the Block of EsquerdaPortugal’s left-wing democratic socialist party, presented a new bill to the Assembly last week proposing the legalization of cannabis for personal use.

The proposal calls for the state to regulate the establishment of commercial establishments, the sale of cannabis online, and the home cultivation of up to five plants per person.

The new proposals

This new bill is different from previous attempts at legalization. Indeed, the Left Bloc dropped an article that proposed banning edibles and drinks containing cannabis.

“The sale of cannabis enriched with aromas, flavors or additives” would remain prohibited, as would the sale of synthetic cannabis. The state would also have the ability to limit THC levels.

“The State must regulate the entire cultivation, production and distribution circuit, being able to determine a maximum limit of THC, as well as the consumer price, in order to combat trafficking and the illegal market “, can we read in the project.

The proposal also suggests that “the retail sale of cannabis plants, substances or preparations intended for personal consumption without medical prescription and provided that they are intended for purposes other than medical, is subject to the authorization of the Directorate general economic activities.

Pedro Filipe Soares, MP for the Left Bloc, stressed that legalization is a way to “combat the black market”, “manipulated substances” and “uninformed consumption”.

He also argues that Portugal must accompany countries that have already legalized cannabis for personal use, such as Malta, and those that are debating it, such as Germany, where the legalization of cannabis is one of the key points of the coalition agreement established between the SPD and the Greens.

In the introduction to the new project, the Left Bloc emphasizes that “the prohibitionist policy is not a solution, in fact, it is an integral part of the problem and promotes its aggravation, protecting the clandestineness of trafficking and endangering health public”.

Specialty retail stores and seeds in agricultural stores

In the explanatory memorandum to the document, it is emphasized that: “Legalizing cannabis for personal use – more commonly known as recreational use – is to fight against trafficking networks and it is to fight against organized crime networks which are often financed by the trafficking of substances such as cannabis. »

Cannabis sales establishments must have, “solely as an activity, the sale of cannabis plants, substances or preparations”, with the exception of “commercial establishments whose main activity is the sale of equipment, machinery and agricultural or similar plants, where the trade in cannabis seeds is permitted”.

The previous Left Bloc project was presented about a year ago but expired with the change of government.

Law enforcement officers are on the front lines of drug policy: not only are they responsible for enforcing drug laws, but they also have to deal with the problems associated with drug use. substances, prohibition and drug-related crime.

Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) Europe, law enforcement NGOs advocating for drug law reform, will convene two panels in Amsterdam on June 20 that will address drug law enforcement issues from a international.

During this event, law enforcement officers from the Netherlands and abroad will speak about what is missing today to control the chain of illegal drugs.

The event can be followed live:

• On site at OBA Oosterdok, Amsterdam, 6th floor. With a €5.61 ticket (available here), which also entitles you to a free drink voucher for the after event
• Online, for free. The link will be provided later

The event will bring together 2 panels:

• Panel 1
  • Neil Woods, former English police officer, board member of LEAP US, chairman of LEAP UK and LEAP Europe
  • Suzanne Sharkey, former undercover drugs officer in the UK, member of LEAP UK and treasurer of LEAP Europe
  • Marco Antonio Jiménez Bernal, inspector in service of the Mossos d’Esquadra and graduate in Criminology from the University of Barcelona and the International University of La Rioja
  • Anne-Marie Cockburn, founding member of Anyone’s Child: Families for Safer Drug Control
  • This panel will be moderated by Jane Slater, Deputy CEO of Transform Drug Policy Foundation and Campaign Director of Anyone’s Child

• Panel 2
  • Hans v Duijn, 10 years in the police forces of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, former president of the Dutch police union Nederlandse Politiebond, and former adviser to the Minister of Home Affairs
  • Bob Hoogenboom, former trainer at the Police Academy, professor at Nyenrode Business universiteit, visiting professor at the London School of Economics, and professor of police at the Free University of Amsterdam
  • Alex van der Plas, head of railway safety, former Change manager team ondermijning at the National Police

The Luxembourg government approved last Friday the bill aimed at changing the legislation on cannabis in the Grand Duchy. This will allow adults to grow up to 4 cannabis plants at home, “exclusively from seeds”, and to consume in the private sphere.

The text must now be adopted by the Chamber of Deputies before it can legally pop its first seeds.

Consumption on public roads will remain prohibited and a decriminalization of 3 grams should be recorded and will be liable to a fine of €145. Beyond 3 grams, possession of cannabis will always be subject to criminal penalties.

“It must be noted that the repressive drug policy, conducted for 40 or 50 years, is a failure”, underlined the end of October the Minister of Justice, Sam Tanson.

The Luxembourg government first announced full legalization of cannabis. The coronavirus pandemic and a number of border pressures have, however, come “to curb this enterprise approached with great enthusiasm. However, slowing down does not mean giving up. The project remains on the agenda,” confirms the Minister.

With the German neighbor which will present its legalization project by the end of the year, Luxembourg will no longer find itself alone in defending legalization.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will become the first Australian jurisdiction to decriminalize small amounts of drugs.

Under a bill the government has just approved, those found in possession of amounts deemed to be “personal possession” – the final amounts yet to be defined – would be subject to fines rather than criminal prosecution. .

The move follows recommendations from a Legislative Assembly inquiry into the proposal, which was tabled last year. The government said on Thursday it would support the bill but would make several changes to it, including clarifying the size of the proposed “personal” doses to 2 grams for heroin and cocaine or 0.5 grams for MDMA.

The ACT was also the first – and remains the only – Australian state or territory to legalize the personal use of cannabis.

Drug use is a ‘health issue’, not a criminal matter

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the ACT is leading the country in demonstrating that decriminalization is a better way to protect community wellbeing.

She said the government continues to view illicit drugs as harmful and will work to eradicate their supply.

However, he acknowledged that “the harm associated with drug use is a health issue” and that treating drug use as a criminal matter does not help drug addicts.

“It’s damaging to the individual and it doesn’t contribute to community safety,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.

“We know from research and evidence around the world that criminalizing drug users does not reduce drug use, and that treating drug addiction as a health issue improves outcomes for everyone. people in the community. »

“This legislation is part of our policies developed in partnership with experts, people with lived experience to help those who need it most get the help and services they need when they need them. »

The Spanish government is due to take the final vote on proposals to legalize medical cannabis within three weeks.

If this proposal is approved and implemented, it could lead to a major change in what industry insiders have called a “paradox” in Spanish regulations. Like the UK in its day, Spanish cannabis companies can grow cannabis for medical purposes with a government license, but cannot sell or distribute it in their home market.

It could also potentially launch one of the largest medical cannabis markets in Europe, with Spain being the 6th most populous country on the continent with clear public demand and support for medical cannabis, with 90% of Spaniards polled in favor to medical cannabis.

While the proposals have been hailed as a positive step forward, and are expected to have broad support across government, a source told BusinessCann they are still “small steps” towards a fully-fledged market. .

What’s going on in Spain?

On May 13, 2021, the Spanish Congressional committee voted in favor of proposals to establish a new subcommittee that would investigate regulated medical cannabis markets in other countries.

The official objectives of the subcommittee are to analyze the experiences of other countries and governments that have implemented medical cannabis access programs.

It would then be tasked with producing a report containing a proposed framework for a regulated medical cannabis framework in Spain, which would be submitted to the Health and Consumer Commission for evaluation, before being submitted to the Spanish Congress for review. more in-depth.

These proposals have now been submitted, and each political group has a period of 10 days to make its own assessment and then submit its own amendments and proposals.

The final text must then be debated and voted on by the subcommittee on June 23. It will then be voted on during a plenary session of the Congress on June 30.

The government will ultimately decide whether to move forward with the proposals, continue to gather information and debate the proposals, or abandon the plans altogether.

A Spanish cannabis company told BusinessCann that “it’s not as if on June 30 we’re going to vote to legalize medical cannabis, but rather as the first steps to allow them to draft a kind of framework based on the results of the conclusions of the sub-committee”.

According to the Spanish newspaper El Espanolthe goal is for the proposals to reach the lower house as a bill after the summer.

Are the proposals supported?

At the end of May, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) flip-flopped on its position on medical cannabis and came out in favor of the proposals.

Daniel Viondi, member of the PSOE, said: “We are committed to a regulatory framework for medical cannabis. It will be inexorable that it happens. It is essential that it exists with the maximum possible consensus. »

The party’s backing for the proposals came six months after it joined the conservative People’s Party (PP) and Vox in knocking down a cannabis regulation bill that reached Congress in November 2021.

While the PSEO’s backing was hailed as a “step forward” by the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which proposed the formation of the subcommittee in the first place, its own proposals for how the country’s framework should look like have met some resistance.

The president of the Spanish Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis (OECM), Carola Pérez, told The Voice of Galicia that she was disappointed with their proposals to regulate medical cannabis, calling them “insufficient”.

She is particularly concerned about calls to limit dispensaries to hospital pharmacies, arguing that preventing access to Spain’s 22,000 local pharmacies would force patients to turn to Spain’s growing black market.

They also suggest that only health professionals in the national health system will be able to prescribe, meaning that the private health market will be squeezed out.

It is also understood that the PSEO proposals only address the use of oils and extracts, not addressing the use of flowers and vaporizers which many patients rely on for a more immediate effect.

Although the proposals are meeting with some resistance from some members, there is general support for the rollout of medical cannabis.

A source said: “Generally the feeling we have is that the majority of the government is in favor of a step towards legalisation. It is likely that we will move forward. The big question is what it’s going to look like, and I don’t think it’s clear from what I’ve seen. »

“I think a lot of details still need to be discussed and clarified. In that sense, I think it’s more likely than not that we’ll see something in the short term in Spain. The question is what will it look like? »

More than 4,000 inmates charged or convicted of cannabis-related offenses will be released today as the law removing cannabis and hemp from the list of narcotics comes into effect.

Starting today, all parts of cannabis and hemp plants, except extracts containing more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), will no longer be listed as narcotics.

The regulations effectively absolve anyone who produced, imported, exported, possessed, sold or consumed cannabis before June 9. They are no longer considered delinquents or convicts within the meaning of the law. People who were serving sentences for cannabis-related offenses will be released from prison.

Mr Thawatchai, spokesman for the Department of Corrections, added that suspects held for questioning on cannabis-related charges will also be released and their cases dropped.

People with criminal records after being convicted of such charges will also have their records removed from the criminal database.

Is cannabis therefore legal in Thailand?

Cannabis is not legal in Thailand. Public use of cannabis can still lead to arrests and fines, even if it becomes one of the lowest priorities for the Thai police with this decriminalization.

The very status of cannabis is still in legal limbo because, although it is no longer considered a dangerous drug, Thai lawmakers have yet to pass legislation to regulate its commercial production and sale.

Thais can, however, grow their own plants without fear of arrest or jail time. All they need to do is upload their project details to the Department of Health website or an app developed by the Food and Drug Administration.

The next step in the process of regulating cannabis should be the approval of its recreational use, even if it is already facilitated.

Although it may take a few more years to take the plunge, with the Thai government focusing on its medical use, proponents of legalization have proposed the creation of several demarcated areas where recreational use would be allowed.

Such a device could boost tourism in Thailand, and Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui have been suggested as possible locations.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is pausing assessments of CBD as a Novel Food “due to data gaps and uncertainties about potential harms”.

Following the classification of CBD as a Novel Food by the European Commission in 2019, which member states are free to follow or not, EFSA was commissioned to give the “Novel Food” stamp to CBD extracts from companies that would request.

A long, tedious and expensive file if ever there was one, EFSA has so far received 19 applications for registration of CBD extracts as novel foods, 5 of which have recently been validated by the European Commission, a preliminary phase to a review by EFSA.

Last February, the latter was to deliver its scientific opinion “within nine months from the date of receipt, noting however that extensions are possible if additional data are requested”.

So what happened. Professor Dominique Turck, chair of the Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) panel, explains: “We have identified several dangers associated with the consumption of CBD and determined that the many data gaps on these health effects need to be filled. before these assessments can move forward. It is important to emphasize at this point that we have not concluded that CBD is unsafe as a food. »

According to the EFSA, there is therefore insufficient data on the effects of CBD on the liver, the gastrointestinal tract, the endocrine system, the nervous system and on the psychological well-being of people.

Companies that have filed Novel Food dossiers for their CBD extract will therefore have to provide additional evidence of safety before the EFSA resumes the study of their dossiers.

Ana Afonso, Head of Nutrition and Food Innovation at EFSA, said: “It is not unusual to stop the assessment of a new food when information is lacking. Applicants are responsible for filling data gaps. We engage with them to explain how additional information can be provided to help remove uncertainties. »

No deadline has been announced for the resumption of Novel Food validations but we bet it will take a few more years.

The war in Ukraine could have put off the medical cannabis legalization project tabled in June 2021. However, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health announced yesterday that the Ukrainian government supports the legalization of medical cannabis and expects the Rada, the parliament unicameral of the country, that she pass the bill.

“The government supports the draft law regulating the movement of plants of the genus Cannabis for medical, industrial and scientific purposes, and the creation of conditions for the widening of patients’ access to the necessary treatment of cancer and diseases. war-induced post-traumatic stress disorder,” wrote Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health, on his Facebook page.

“We understand the negative effect of war on mental health. We understand the number of people who will need medical treatment for this effect,” Lyashko writes.

“And we understand that there is no time to waste. So we have already prepared a legal basis to ensure the full cycle of cannabis medicine production in Ukraine: from cultivation and processing to full production. »

The bill, which failed to pass last July, provides for the establishment of strict control over the cultivation, production and sale of cannabis-based medicines, including:

• the establishment of licenses for the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes
• the authorization to cultivate varieties of plants of the genus Cannabis for medical, industrial purposes, in scientific and scientific and technical activities
• the traceability of the circulation of varieties of plants of the genus Cannabis for medicinal purposes, products of their transformation or manufactured drugs
• remove CBD and industrial hemp from controlled substances
• facilitate the import of cannabis by temporarily removing import quotas

The draft generally allows the use of cannabis for medical purposes, but only on the basis of the following restrictions:

• the use of cannabis in medical practice will only be permitted in the form of cannabis-based medicines
• these drugs will only be available to patients on an electronic prescription basis
• additional traceability requirements will apply to these medicines, including the specific marking of each batch and unit of packaged products with a unique code
• patients will only be allowed to store cannabis medicine in the amount specified in the prescription

L’International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) returns to Berlin, Germany on July 19-20, 2022.

Offering plenty of industry networking opportunities, ICBC Berlin is Europe’s largest B2B cannabis trade event. The conference will once again feature a unique blend of cannabis policy, advocacy, industry and networking.

“We are particularly excited to hold this year’s conference in Berlin, given the favorable political climate for cannabis legalization. It will be particularly interesting for our team to provide attendees with insight into the cannabis industry and politics, as well as networking and entertainment, at such a crucial time for the emerging cannabis industry in Europe,” says Alex Rogers, founder of ICBC.

In addition to the Berlin B2B event, ICBC will also offer a Global Investment Forum (GIF, Global Investment Forum) for one day on July 18, 2022. The Global Investment Forum ICBC Berlin will feature hand-picked cannabis companies who will participate in a pitch session in front of leading investors on ICBC’s main stage. This is a great opportunity for companies in the emerging cannabis sector to showcase their products/services in front of seasoned industry investors.

Germany, home to the largest economy in the European Union, is on its way to becoming the European capital of the cannabis industry. The cannabis industry is changing rapidly in Germany, with the country’s medical cannabis program growing every day.

The cannabis industry opportunities emerging in Germany and on the European continent have enormous potential, and the Global Investment Forum is the perfect place for entrepreneurs looking for capital to take the next step. It is also a unique opportunity for investors to learn more about investment opportunities and for industry service providers to find reliable and high-end clients.

“We know how difficult it is for investors to connect with serious companies in the cannabis industry that offer attractive investment opportunities,” Rogers said. “That’s why we’re bringing the Global Investment Forum in Berlin. This will be an excellent networking opportunity for investors, entrepreneurs and service providers in the cannabis industry. »

Topics covered at the Global Investment Forum and conference, through panels and presentations, will be led by the top cannabis experts in the global cannabis space. To find out what topics will be discussed at the B2B conference, see the event program. Below is a sampling of the presenters:

• Kristine Lütke – Member of the German Bundestag, Free Democratic Party
• Peter Homberg – Partner, Dentons
• Karl Bär – Member of the German Bundestag, Bündnis ’90/Die Grünen
• Jessica Billingsley – Chief Executive Officer, Akerna
• Antonia Menzel – Public Affairs, Sanity Group
• Ben Dronkers – Chairman, Dronkers BV Group
• Silvia Alunni – European Affairs Advisor, Hague Corporate Affairs and Deputy Secretary General, Medicinal Cannabis Europe

After the B2B event, attendees can enjoy one of ICBC’s famous after-parties. which this year will feature multi-Grammy Award-winning reggae band Morgan Heritage.

More than 5,000 attendees and 350 corporate sponsors and exhibitors are expected at Berlin’s only international cannabis trade conference.

You can book tickets now and enjoy a specially created and automatically applied VIP discount for our readers on the previous link.

The North Carolina Senate voted last Thursday to legalize medical cannabis. The measure still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives before being forwarded to the governor.

Eight Republicans and two Democrats, including Senator Don Davis, a congressional candidate in the state’s First District, opposed the bill.

The NC Compassionate Care Act would authorize medical cannabis for a restricted list of conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, HIV, AIDS and Crohn’s disease. Chronic pain and anxiety are not included in the bill, which is said to be one of the strictest in the country.

A poll published last week by the Carolina Partnership for Reform, a conservative group, found that 82% of respondents supported the reforms. The group said it was “surprised” by the support, which includes 75% of Republicans, 87% of unaffiliated voters, 86% of Democrats, at least 78% of men and women, North Carolina whites and blacks, liberals, moderates and conservatives. The poll found that 77% of evangelical voters supported the reforms.

Meanwhile, the North Carolina Senate last week unanimously passed a measure that will permanently legalize hemp in the state, defining it as having less than 0.3% delta-9 THC and the excluding it from the state controlled substance list. State lawmakers had temporarily legalized hemp in 2015 under a pilot program that expires at the end of June.

Republican Senator Brent Jackson said the bill “essentially just affirms hemp laws with federal models. ” The Farm Bill Federal law of 2018 did indeed legalize hemp nationwide, but left it up to the states to craft the rules and regulations for their program within the confines of the federal statute.