, and some are concerned that further inroads may be difficult to come by. One of the biggest problems was that the industry’s early focus on scale — something that was largely a symptom of the push to raise capital ahead of legalization — distracted it from other important considerations.

Established medical cannabis companies could be looking to set their foot in Malta’s flegdling recreational cannabis market, according to sources. Releaf, the NGO that led the campaign to legalise recreational cannabis, fear that the sacking of the Authority for Responsible Use of Cannabis’s first director could lead to the dealer-driven black economy for cannabis poised for a takeover “an equally profit-driven market run by a few friends in high places”. Mariella Dimech was sacked after 10 months in the job, with not one single licence for the non-profit cannabis ‘clubs’ having yet been issued. Dimech complained that she had been left without a functional office, staff, budget or political strategy with which to carry out her job. (See also: McKay appointment a ‘direct insult to the spirit of the law’, says Releaf Malta)

Benjamin Cadet stands among his plants in a white polo shirt bearing his company logo. He dons surgeon's gloves and handles the flowers carefully. They are full of pollen — ripe for the picking. The Ugandan entrepreneur and former member of parliament is the CEO of the only company licensed to grow and export cannabis legally in the East African country. The cannabis plantation, located in Uganda's mighty Rwenzori Mountains, extends over three hectares in the country's west, almost directly on the Equator. More than 40,000 cannabis plants thrive in greenhouses under strict hygienic conditions. They are destined for export to Europe. (See also: Aiming high: Africa’s cannabis future)

Tilray Inc. shareholders approved the merger with Aphria Inc., creating a cannabis powerhouse that’s both the largest medical marijuana company in Europe and a major player in Canada’s recreational market. The company’s ambitions don’t end there, though. Irwin Simon, the former head of Aphria who is now chairman and chief executive officer of the combined company, has ambitions to transform it from an edgy Canadian marijuana company into a global consumer products giant, potentially selling cannabis in everything from drinks to skin creams to snack bars. The company will have a market value in excess of US$8 billion, making it a giant in the fast-growing cannabis industry.

Tilray and Aphria, two of the biggest marijuana companies in Canada, announced plans to merge and create the world’s largest cannabis outfit. With existing medical and recreational cannabis businesses in Canada and Europe, the new conglomerate is positioning itself to eventually enter the biggest weed market in the world: the U.S. “The next big prize is the United States,” said Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy. Cannabis is still illegal under U.S. federal law, so the company won’t be able to export into the country unless laws change under President-elect Biden. And as of now, the new company, to operate under the Tilray brand, does not have any US-based cannabis cultivation or retail licenses. (See also: Aphria, Tilray merging to create world's biggest cannabis company)

La junta de tratamiento de la cárcel aprobó la concesión del tercer grado a Albert Tió y a Víctor Segués, respectivamente presidente y tesorero de Airam y condenado en el mismo proceso, primero para que pudieran salir de prisión los fines de semana y después también de lunes a viernes, entre las siete de la mañana y las ocho de la tarde. Sigue pendiente de la resolución del Gobierno a su petición de indulto, a la que se han sumado más de 20.000 firmas, pero ya ha perdido la batalla en el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos, que, según le han notificado, ha desestimado la admisión de su solicitud de amparo. De momento, tendrá que seguir pasándose cerca de tres horas al día en un coche haciendo el trayecto de ida y vuelta entre Lledoners y su casa.

The warning signs were there all summer, but it wasn’t until the first business day of September that the reckoning arrived for Canadian cannabis companies in need of money. There were already clear signs that the days of easy money for cannabis companies were over. The total amount of money raised by the sector had plunged over the summer. With little access to fresh cash, Canada’s licensed producers now face a new reality. They have spent years focused on financings to fund their expansions, paying little mind to positive cash flow. Without new capital, they will have to scrap construction projects and scale back growth plans. “The vast majority of the companies are going to go bankrupt.” (See also: It’s time for Canada’s cannabis companies to get their governance houses in order)

Last week was a wild one for MedMen, the multistate cannabis retailer based in Culver City, California. As CEO Adam Bierman was getting ready to do a Reddit AMA ("Ask Me Anything") a character named Jason Spatafora tweeted out copies of emails that, Spatafora claimed, showed that the company was unable to pay vendors in cash, and was offering to give them shares of its depleted stock instead. Like a lot of cannabis companies, MedMen grew too big, too fast, as Bierman himself reluctantly admitted. Now, he said, the goal is "sustainability." The company, 10 years old, runs about 30 stores across the country, as well as large cultivation facilities. (See also: Nickeled and Dymed - The collapse of Dionymed Brands (DYME) highlights the factors at work in the great cannabis crash)

Aurora, a Canadian listed cannabis company, has sold its Jamaica asset for less than its CDN$4.5 million ­valuation in order to get cash. “The company also accepted an offer to sell its Jamaica property for gross proceeds of CDN$3.4 million,” said Aurora in a market filing. The property in Jamaica was idle but would have formed the base for its local operations. Across the local sector, sales between licensed ­dealers in Jamaica – for instance, farmers selling to herb houses – have been falling. The CLA has issued some 60 licences since October 2017 and 15 export authorisations to seven licensees since November 2018. All licensees that have applied to export cannabis have been granted export authorisations.

Federal law still treats cannabis as an illegal substance, and traditional banks have been wary of getting involved. Wealthy financiers have moved in to fill the void — including a growing cast of investors from Russia and former Soviet Union countries who have helped shape the industry's growth. One of the nation’s largest cannabis companies, Curaleaf, is led by one of Russia’s most influential financiers and backed by another, allowing the company to pursue rapid expansion and hefty acquisitions. Investment firms have taken their own stakes: A San Francisco-based venture capital fund run by the Russian tech entrepreneur Pavel Cherkashin, backed largely by investors from Russia and the former Soviet Union, has put $2 million into Pure Spectrum, a Colorado-based business marketing CBD products.

As cannabis companies eye expansion in European and South American markets, Asia is poised to be a new frontier for some major Canadian pot players. Despite being the world’s most populous continent, it is estimated that Asia’s cannabis usage is about two per cent, or 85.5 million people, according to London-based cannabis data provider Prohibition Partners. However, several Asian countries are on the cusp of embracing medical cannabis and the continent could see its marijuana market grow to as much as US$5.8 billion by 2024, Prohibition Partners said in a recent report. That’s caught the attention of some Canadian cannabis players including Canopy Growth Corp.

L’année 2023 sera peut-être celle de sa première récolte légale de cannabis. Après des années dans la semi-clandestinité, Aziz a décidé de se ranger « du côté de la loi ». Ce cultivateur du Rif, région montagneuse du nord du Maroc qui abrite l’une des plus grandes productions de la planète, entend tourner le dos aux narcotrafiquants pour vendre son « kif » aux industriels lancés dans la fabrication de produits issus du cannabis. « Deux Américains sont venus dans le village il y a quelques jours,raconte-t-il. Ils veulent construire une usine dans la région et auront besoin de grandes quantités. Ils sont intéressés par nos plantes. Nous n’avons pas encore parlé du prix. »(Lire aussi:Maroc : Les Douanes rappellent les conditions d’acheminement licite du cannabis)

British tobacco company Imperial Brands is getting into the cannabis business with a $123 million investment in Auxly Cannabis, the Canadian company run by former Tweed founder Chuck Rifici. The British firm — which has no ties to Imperial Tobacco Canada — will take a 19.9 per cent ownership in Auxly through a convertible debenture, at a conversion price of $0.81 per share, which is a 11 per cent premium to Auxly’s closing share price as of July 24, 2019. Auxly’s stock soared 20 per cent in early trading today to $0.88 a share. Imperial will also get one out of five board seats at the cannabis company, which will give it some oversight of corporate governance at the company. Auxly, for its part, will obtain the rights to Imperial’s vaping technology.