Author: Hazel Norman

Religious Stigma Could Hinder Cannabis Reform In Sri Lanka

Written by Hazel Norman on November 27, 2022. Posted in Policy.

The cannabis plant has been used by various societies throughout history for spiritual purposes in many parts of the world. As far back as 2,400 years ago the Scythians used bongs made of solid gold to consume cannabis as part of their rituals.

In ancient Egypt, where spiritual beliefs and treating illnesses went hand in hand, the cannabis plant was seen as being tremendously useful. Traces of cannabis in various Egyptian artifacts goes back thousands of years.

The word ‘cannabis’ is believed to have originated from the Hebrew word “קנבוס” (“KaNaBoS”), and many believe that cannabis was a key ingredient in the anointing oil used in ancient Hebrew ceremonies. Many current religions use cannabis for sacramental purposes, including members of the Rastafarian religion.

Ironically, many of the most vocal cannabis opponents in recent decades come from religious communities. That is on display in Sri Lanka right now where religious leaders are pushing back on government plans to ramp up medical cannabis production and exports. Per Christianity Today:

Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera, a known Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, scholar, and researcher, explained that the government’s plan to legalize cannabis production could threaten citizens’ health and culture.

The monk added that Sri Lankans are being led to believe that cannabis is beneficial, which he countered is untrue. He also explained that the government must focus more on the evils of alcoholism and substance use instead of proposing laws that generate income taxes.

Additionally, a ‘priest, who refused to be named’ also spoke out about Sri Lanka’s cannabis pursuits in the cited article, urging the nation’s government to eradicate cannabis from Sri Lanka entirely rather than embrace it.

Even if the government did everything that it could, it’s doubtful that complete eradication could ever be achieved, in Sri Lanka or anywhere else except perhaps Antarctica. Cannabis has been used in Sri Lanka in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and that is a practice that will presumably continue well into the future, if not forever.

For the record, what is being proposed in Sri Lanka is not geared towards domestic use, but rather, to produce medical cannabis domestically for the purpose of exporting it to other countries. Cannabis prohibition does not work, and it’s time for Sri Lanka to take a more sensible, compassionate approach to cannabis policy.

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Ireland To See ‘Steppingstone’ Cannabis Reform Measure Introduced

Written by Hazel Norman on November 21, 2022. Posted in Policy.

A bill that would legalize the personal use of cannabis in Ireland was expected to be introduced last summer, however, that did not happen. People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny, who has long advocated for cannabis public policy reform in Ireland, is expected to finally introduce the measure in the coming days.

The Misuse of Drugs Acts is currently the binding law in Ireland, and it provides for a fine of €1,000 in the District Courts for first and second offenses involving personal cannabis possession. Larger fines can be handed down in some instances.

If someone commits the offense of personal possession and it’s their third or greater offense of its type, the offender can be sentenced to up to one year in prison, although, the Criminal Justice Act in Ireland mandates that courts must consider giving a community service penalty in place of a prison sentence, and that affects some cases.

The new measure is expected to be formally introduced next week, and is expected to largely be based on the principal of allowing people to consume cannabis in private and possess up to seven grams of cannabis flower. Per Independent:

People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny will set to introduce a bill in Leinster House next week which will be a steppingstone towards full regulation of cannabis.

The Dublin Mid-West TD hopes the bill will end the criminalisation of cannabis for personal use.

He told Independent.ie: “At the moment, cannabis cultivation and sale is largely controlled by the black market and criminal gangs.

It’s good news to hear that the legislation will be seen as a ‘steppingstone’ versus a ‘final solution.’ Being able to possess up to seven grams of cannabis without fear of prosecution is a great thing to be sure. However, until there are regulated sales permitted in Ireland, gangs and cartels will continue to control profits.

The chances of the limited bill passing is unclear at this time. Fortunately, cannabis reform is on the move at an ever-increasing pace outside of Ireland, including and especially in Europe. That will put pressure on lawmakers within Ireland. Will it be enough pressure to get this particular bill to the finish line? That’s anyone’s guess at this point, but it’s absolutely a situation worth monitoring closely.

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Governments Need To Embrace Cannabis Tourism

Written by Hazel Norman on November 21, 2022. Posted in Business, Entertainment, Policy.

A common misconception about cannabis reform is that once a jurisdiction’s lawmakers or voters initially approve an adult-use legalization measure, that there’s nothing left to do. In reality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The fact of the matter is that the push for reform continues well after a successful legalization vote. The effort behind pushing for sensible cannabis policies doesn’t change. Only the direction of where that effort is focused changes.

Immediately after an adult-use cannabis legalization measure is initially passed, the focus then shifts to more nuanced and granular aspects of cannabis policy. In the instances in which a jurisdiction’s legalization model permits legal sales, making sure that sensible regulations are adopted is extremely vital. One area of cannabis commerce that seems to often be overlooked, or at least is not properly embraced by governments, is cannabis tourism.

More Than Just Clubs And Lounges

Typically, when people think of cannabis-based tourism they think of coffeeshops, clubs, and lounges. While those are certainly valid examples of cannabis tourism, the sector of the emerging cannabis industry is much more complex these days, and evolving constantly. People still travel to Amsterdam to frequent the city’s historic coffeeshops, however, people now have far more options, and those options create additional opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators.

Canada is home to the only nationwide, legal adult-use cannabis industry that is open to anyone of legal age. Uruguay also permits legal adult-use sales, however, they are limited to residents only. Malta passed an adult-use legalization measure late last year, and eventually the country will have cannabis clubs. However, no legal clubs are currently in operation.

Being that it’s a legal oasis to the world in many ways, Canada is a top international cannabis tourism destination. Consumption in public is still prohibited, so social use establishments like lounges play a vital role. Canada is home to a growing number of cannabis-friendly lodging choices, industry tours, and other ancillary cannabis tourism businesses, many of which do not ‘touch the plant’ directly.

A Growing Opportunity Cost

Some parts of the world are already established as top cannabis tourism destinations. It doesn’t take a cannabis historian to name some of them – The Netherlands, Spain, Jamaica, etc. For reasons that don’t quite make sense, very few of the current high-profile destinations seem to embrace cannabis tourism. That seeming lack of enthusiasm for cannabis tourism creates opportunities for other countries that want to fill the void.

For example, leaders in the Czech Republic have indicated that they want to follow Germany’s lead in passing an adult-use legalization measure, with a specific interest in becoming a cannabis tourism destination given the fact that current legalization plans in Germany do not appear to include cannabis clubs at this time.

“They do not have cannabis clubs that we are supposed to. I’m pretty sure I want to hold on to cannabis clubs until my last breath.” stated national anti-drug coordinator for the Czech Republic, Jindřich Vobořil in a post on his Facebook page.

People are going to travel to far off places for, among other things, cannabis experiences. This will be true even where cannabis remains illegal. Given that every country on earth needs increased public revenue, job creation, and boosts to local economies, cannabis tourism should be embraced by governments and not shunned. Any concerns about the sky falling if/when social use is permitted in a given jurisdiction are overblown, and the only people that claim otherwise are likely profiting directly off of prohibition.

Poll Finds Very Low Support For Prosecuting Cannabis Possession In Scotland

Written by Hazel Norman on November 21, 2022. Posted in Policy.

The Scottish government conducted a survey between the 21st of October 2021 and the 27th of March 2022, in which adults were asked “how much do you agree or disagree that people should not be prosecuted for possessing small amounts of cannabis for their own use?”

Cannabis is currently classified as a class B drug throughout the United Kingdom, including in Scotland. Anyone caught possessing cannabis could face jail time, a hefty fine, or both. According to a government report, 1.066 were prosecuted for illegal possession of cannabis in 2018-2019.

“Over three in five people (66%) ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that people should not be prosecuted, while just under one in five (18%) ‘disagreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ that small amounts of cannabis possession should not be prosecuted,” Scotland’s government stated along with the published data from the 2021/22 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey.

“In 2001, 51% either agreed or strongly agreed that people should not be prosecuted for possessing small amounts of cannabis for their own use. By 2009, the proportion agreeing had dropped to 34%. However, in 2021/22, the proportion who either agreed or strongly agreed with this statement had almost doubled from 2009 to 66%.” the researchers went on to state.

A deeper dive into the survey results yields further insight. If a survey participant had previously tried drugs before, they were considerably more likely to think that people shouldn’t be prosecuted for personal cannabis possession.

Roughly 89% of people that indicated past drug use indicated in the survey that they do not support prosecuting people for cannabis possession, compared to 57% of people that indicated that they had not tried any illegal drugs in the past.

A similar trend was demonstrated when it involved survey participants that had a friend or family member that regularly used illegal drugs, with 84% of participants in that category agreeing or strongly agreeing that people possessing a small amount of cannabis for personal use should not be prosecuted.

“This figure was lower, but still considerable, at around six in ten (57%) for those who did not have any friends or family who had regularly used illegal drugs.” researchers stated regarding the results.

“When asked whether people possessing small amounts of cannabis for personal use should not be prosecuted, 43% of those who agreed or strongly agreed that most people with problem drug use only have themselves to blame, compared with 77% of those who disagreed or strongly disagreed, agreed that cannabis for personal use should not be prosecuted.” the researchers also concluded.

Limited Legalization Bill Expected To Be Introduced In Ireland

Written by Hazel Norman on November 14, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Cannabis is illegal for adult-use purposes in Ireland, although, there is a distinction in Ireland’s current law that provides for a different penalty path for personal possession versus selling unregulated cannabis, with personal possession often resulting in a fine versus jail time for selling unregulated cannabis.

The binding law, the Misuse of Drugs Acts, provides for a fine of €1,000 in the District Courts for first and second offenses involving personal possession. Larger fines can be handed down in some instances. If someone commits the offense of personal possession and it’s their third or greater offense of its type, the offender can be sentenced to up to one year in prison.

The Criminal Justice Act in Ireland mandates that courts must consider giving a community service penalty in place of a prison sentence, and that affects some cases. A bill is expected to be introduced in the near future in Ireland that would somewhat mimic the adult-use legalization legislation that was passed in Malta late last year. Per The Journal:

The Dublin Mid-West TD told The Journal it is a relatively short bill, and will amend the current legislation on possession of cannabis, which is the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The amendment doesn’t reference the cultivation of cannabis. It’s anticipated that if the bill is approved by the Dáil – which means it requires the approval of the government parties – then changes regarding cultivation of cannabis could be added at committee stage.

What is reportedly being proposed in Ireland involves allowing people to possess up to seven grams of cannabis. Malta has a similar provision involving the permitted possession of up to seven grams of cannabis when away from the person’s home, with a separate allowance of up to 50 grams within the person’s home. From that standpoint, what is reportedly being proposed in Ireland is different from Malta’s law.

Furthermore, whereas what is reportedly being proposed in Ireland does not involve home cultivation, adult households in Malta can cultivate up to four plants. With all of that being said, even limited legalization in Ireland would be better than what is currently in place. It’s unclear at this time what the chances are of a legalization measure passing in Ireland, although, it will be very interesting to watch the discussion unfold given what is going on elsewhere in Europe on the cannabis policy front.

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Argentina’s Minister Of Health Urges Doctors To Prescribe Medical Cannabis

Written by Hazel Norman on November 14, 2022. Posted in Policy.

A medical cannabis program is only as good as the number of suffering patients that it helps, and that fact that is applicable anywhere that medical cannabis is legal in one form or another. After all, the whole point of legalizing medical cannabis in the first place is to boost safe access.

Unfortunately, many medical cannabis programs around the globe, while perhaps well intended, largely miss the mark. One of the largest barriers to safe access comes in the form of a doctor referral, with many patients that suffer from a qualifying condition still being unable to access medical cannabis because their doctor is unwilling to sign off for whatever reason.

As we previously reported, there’s a huge gap between the amount of medical cannabis information readily available to doctors and the level of comfort that doctors have when dealing with medical cannabis. A peer-reviewed study out of Canada found that only 6% of doctors indicated that they had some type of medical cannabis education or training.

To be clear, there is no valid excuse for doctors to be unaware of the cannabis plant’s wellness properties and how it may help treat suffering patients. The results of tens of thousands of peer-reviewed studies are available to anyone with internet access, including doctors, and clearly many suffering patients are using medical cannabis or want to. For doctors to refrain from learning more is negligent in many ways.

One country that is struggling with this issue is Argentina, which is home to an emerging medical cannabis program. The country’s Minister of Health recently issued a call to action of sorts to Argentina’s doctors, urging them to embrace medical cannabis more than they have been. Per La Voz (translated to English):

The Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, toured the Expo Cannabis fair on Friday afternoon, which takes place in the rural area of the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo until next Sunday, where she pondered the participation of growers, families and activists in the regulation of the medical cannabis , and pointed out the need for more and more doctors to become familiar with its properties and prescribe it.

Vizzotti pointed out that “it is very important that there are already nine authorized seeds, that it is already possible to travel by plane with cannabis oil or with flower jars, and that there are already more than 50 research projects authorized by the Ministry of Health; in the Reprocann there are 180,000 people registered, of which 120,000 are already registered, but there are about 40,000 who are not yet referenced in a health professional”.

Doctors need to base their decisions on science and compassion, and not on harmful political views. Not that it was ever a valid excuse, but any doctor that tries to claim in 2022 that ‘there needs to be more researched conducted before prescribing cannabis’ is making that claim based on something other than science, as there is clearly enough research already out there to be able to know that cannabis is indeed medicine.

Furthermore, doctors need to recognize the number of patients that are already using cannabis to successfully treat their conditions, including outside of a medical cannabis program. Suffering patients are going to use cannabis whether they have a prescription/referral or not. If a doctor truly believes in compassion and helping the suffering, then they will do their part to help ensure that suffering patients don’t have to fear prosecution for using their medicine.

Costa Rica Authorizes First Hemp Project

Written by Hazel Norman on November 14, 2022. Posted in Business, Policy.

Cannabis reform may be spreading across the globe at an ever-increasing pace, and with it, the emerging international cannabis industry, however, the process has moved slower in some countries compared to others, with Costa Rica being a great example of that.

In the Western Hemisphere, cannabis reform has spread faster than its Eastern Hemisphere counterpart. After all, Uruguay was the first nation to legalize cannabis for adult-use, followed by Canada becoming the first G-7 nation to do so. Significant cannabis reform can be found elsewhere in the hemisphere as well.

Yet, cannabis policy reform and standing up a regulated industry has proceeded at a slower rate in Costa Rica. As we previously reported, lawmakers in Costa Rica passed a cannabis reform measure in 2021 and sent it to the President for sign off. That sign off never occurred, and instead, Costa Rica’s president issued a veto and sent the measure back to lawmakers instructing them to make the measure more strict.

Eventually things moved along a bit, and finally, after a lot of political wrangling and foot dragging, Costa Rica has issued its first hemp project license. Per The Tico Times:

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), Víctor Julio Carvajal Porras, signed the resolution authorizing the first project for the use of hemp this Friday.

Ingenio Taboga S.A. made the request. It is located in Bebedero de Cañas, Guanacaste, developing a hemp cultivation and processing project in a 150-hectare area.

According to the reporting by The Tico Times, there are eight more industry applications being considered – seven for hemp-related projects, and one for medical cannabis. It’s unclear if/when any of those additional projects will gain approval.

According to Statista, Costa Rica’s gross domestic product (GDP) ranked 11th in 2021 out of countries located in the Latin America and Caribbean regions. Any jobs and economic boost that the cannabis industry can provide Costa Rica is surely welcomed.

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Argentina Adds New Cannabis Varieties To National Catalog Of Cultivars

Written by Hazel Norman on November 6, 2022. Posted in Business, Policy, Science.

Argentina has experienced a lot of cannabis industry and policy activity in recent months. For instance, right before the start of last summer lawmakers in Argentina passed a measure to boost the nation’s emerging cannabis industry.

Weeks later, Argentina’s Supreme Court rendered a decision that permitted medical cannabis patients to cultivate their own cannabis in some instances. Roughly a month ago, Argentina’s government issued its first domestic production license, shortly after which the government launched a public company to provide seeds, testing, and training to the emerging domestic industry.

The most recent activity out of Argentina involves new cannabis genetics being added to the nation’s cultivar catalog. Per Minuto Ya:

New varieties were incorporated into the National Registry of Cultivars of INASE , thus expanding the supply of propagation materials destined to supply the R&D projects approved by the Ministry of Health and the users registered in REPROCANN .

The new varieties are ANANDA001, from Anandamida Organic SAS; JEALOUS 10 by Diego Di Maggio; Polaris, by Lucia de Souza Madeira; and TROPICANA WFC, by Facundo J. Meligene.

Any time that growers have more cannabis genetics to select from it’s a good thing. And with that in mind, while it is great that four new cultivars were added in Argentina, it is not nearly enough.

Several countries around the world now permit medical cannabis to be cultivated for industry purposes. Many of them do not limit the types of cannabis strains that can be cultivated, and yet, they have experienced no issues related to strains (and why would they?).

Argentina’s medical cannabis industry is starting to make strides, however, there’s obviously still a lot of unnecessary restrictions and limitations in place. Hopefully Argentina’s program continues to expand, and at a more rapid pace, so that as many suffering patients can be helped as possible in the near future.

Cannabis Pilot Program In The Netherlands Continues To Experience Delays

Written by Hazel Norman on November 6, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Cannabis pilot programs are becoming more popular in Europe. For those that are unaware of what an adult-use cannabis pilot program entails, it’s a public policy concept that allows certain cities to allow limited adult-use cannabis sales, and for approved entities to cultivate the cannabis that is eventually sold via those pilot programs.

Pilot programs are ramping up in Switzerland, and Demark is working towards expanding its pilot program to several more cities. The Netherlands is another European country that is pursuing plans to launch pilot programs, however, the program has experienced a series of delays and the setbacks appear to keep coming.

The pilot program in The Netherlands was originally slated to begin in 2021, however, the launch date was pushed back previously, and per recent reports out of The Netherlands, it’s likely to be pushed back yet again. Per excerpts from Dutch News:

Marijuana growers who have been selected to take part in the government’s controlled cultivation trials have told the cabinet that they will not be ready to start early next year as the government intends, the NRC reported on Thursday.

Nine of 10 firms have written to ministers about the problems and some have spoken to the paper directly about the issues, the NRC said.

The experiment should have begun to 2021 but is now due to start in the second quarter of 2023. But the growers now say the end of next year is a more likely date.

It is obviously no secret that The Netherlands has served as a top international cannabis tourism destination for decades, with cannabis consumers coming to The Netherlands from all over the globe to partake in coffeeshop offerings, particularly in Amsterdam.

The nation’s pilot program would not be nationwide and would not be open to everyone, however, it would serve as an intermediary step towards finally getting some level of regulation in place which would hopefully then be adopted at the national level and include provisions for allowing sales to tourists.

The Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, is well-suited to become the undeniable top legal international cannabis tourism destination and to reap the related economic rewards. Yet, the longer the nation drags its feet the more it concedes ground to other cities and countries around the world, and there is clearly an opportunity cost involved.