The year 2022 will be remembered as the year in which Europe embarked on the legalization of cannabis. In the final days of 2021, Malta became the first country to end cannabis prohibition. The first Cannabis Clubs should have opened this year but, lack of means or lack of will, the first Club licenses will be distributed in 2023.
Germany struck a blow by confirming its desire to legalize cannabis. The country’s Minister of Health finally presented the main points of the legalization project at the end of the year, which may evolve as national or European discussions progress. The country indeed wants to seek the “agreement” of the European Union (or rather the lack of objections) before launching their project.
The idea has infused in the Czech Republic which is committed to the same voice. Under the leadership of Jindřich Vobořil, its national co-ordinator for drug policy, the country has pushed the EU to establish new rules that emphasize the promotion of human rights in drug policies.
For their part, Switzerland and the Netherlands are setting up their own trials on cannabis for adult use. Switzerland, after some difficulties, should start its little trial of controlled distribution of cannabis in the city of Basel. The Netherlands has started distributing licenses to legally produce cannabis for coffeeshops. The many delays have pushed back the start of the experiment to an indefinite date.
In Luxembourg, the legalization of self-cultivation has been adopted by the Luxembourg government.
In France, fixed fines for simple use are only paid up to 34% according to the latest figures communicated and have taken minors out of the prevention of cannabis use. French patients will not have access to medical cannabis this year, the experiment having been extended for a year to “prepare the French sector” of cannabis production. The assessment of the experimentation with therapeutic cannabis noted, however, that the medical cannabis distribution circuit was “Achievable and operational”.
France has also tripped over the CBD carpet, having tried to ban the retail sale of hemp flowers and leaves. Pending a decision from the Council of State, CBD stores were able to continue to sell freely and without regulation other than the limit rate of THC.
Before seeing what 2023 has in store for us, let’s take a look back at the most read articles on Newsweed in 2022.
The cultivation and production of medical cannabis authorized in France
The cultivation of cannabis for medical use is now authorized in France. A decree published in the Official Journal on February 18 and entered into force on March 1, 2022 authorizes the cultivation of cannabis “for the purpose of manufacturing medicines”.
However, the rules for obtaining a production license or for any operation relating to the production of medical cannabis are not yet known.
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Study: CBDa and CBGa prevent Covid infection
Much publicized and often misunderstood study. Two acidic compounds in cannabis, CBDa and CBGa, prevented the virus that causes Covid-19 from entering healthy human cells, by binding to spike proteins (the proteins spike) present on the virus and blocking a step that the pathogen uses to infect people.
This is not a reason to consume more cannabis, CBDa and CBGa disappear as soon as they are heated.
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A new device to detect driving under the influence of cannabis?
Boston researchers claim to have developed a new, non-invasive technique for detecting cannabis-induced highs that can tell the difference between people who are truly impaired by cannabis and those who are just consumed recently.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have discarded older methods that attempt to infer functional impairment from the amount of THC in a person’s blood or saliva, in favor of a more direct approach: light imaging that allows the brain itself to be observed.
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CBD flowers prohibited, maximum THC level rises to 0.3%
After eight months of consultation, the French government published a decree in the Official Journal to end the retail sale of CBD flowers. The decree, which generated a lot of incomprehension, was partly overturned by the Council of State which must give its final decision on this specific point in the coming days.
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Brigitte Macron grows hemp at the Elysée
This year’s April Fools!
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The Senate publishes a note on the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis
Every 10 years since 2002, the Senate updates its study of comparative legislation on the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis. The third edition has been updated and published on the Senate website.
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Is HHC legal in France?
The arrival of products containing HHC, a semi-synthetic molecule obtained from CBD, has led us to question the legality of this neocannabinoid. As often, the answer is complex.
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Cannabis CBD washed with pentane to lower THC levels
CannabisIndustrie.nl reports that light cannabis is washed with pentane by some European producers to drop below the authorized THC percentage. Besides the health hazards, the gas is easily flammable and has already caused deaths in Italy.
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Canada: The cannabis industry has generated CA$15 billion in taxes and 151,000 jobs since legalization
Canada’s cannabis sector has generated over C$15 billion in direct and indirect tax revenue for Canadian and provincial governments, while creating over 151,000 jobs since Canada legalized cannabis for adults in October 2018.
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Canada’s Leading Cannabis Retailer Set to Open Cannabis Stores in Germany
North American cannabis retail leader High Tide has unveiled its plans to establish its footprint in the future adult cannabis market in Germany.
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