Cannabis is a heavily criminalised plant in Nigeria. It can get its growers, traders and users long prison sentences. The National Drug Law Enforcement Act prescribes an imprisonment of not less than 15 years for possession and use of cannabis. Yet its very illegality ensures high prices and makes it lucrative to grow. This research project is one of the few to explore the inside views of illicit cannabis farmers and traders in Africa. These insider views challenge the dominant story that the illicit cultivation and trade of cannabis is unproductive or driven by organised criminals. The main findings show that livelihoods are not only made from legal crops. In fact, it is illicit cannabis, with its illegality premium, that made a difference to our interviewees’ lives in Nigeria.

Since the Thai government legalised cannabis on June 9, 2022 by removing the plant from the list of prohibited narcotics, the tourism sector was expected to reap a windfall as Thailand was the first country in Asia to allow hemp consumption for certain purposes, other than recreational use. A month after decriminalisation, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) published rules and regulations concerning cannabis and hemp use in the country in a bid to inform and warn tourists about prohibitions against smoking in public. The bid followed a number of reports about foreign tourists who possessed or consumed cannabis without knowing they could face harsh punishment.

Der Cannabiskonsum spaltet die Schweizer Politik. Die Sozialkommission des Nationalrats hat den Vorschlag des Bundesrats zu einer vorsichtigen Öffnung knapp abgelehnt. Der Bundesrat will wissenschaftliche Pilotversuche für den legalen Cannabiskonsum zu Genusszwecken unter Bedingungen zulassen. Im neuen Nationalrat, der diesen Dezember erstmals tagt, dürften die Regierungsvorlage und auch weitergehende Reformen durchaus Chancen haben. im Vorfeld der Parlamentswahlen hatten sich 86 von 189 Nationalratskandidaten klar für eine Legalisierung des Cannabiskonsums ausgesprochen, weitere 28 sagten «eher Ja». Eine Garantie für eine künftige Mehrheit ist dies allerdings nicht.

The reform enacted by the Maltese government in 2021 Act No. LXVI to establish the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis and to amend various laws relating to certain cannabis activities, included strong provisions to safeguard public health, human rights, respect for personal freedoms and autonomy. Nonetheless, parts of the new law in Malta, including the de facto implementation of the law, continue to reflect discriminatory practices of the past and replicates injustices and suffering for people who consume cannabis. Unfortunately, the law has totally ignored the negative effects caused by criminalisation and continues to promote a stigmatised approach. (See also: Cannabis lobby slams 'regressive' Labour manifesto)

Cannabis legalisation lobby group ReLeaf has expressed concern at 'reservations' by President George Vella on extending legal use of the drug beyond medical care. President Vella said that “as a doctor and a father” he had reservations about how wise it would be to extend the legal use of cannabis beyond medical care. Speaking at a conference on drugs and mental health, Dr Vella said he preferred to rely on the advice of experts in such matters. In a statement, Releaf expressed concern that there continued to be "poor understanding of why and how a legalised and regulated market could operate." The scope of a legalised and regulated market, the group said, would be to address the very basic of concerns surrounding cannabis and cannabis use.

Under proposed cannabis legalisation in Malta, non-profit associations can grow cannabis to distribute among their members, Equality Minister Owen Bonnici said. The minister also said that people would be allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants at one residence. Bonnici made the announcement during a press conference. He insisted that the reforms were not to "incentivise cannabis culture or cannabis consumption" but to reduce the harm of drug rings. The regulation of cannabis clubs plugs a gap in the original proposal floated by the government earlier this year. A White Paper on Strengthening the Legal Framework on the Responsible Use of Cannabis was launched on 30 March 2021.

To accompany Bill 13-21, a coordination of cannabis growers and the descendants of farmers met with the parties represented in the Lower House to present a memorandum. It calls for authorizing the recreational use of this plant, establishing a general amnesty, defining a reference price and granting more roles to cooperatives. Mohammed Kharchiche, a member of the coordination, referred to the question of cooperatives. «The role of these has been reduced in the bill, acting only on collection and distribution of the harvest for companies which creates a sort of monopoly». The coordination considers that «cooperatives must also have the right to proceed with the transformation of the product and its valuation, so that they can really participate in local development».

A bill to legalize cannabis use in Israel was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, passing its first hurdle on the way to becoming law. The legislation will decriminalize the possession of up to 50 grams of marijuana while fully legalizing the possession and consumption of up to 15 grams by individuals above the age of 21. If the bill becomes law, selling and purchasing marijuana for personal use will be legal for those above 21 and authorized shops will be allowed to sell cannabis product, through growing marijuana at home will still be illegal. The legislation also outlined medical cannabis reform. (See also: Cannabis legalization bills pass early readings; ultra-Orthodox MKs walk out) | Israeli lawmakers give preliminary approval for cannabis decriminalization)

Canada’s federal government is currently working to pass a bill that would provide pardons for people convicted of minor cannabis possession. With a federal election around the corner, it may be too little, too late. As a result of mounting pressure, Canada’s federal government is now struggling to pass this bill before politicians leave the capital for the summer break. If the bill does not pass, it is unlikely to do so before a national election this fall, leaving tens of thousands of lives hanging in the balance. What Canadian legalization lacks are the important measures needed to repair the damage caused by almost a century of prohibition.

According to Jalal Mahfouz, head of the Planning and Development Center in Hermel (Lebanon), any move to legalize the illegal industry, which is believed to be worth millions of dollars, would backfire by reducing prices and demand. He argued that hashish was currently expensive because it was illegal, and that if that changed the plant’s value would plummet. He also cast doubt on the idea that the government would be able to enforce any such law – even if supportive of the industry – given its near total absence from the remote area. (Text version)

It will be legal to grow and sell cannabis in Bermuda – if controversial legislation passed in the House of Assembly gets Royal Assent from the Governor. The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 would create a regulated framework for growth and sale of the drug. A series of licences would be available through a licensing authority, which will allow people to not only possess more, but also to grow, harvest, sell, and export it. The Bill was introduced by Walter Roban, the minister for home affairs, who was standing in for Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Attorney-General. Mr Roban, in a repeat of the speech that Ms Simmons delivered in the House a year ago, said that the illegality of cannabis was “an unjust colonial legacy” and evidence of “systemic racialised disparities” where Black people were criminalised by a White oligarchy.

C’est la question qui brûle toutes les lèvres depuis l’annonce du projet de loi 13-21 : quelles seront, pour le Maroc, les retombées économiques de la légalisation de l’usage médical, thérapeutique et industriel du cannabis? A priori, la panacée. Du moins si l’on se fie à l’étude de faisabilité du ministère de l’Intérieur. De là à se demander s’il existe des possibilités d’ouverture pour le Maroc ? “Il pourrait y avoir un marché, mais il ne se crée pas facilement”, avance Tom Blickman. Ce dernier insiste sur le marché émergent du cannabis récréatif légal, “une solution pour réduire les trafics”. “Là ou d’autres pays ont légalisé le marché récréatif, comme le Canada, pourquoi ne pas produire pour ce marché?, suggère-t-il.

Tres años y algunos meses después de la sanción de la ley que permite el uso medicinal de la marihuana en Argentina, los usuarios que hasta ahora debían moverse en la sombra de la clandestinidad a riesgo de ir presos recibirán la noticia que tanto esperaban: el Gobierno permitirá finalmente que los usuarios terapéuticos puedan cultivar en sus hogares la planta de cannabis, además de habilitar su expendio en farmacias y proyectar cultivos y producción pública. El ministro de Salud presentó el borrador de la nueva reglamentación de la ley, que contemplará la mayoría de los pedidos de los usuarios y anulará la redactada por la administración del gobierno anterior, que había sido muy criticada por no resolver la demanda de los pacientes.

A leading drugs policy expert believes members of Malta’s planned cannabis associations should be allowed to consume cannabis on site rather than being restricted to only doing so at home. “It was an issue that came up in several of our meetings these past two days, and the social role of associations should be promoted as going beyond a place where members get cannabis to take home,” said Martin Jelsma, Programme Director for Drugs and Democracy at the Netherlands-based Transnational Institute. As it stands, the law will not allow members to smoke cannabis on the premises of planned cannabis associations. Jelsma also had strong words of criticism for Maltese authorities' handling of CBD cannabis flow, branding it "absurd".

European countries that are widening their cannabis policies should invest in monitoring and evaluation to understand the impact on public health and safety, according to the European Drug Report for 2023 issued by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA). Cannabis remained the most commonly used drug in Europe in 2021, with around eight per cent (22.6 million) of adults estimated to have used cannabis “in the last year”. Malta legislated for home growing and use in private, alongside non-profit communal growing clubs, for recreational purposes. Germany and Luxembourg are planning to permit home growing. The Netherlands is piloting a model for a closed cannabis supply chain for cannabis coffee shops and Czechia has announced plans for a regulated and taxed distribution system.

Just quietly, from Friday week onwards, if you're in the ACT and you want to smoke cannabis in the privacy of your own home it will be completely legal. You'll also be able have up to 50 grams of weed sitting on your coffee table without any concerns. And if you want to turn your mind to growing a few plants in your own backyard that's okay as well. That's because as of 31 January, the personal possession and use of cannabis in the capital territory will be legal under local laws. And residents will be allowed to cultivate up to two plants. However, selling your product or even giving it away will remain illegal. In September 2018, Labor MLA Michael Pettersson introduced his cannabis legalisation private member's bill, which has turned the tide against the nationwide outlawing of the plant.

Wholesale cannabis prices could hit as low as $30 an ounce in some parts of the U.S. as another record crop of outdoor cannabis floods markets and sinks prices. The legal recreational market in Oregon continues to drown in a multi-year surplus. Oregon produced 10 times the cannabis it needs each year, and approximately 825,000 pounds of unsold dried wholesale flower now sits in the state’s tracking system, says Jonathan Rubin, CEO of Cannabis Benchmarks, which tracks wholesale prices. The trends point to what many people expected: a segmentation of the flower market into commodity products and, importantly, premium craft products that consumers will pay top dollar for at retail.

Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth said it is closing its flagship cultivation facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario, and cutting more than a third of its workforce as part of a shift to an “asset-light model” in Canada. Canopy disclosed the new strategy as it reported a net loss of 267 million Canadian dollars ($200 million) for its fiscal third quarter, bringing the struggling company’s red ink in the first three quarters of the year to CA$2.6 billion. Canopy said it is cutting its workforce by approximately 35%. The layoffs come as cannabis companies across North America have been shedding hundreds of jobs and closing facilities because of failing business plans, falling wholesale prices and recession worries.

In New Zealand, cannabis is classified as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. Its possession, use and supply are subject variously to penalties ranging in severity from fines to many years of imprisonment. The Helen Clark Foundation released a report which sets out the case for legalising and regulating cannabis. New Zealanders have the opportunity to vote for that in a referendum next year. Evidence from longitudinal studies carried out in New Zealand indicates that by the age of 25, 80% of New Zealanders will have tried cannabis at least once. The time has come to face up to the widespread use and supply of cannabis in the country and to legalise it and regulate it accordingly, writes Helen Clark, a former prime minister of New Zealand and member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

El cannabis de uso recreativo está a un paso de ser aprobado en el Congreso de Colombia, al quedarle un solo debate en la plenaria del Senado donde podría aprobarse la próxima semana el proyecto que permite el uso adulto recreacional. Este martes, la Comisión Primera del Senado aprobó con 15 votos a favor y 4 en contra en séptimo debate este acto legislativo, que al ser una reforma constitucional -porque en 2009 se modificó la Constitución para añadir la prohibición expresa de las drogas- necesita ocho debates. Una vez aprobado dará vía libre a la aprobación de la regulación para la venta libre de cannabis en el país. (Véase también: Senado aprueba en penúltimo debate la regulación del cannabis de uso adulto)