While many Canadians have focused on the supply problems and overly optimistic business projections that have marred Ottawa's marijuana legalization project, it's also left behind some international loose ends that still haven't been tied up. Not all other countries have accepted Canada's right to forge a new path on cannabis law. And the ending of Canada's 95-year ban on cannabis appears to have accelerated the demise of a worldwide consensus and treaty regime that, for decades, underpinned the global war on drugs. A year after legalization, Canada remains in flagrant violation of UN drug treaties that it signed — an uncomfortable situation for a country that likes to see itself as a stickler for international laws and treaties.

Canada became the second country to make it legal for adults to buy, grow and consume small amounts of marijuana. But it also made it a crime to give it to anyone younger than 19 or 18, depending on the province, and set a penalty of up to 14 years in prison for doing so. At the same time, the government began an $83 million public education campaign, much of it targeting Canadian youths, that warns of pot’s dangers. But persuading teenagers not to see legalization as a green light to use marijuana will be difficult, experts say, not to mention that past antidrug efforts have offered little evidence of success. And when it comes to marijuana and the teenage brain, the science is far from clear.

Before the new law came into force in October 2018, Statistics Canada started to estimate prices and the size of the illicit market, and to carry out quarterly surveys of Canadians’ cannabis usage. Earlier this month it released the fifth of these—the first before-and-after comparison of the same part of a year. The main finding was a rise in the number of Canadians who had used cannabis in the three months before the survey, of 27% compared with a year earlier. People are probably more willing to admit to getting lit once weed has been legalised. However, half of new cannabis users are aged over 45; use by under-25s, by contrast, did not rise significantly. Nor was there a significant increase in the number of Canadians who said they used daily or near-daily.

Business failures and consolidation failed to stop Canada’s stockpile of unsold cannabis from reaching a new high in the final quarter of 2022, the latest sign that shrinking prices and margins could continue to squeeze companies. Packaged and unpackaged inventory of dried cannabis jumped to an all-time high of 1.47 billion grams (3.2 million pounds) as of December 2022, according to the latest data from Health Canada, which tracks overall unsold stockpiles of licensed producers, wholesalers and retailers. That’s an increase from 1.3 billion grams in December 2021. Last year, Aurora Cannabis closed its flagship Aurora Sky facility in Edmonton, Alberta – one of the biggest in Canada.

An industry group representing Canada’s biggest cannabis companies is appealing to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to help address some of the industry’s most persistent challenges. In a letter sent to the prime minister the Cannabis Council of Canada highlighted a number of areas in need of improvement, including a tax on medical cannabis and banking issues that are stymieing legal businesses. The Council asked the incoming ministers of public safety, finance, border security and organized crime reduction to discourage the proliferation of illegal online cannabis dispensaries. “We recommend that the government prioritize the closure and removal of both illegal brick and mortar stores, and actively seek out and shut down illegal online cannabis dispensaries,” the letter reads.

Cannabis entrepreneurs in Canada are increasingly turning to smaller micro-cultivation facilities to manage costs and produce higher-quality marijuana at a time when the industry is facing a glut of “standard” product and falling prices. That shift ultimately could help shrink some of the Canadian cannabis industry’s current supply glut, given that micro-class licensees operate smaller cultivation facilities. At the end of 2022, Canada’s total indoor growing area was 28% lower than the all-time high reached in 2020. Consumers appear to be weighing price sensitivity with a desire for the highest-quality products they can afford at a particular price point.

Canada’s decision to legalise cannabis has not resulted in removing organised crime from the chain. Police Academy lecturer Pieter Tops, who visited Canada as part of a police delegation last month, told current affairs show Nieuwsuur that it remains easy for criminals to get hold of legally-grown marijuana. ‘The most important conclusion we can draw is that it is a mistake to think you can reduce the illegal cannabis world by legalisation,’ Tops said. The Canadian system, he said, has a number of weak points although it looks good on paper. The Netherlands plans to begin trials with regulated marijuana production although the draft legislation still has to be approved by the lower house of parliament. (See also: Cannabis legalization has no immediate impact on crime stats: Dutch police)

Canadian cannabis wholesale prices tumbled more than 40% last year as companies continued to work through stubborn supply gluts and struggling cultivators chose to sell off their unsold marijuana instead of destroying it. Looking at the latter part of 2023, some industry experts see the oversupply of wholesale cannabis easing somewhat as more licensed producers leave the market and the remaining cultivators adjust growing volumes to match demand. “Oversupply and excess capacity have resulted in high-quality flower being widely available and sold well below the marginal cost of production,” Zach George, the CEO of cannabis producer SNDL, said in a news release this week.

Le ministre de la Santé, Étienne Schneider, est décidé à soumettre courant janvier au Conseil de gouvernement un projet de loi pour légaliser le cannabis récréatif. La date reste toutefois à confirmer. «Il n’est pas exclu que mon successeur héritera de cette tâche», indique le ministre en partance. De retour de leur visite d’études au Canada, les ministres Schneider et Félix Braz (Justice) s’étaient montrés confiants à la mi-mai de pouvoir finaliser un concept pour la légalisation du cannabis récréatif. «On a identifié de nombreuses implications, notamment en ce qui concerne les relations avec nos pays voisins», indiquait Étienne Schneider. Autre obstacle majeur : trouver une tournure juridique pour contourner les conventions internationales de l’ONU, qui interdisent la légalisation du cannabis récréatif.

Cannabis clubs - dubbed Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations - can apply to sell home-grown marijuana from next month but must abide by a list of regulations outlined on Friday. The associations are the only way to legally buy the drug, which was legalised in December 2021. They can apply for licensing from February 28 through a non-profit model set by the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC). They must be non-profit and can only sell their own product, meaning that only seeds can be imported from abroad. This means that cannabis legally sold in Malta must be grown in the country. (See also: Who came up with those new ‘cannabis rules’, anyway? Cheech and Chong?)

The half-million Canadians with criminal records for cannabis possession received some encouraging news. Four Liberal cabinet ministers held a news conference to announce that the government is bringing in legislation to expedite pardons for those who were busted with amounts of 30 grams or less. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters that the intention is to remove the stigma of criminal records for simple possession, which will make it easier for people to find housing, employment, and volunteer in their community. (See also: Pardons for past cannabis crimes have major limitations, and there's no simple fix | NDP introduce a private member's bill calling for cannabis amnesty)

Two NGOs have proposed that cannabis associations should be “safe spaces” where members have a “true interest and passion” in the substance, and where they could share best practices and seek advice even about unwanted effects. The proposals are among those made by ReLeaf Malta and Moviment Graffitti in a policy document that urges a ‘social equity’ approach to Maltese cannabis associations. The document has been presented to psychotherapist Mariella Dimech as CEO of the cannabis authority. In December, Malta became the first European country to legalise the cultivation and possession of cannabis. Cannabis users can now carry up to 7g of the substance without fear of prosecution and also grow four plants at home.

Psychotherapist Mariella Dimech has been sacked from her position as executive chairperson of the new cannabis authority on the responsible use of cannabis. Dimech said she was informed by the Home Affairs ministry that her post was being terminated with immediate effect. "Over the last 10 months, I have worked with no functional office, no staff, no budget and a political strategy and decision strategy I disagreed with," she said. She was appointed earlier this year and her term was meant to last three years. Leonid McKay, the former director of Caritas, is expected to be appointed to head the cannabis authority. Malta legalisedthe cultivation and possession of cannabis at the end of 2021, becoming the first EU country to do so. (See also: Cannabis authority head removed after 10 months, says she disagreed with political strategy)

New rules on cannabis use came into force in Malta in December after parliament approved a new law aimed at further decriminalising the substance. The new law allows for the creation of cannabis associations for those smokers who might be unwilling or unable to grow the plant at home. They can join such associations, which cultivate cannabis to distribute among members, and buy their supply from there. But, eight months since the law was introduced, the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) has yet to start issuing licences for these clubs - or even publish regulatory guidelines which such clubs must adhere to. Authority chairperson Mariella Dimech said that the process is “delicate” and “cannot be done overnight”.

Parliament approved a cannabis law that will allow users to carry, buy and grow amounts of the drug, making Malta the first European country to introduce laws to regulate recreational cannabis use. MPs backed the Responsible Use of Cannabis bill by 36 votes to 27. All Labour MPs voted in favour of the bill while the opposition voted against it. The reform must be signed into law by President George Vella - a process that usually happens within days of parliamentary votes. Vella, a doctor by profession, has faced calls from NGOs and lobby groups that oppose the reform plans to refuse to sign the bill into law. (See also: Through the smoke: What you need to know about new cannabis rules | Malta becomes first European country to legalise recreational cannabis)

If a person is found with more than 1kg of dried cannabis or nine flowering plants they could be jailed for up to 15 years. These are just some of the “arbitrary” limits on personal cannabis possession and cultivation imposed in the new Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill. Such limits are likely to be challenged should the legislation be passed by Parliament in its present form. The Bill caps private, personal home possession of cannabis at 600g a person, or 1.2kg of dried cannabis per household. Trading in the plant carries a potential jail term of 15 years. The Bill will be tabled in Parliament during the next session and was drafted in response to a Constitutional Court judgment that upheld the right to personal, private possession and cultivation of cannabis. (See also: New bill not all that dope, say activists)

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)

A major study into the effects of cannabis on the human brain is at risk of being partially thwarted because too few black users have agreed to take part. White people have come forward in large numbers offering to get involved in King’s College London’s £2.5m study of how the drug may contribute to paranoia and psychosis in some users but not others. It is hoped the project will pave the way for wider medicinal use and make illegal recreational use safer. However attempts to recruit black and Asian people who smoke, vape or eat marijuana have been met with suspicion over how data about illegal drug use will be used and distrust of the establishment.

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.