La Commission des stupéfiants des Nations unies (CND) a approuvé le reclassement du cannabis hors de la catégorie des drogues les plus dangereuses. Le Maroc a fait partie des 27 pays ayant voté pour. Coordinateur du Collectif marocain pour l’usage thérapeutique et industriel du kif, Chakib Al Khayari, estime que le vote du Maroc doit être replacé dans son contexte national. Il rappelle que «l’arsenal juridique marocain est déjà doté d’un texte de loi, qui permet de cultiver le cannabis à des fins scientifiques, avec une permission du ministère de la Santé». Il souligne ainsi que même si le royaume a rapidement fait partie des signataires de la Convention unique des Nations unies sur les stupéfiants, «nous ne sommes pas dans une prohibition totale de l’exploitation de cette herbe».

The contrast between the vibrant green of a cannabis field and the arid land nearby in Lebanon's Bekaa valley has for years raised a dilemma for the area's impoverished farmers. Cannabis is hardier, less thirsty and cheaper to grow than the region's other main crops like apples and potatoes, but it is also illegal - for now. Parliament will consider legalising its growth for medicinal use, but in the Bekaa, some people are unconvinced there will be a meaningful change. "It is like giving a dog a bone because people are hungry and can't bear it any more," said a cannabis farmer. "But whether they legalize it or not, the most important thing is to give an amnesty," he said. Farmers face prison terms of five years. (See also: How good is Lebanese cannabis? Scientists seek herbal remedies)

The Lebanese parliament passed legislation to legalize cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial purposes, a move that was recommended by economic advisers even before the coronavirus pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the struggling economy. Under the new law, the cultivation of cannabis by farmers would be regulated within the country. Although the plant has long been widely and openly cultivated in Lebanon, particularly in the eastern Bekaa Valley, growing cannabis was strictly illegal. The new law would not legalize for recreational use. Instead, it would allow for the plant to be grown for export for medicinal and industrial purposes. (See also: Eyeing a $1 billion market, Lebanon's elites are looking to exploit cannabis cultivation, cutting small-scale farmers out of the deal)

Lebanon's parliament is set to vote on a law that would legalise the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial use in an effort to boost its crippled economy and curb illicit production of the psychoactive plant. The draft law, which has been endorsed by parliamentary committees and is now headed for a final vote, would only affect cannabis that contains less than one percent of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabidinol, or THC. Lebanon has cultivated the plant for at least 100 years and produces large amounts of hashish. Though illegal to produce, sell or use, it is widely available locally and is also illegally exported. Instead of dealing with that market, this bill would seek to create a new one involving types of cannabis plants that have not traditionally been cultivated in Lebanon.

The Bekaa Valley in Lebanon is notorious as one of the world's major cannabis-growing regions, producing some of the finest hashish. The country is the third biggest world producer after Morocco and Afghanistan, according to the UN. But the valley's residents have rarely felt the benefits. Now they are hoping their work will become legal after decades of crackdowns and raids. A draft bill has been introduced that would allow cultivation and use of cannabis for medical purposes. The idea has fueled dreams of Lebanon raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and exports, a desperately needed source of income for a country with low growth, high unemployment and one of the world's heaviest debt burdens. (See also: Cannabis in Lebanon: Production may be legal by the end of the year)

For three decades Abu Ali planted potatoes to provide for his family, but Lebanon's economic crisis has driven up production costs and forced him to swap the crop for cannabis. "It's not for the love of hashish," the 57-year-old told AFP in the eastern Baalbek region, the heart of Lebanon's illicit cannabis industry. "It's just less expensive than other crops... and allows you to live with dignity." Lebanon is in the throes of a spiralling economic crisis compounded by the coronavirus pandemic. As the value of the local currency plunges on the black market, the cost of imported fuel, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides priced in dollars has skyrocketed. More and more small farmers, who were already in dire straits before the crisis, are deciding to grow cannabis instead.

Lebanon is scrabbling to escape an existential, multilayered crisis that has gutted the currrency to less than a quarter of its previous value, brought the specter of shortages to a place renowned for its excess and spurred a full-scale rejection of the country’s ruling order. Lebanon is broke. It produces very little, relying on imports for almost everything, and dollars are scarce. In its desperate drive for foreign currency, it’s trying to develop homegrown industries, including taking advantage of what is its most famous export: Lebanese hash. The country is responsible for 6% of the global cannabis supply, making it the world’s third-largest exporter of the stuff, according to a report last year by the U.N.’s Office on Drugs and Crime — this, despite the fact that cannabis had until recently been illegal.

Lebanon is about to take a historic step for the Arab World with a proposed bill to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical use. But in the fertile Bekaa valley in Eastern Lebanon, where communities have been growing cannabis for generations, this news has not gone down well. VICE’s Rony Karkar finds out why Lebanon is so keen to legalize cannabis, and travels to the village of Yammouneh, where one of the main cannabis farming communities live, to find out why they think they’ll lose out if their livelihood becomes legal.

As Jamaica continues to promote medicinal cannabis to attract investors and spur the industry's development, entrepreneurs face significant hurdles due to the fact that, while their businesses are legal, they are still not able to access the country's banking services. This creates substantial challenges from sourcing investors to securing credit, conducting commercial operations, operating efficiently and taking advantage of growth opportunities. The current status quo stems from the fact that in the United States cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, even though there are states in which it is legal. As a result, the banking system is hesitant to engage with cannabis companies because banks would likely find themselves at odds with federal law if they do so.

La Chambre des représentants a adopté le 26 mai au soir le projet de loi relatif à l’usage thérapeutique et industriel du cannabis par une majorité confortable, mais inhabituelle. Les groupes parlementaires ont tous présenté des arguments en faveur d’une légalisation de la plante. Tous sauf le PJD, paradoxalement à la tête de la majorité gouvernementale. Le projet de loi adopté devra être soumis à la Chambre des conseillers dans les tout prochains jours. Le Parlement promulguera le texte une fois qu’il sera adopté en Commission, puis en session plénière de la Chambre haute. (Lire aussi: Légalisation du cannabis : dernière ligne droite, des amendements vains et un PJD plus hostile que jamais)

Draft legislation for the legalisation of cannabis is to be put out for public consultation in Bermuda, the Attorney-General said. Kathy Lynn Simmons unveiled proposals for medical and recreational cannabis use in the Senate last December and the views of the public were also canvassed. But Ms Simmons said the original plans were seen to be “not going far enough” and “too complicated to be effective”. She added that the Government had amended the legislation to meet public expectations of “further decriminalisation of cannabis, to the greatest extent possible, via a regulated framework”. Ms Simmons said attitudes to the drug had evolved and that there was a recognition of the need for new industries. (See also: Bermuda government releases marijuana legalization bill for public feedback)

Legalizing medical marijuana causes no increase in crime, according to a new study. In fact, legalized medical pot may reduce some violent crime, including homicide, University of Texas at Dallas researchers wrote in a journal article published this week. The study appears to settle concerns, simmering since the first states approved medical marijuana nearly two decades ago, that legalization would lead to more crime.

A company in Lesotho has become the first in Africa to receive a licence to sell medical cannabis to the EU. The country’s top medical cannabis producer, MG Health, announced it had met the EU’s good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards, allowing it to export cannabis flower, oil and extracts as an active pharmaceutical ingredient. It will export its first batch to Germany later this year. The GMP guidelines are the minimum requirements a manufacturer or producer must meet to ensure products are safe and of a consistent high quality. They are used to control the licensing for sale of food and pharmaceutical and medical products. (See also: A Lesotho dagga grower just landed Africa’s first approval to sell to the EU)

Dr. Lester Grinspoon, a Harvard psychiatry professor who became a leading proponent of legalizing marijuana after his research found it was less toxic or addictive than alcohol or tobacco, died on June 25 at his home in Newton, Mass. He was 92. He concluded that marijuana was a relatively safe intoxicant that should be regulated like alcohol. The real danger, he said, was criminalizing its users. After previewing his findings in an article in Scientific American in 1969, Dr. Grinspoon wrote “Marihuana Reconsidered.” It was published in 1971. “The greatest potential for social harm lies in the scarring of so many young people and the reactive, institutional damages that are direct products of present marihuana laws,” Dr. Grinspoon wrote.

Los artículos de la ley establecen que aquellas personas que precisen del autocultivo del cannabis deberán indefectiblemente contar con un certificado médico visado por el MSP que avale que el paciente sufre alguna dolencia tratable con el aceite de cannabis. El proyecto fue aprobado por Senadores y pasa a Diputados para su tratamiento. Los artículos del proyecto establecen que aquellas personas que precisen del autocultivo del cannabis deberán indefectiblemente contar con un certificado médico que deberá estar visado por el Ministerio de Salud Pública, el cual certificará que el paciente padece alguna dolencia tratable con el aceite de cannabis. (Véase también: Cannabis medicinal: licencia para producción e industrialización ya está reglamentada)

La ley para el uso medicinal del cannabis se aprobó por unanimidad el 29 de marzo de 2017. En septiembre de ese mismo año se reglamentó de forma parcial, y el Estado designó la investigación y la producción sólo para personas diagnosticadas con epilepsia refractaria, aunque también se utiliza para tratar otras patologías y enfermedades. Casi dos años y medio después de aprobada la ley, especialistas aseguran que "no hay voluntad política", que quienes cultivan son criminalizados y quien quiere comprar no tiene opciones producidas, reguladas y controladas por las entidades públicas. "Queremos que quien decida cultivar pueda hacerlo sin ser criminalizado", dijo Valeria Salech, presidenta de Mamá Cultiva Argentina.

St Vincent’s Medicinal Marijuana industry is a go. Over 30 licences have been approved by the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) for the cultivation, development and export of medicinal marijuana products. The MCA has approved licences for eight local farmers’ producer cooperatives with an aggregated membership of over 100 traditional cultivators; traditional cultivators of cannabis who applied individually; three non-traditional local farmers; and 10 companies with the directorship of nationals from the OECS, CARICOM, North America, Europe and Africa. MCA said based on the applications under review it projects that by September an additional 200 traditional cultivators will obtain cultivation licences. (See also: Vincy ‘high’ | Acres Agricultural Canada receives 300-acre cannabis license)

The Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) has established interim measures to facilitate online sales by licensed retail herb houses to registered patients in keeping with the Government's initiatives to practise safety while ensuring business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CLA said the measures for the online sale and subsequent pick up of the ganja at licensed retail facilities, were established in consultation with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries. In a separate move last week, CLA also established interim regulations for the import and export of cannabis products, while a Canadian company pulled out of expansion plans in Jamaica's cannabis industry.

La Asociación de Desarrollo Comunitario de Agüerito y la empresa Granja Madre establecieron un convenio de cooperación para desarrollar el cultivo de cannabis con fines medicinales. El aceite cannábico será presentado bajo la marca “Kokuesero”. El objetivo es desarrollar el aceite cannábico artesanal e iniciar la venta a nivel nacional. El convenio establece el relacionamiento entre las partes donde resalta la asistencia técnica, canal de comercialización y entrega de semillas por parte de la firma Granja Madre.</p><p>Representes de las siete bases que integran las comunidades de Agüerito y Tava Guaraní estuvieron presentes. El proyecto cuenta con un fuerte respaldo de productores campesinos que pretenden contar con un rubro de cultivo alternativo.

En julio de 2016 el gobierno colombiano expidió la ley 1787 que regula el uso y la comercialización del cannabis medicinal en el país. Con esta decisión y una serie de resoluciones subsiguientes, Colombia se sumó a más de una decena de países que han puesto en práctica distintos tipos de reglamentación para explorar las ventajas de esta planta como alternativa farmacéutica. A pesar de que la legislación contempla que el 10 por ciento de la producción debe provenir de pequeños y medianos cultivadores, la realidad es que el negocio ha sido mayoritariamente acaparado por los grandes capitales locales y extranjeros.

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