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Here Comes Portugal: Adult Use Bill Brought Before Parliament

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Cannabis reform is not staying still across the EU

As Europe begins to wake up to the reality that two countries within and just outside its border (Luxembourg and Switzerland) are about to give the region its “Colorado and Washington State” moment – Portugal appears to want to up the ante even more.

In a move highly anticipated by insiders, and just before a summer of intermittent travel corridors and mutating summer holiday plans along with new variants of Covid, the Portuguese also seem determined to have their moment in the sun.

However, the Portuguese situation is also not likely to be like any of the other discussions going on in Europe at the moment. This starts with the fact that the government has been playing with the idea of drug liberalization and lassaiz faire drug reform for the last fifty years in a way unseen in any other European state.

The timing of this discussion – literally to carve out and define a national policy on adult-use – is also far from accidental.

This development means that three countries within Europe (the other two are Holland and Luxembourg) plus Switzerland are now formally debating if not implementing adult-use market guidelines and policies.

This is a tipping point. Even if the German government (for one) along with the French and Spanish, would rather ignore the entire enchilada.

Where Does This Leave Germany?

There is much speculation within the country if not beyond its borders about the impact of the national election this year on cannabis normalization. That said, while it is likely that the political winds are likely to elicit some reform (see perhaps decriminalization) it is unlikely that full boat recreational use will be on the table here for the next five years.

In the meantime, experimental and feeder markets (Greece, Malta, North Macedonia) beyond these recreational outliers, are clearly beginning to define medical cultivation markets that will feed tax coffers and create green jobs. At some point, there will be a Deutsch tipping point. The question, of course, is what might cause this. And when it might come.

Medical markets will only continue to push the topic forward – and of course bigger economic issues – like Post Pandemic recovery – will also feed into the debate.

Regardless, for advocates and the industry alike, the summer of 2021 is turning out to be a good one for pushing the theoretical idea of reform forward, if not exactly the mechanics, in countries across the region like never before.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Berlin this August!

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The Summer Of Love – And Cannabis Reform

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

As the world opens up again, the idea of cannabis reform is clearly in the room like never before. Will the summer of 2021 be the tipping point for regional and federal reform?

Much has been made of the fact that people are coming out of their Covid shells and planning to party like it is 1999. Or 1921. Or even 1967.

There are clearly cultural, psychological, and political responses to being locked down, socially distanced, in a global pandemic, dead ahead.

Full and final cannabis reform, like other big and much-delayed topics such as climate change and sustainable economics, is now not a negotiation in terms of whether it will happen, but when.

The question is, in a new and more canna friendly world, what will change fundamentally, where, and what will just be inserted as a safe political giveaway in a world where most things are not working the way they used to.

European Reform

European states are beginning to move in a direction that is reminiscent of the United States circa 2014 – namely medical efficacy is basically in the room if not the most popular topic of federal legislators. But beyond this, the outliers, inevitably, are beginning to make the recreational discussion unavoidable, and in a way that cannot just be dismissed as “That is just the Dutch.”

This is likely to trickle through for the next several years as recreational markets are set up and tweaked, but it is highly significant.

North American Reform

Joe Biden may still want to duck the issue, but the United States is likely to face up to inevitability at least by the time the present administration goes up for re-election. The moving discussion in Europe, plus the maturation of the Canadian market (for starters) makes this almost inevitable.

Reform Elsewhere

With the entire debate moving in the US and Europe, other feeder states are likely to also begin to move the conversation – particularly in Asia. Australia and New Zealand may not move forward on anything other than seeding their own domestic medical market and lining up for exports to the rest of the world – but it is unlikely that things will slow down, down under either.

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German Cannabis Reform Moves Forward In Curious Ways

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

A new poll suggests a majority of Germans support the medical use of cannabis as the city of Dusseldorf removes its ban on hemp products. Is more reform on the way?

The German cannabis reform discussion is clearly progressing – but it is proceeding slowly and in curious ways. Unlike in other countries, the driver of reform here is both federal and medical – meaning that the plant as medicine must be slotted into existing pharmaceutical and medical procedures. The reason is that Germany changed its law in 2017 to mandate that cannabis as medicine must be compensated by public health insurance if prescribed by a doctor.

Since then, the battle has raged, and in different ways and different levels. Patients are still fighting to get basic access. However, on the hemp and CBD front, things have stayed strange. Part of the reason is that many German authorities are hostile, generally, to the idea of cannabis reform – even on a local level (as seen in the United States, frequently over the last thirty years of cannabis reform). See California as a perfect example of the same.

However, in the German version of the same, it is hemp that authorities attacked first – in part because the regulated hemp market has clearly staked out territory that appears to be intimidating to those who oppose all kinds of cannabis reform. Indeed, the city of Dusseldorf banned hemp sales – a move which has just been successfully overturned in court. That said, the company involved still had to bear the legal costs.

A new survey by the German research institute Civey has found that 43% of Germans believe that cannabis should only be legal for medical purposes. Only 36% believe that it should be fully legalized, regulated, and taxed. That said, of the 15% who still believe that cannabis should be illegal for all purposes, the vast majority believe that those who use the drug should also be punished.

These numbers, however, seem very familiar to Americans if not Canadians who watched the entire conversation if not poll numbers like these flip drastically upon the introduction of recreational state markets – starting with Colorado and Washington State as of 2014.

As of this April, a Pew Research Center poll found that as of this year a whopping 90% of Americans want Prohibition to end and either medical and or recreational cannabis to be legal. This has changed drastically in the last decade. As of 2011, only 50% of Americans supported cannabis reform, according to Gallup.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Europe this summer!

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Will The British Parliament Finally Pass Meaningful Cannabis Reform?

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Sixty Members of Parliament call for reform of 50-Year-old UK Drugs’ Law

There is clearly a clarion call to change British cannabis policy right now – and it is emanating from increasingly senior politicians. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has recently advocated for at least the decriminalization of cannabis in the capitol, along with a review of how police respond to minor possession.

Beyond this, however, there is yet another call at the federal level, in Parliament, for a review of the by now 50-year-old law making cannabis illegal, and further, unequivocally calling the current law “a disaster.” The Misuse of Drugs Act was passed in 1971.

Millions of British Users

According to data gathered by researchers, there are at least 2.5 million British cannabis users – although again this is a mixture of people who have conditions that cannabis is used to treat as well as users of the “recreational” or “adult use” kind. It is impossible to tell how many actual users there are (and for whatever purpose) in part because the entire vertical is still basically illegal. It is now possible to obtain a British cannabis prescription that is reimbursed by the NHS, but it is very difficult – plus now impossible for chronic pain patients to do so.

That said, cannabis as an economic boon is clearly a topic of some interest in the UK – starting with economic development projects on the Channel Islands. There is, in other words, increasing logic, and from the public health vs. law enforcement kind as well as the strictly economic variety, that says that cannabis reform is in the offing in Brexited Britain.

The question is, how much, and of what kind?

Here are three places where the emerging British cannabis market is going to have impact – both at home and abroad.

The Great British Medical Export

Cannabis has been a staple of British exports for some time. See GW Pharma. However, over the past several years, increasing numbers of firms have begun to set up both cultivation and extraction facilities. Those are coming online now – even if the Channel Islands may be “exporting” as much to the British mainland as they do elsewhere.

The CBD Conversation

The UK is currently going a bit bonkers over CBD reform because well, it is better than nothing. In the meantime, there are important conversations this approach is opening – like the regulation of the market on the cultivation and extraction if not labelling front. See Novel Food.

The London Equity Markets

No matter what else is going on, London is undoubtedly going to emerge as a strong player in the international equity markets for cannabis raises. Where they might be challenged on the continent is unclear (Switzerland, Luxembourg and still perhaps the Deutsche Börse). But the LSE is clearly in the game now.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Berlin in August 2021 for a full overview of changing cannabis regulation across Europe and the UK.

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Luxembourg Wrestles With The Particulars Of Rec Legalization

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has a date with destiny – namely recreational reform by the fall of this year (legislatively at least). But the devil is, as always, in the details.

Here is the intriguing development. Theoretically, or at least legislatively, Luxembourg is supposed to approve a recreational cannabis market this fall. 

Where has this been heard before? Ah, yes, Canada, circa 2018. 

Indeed, according to insiders, the country has been looking abroad for examples of how to proceed. An article in a French pro cannabis zine reports this week that the Parliament continues to debate the topic. The pressure is certainly on. This one small country of 600,000 in the heart of the EU is due to have an outsize impact on the conversation – and everyone knows it.

While Covid has clearly delayed the debate (everywhere), in Luxembourg the stakes are high – starting for the political party (the Greens) who promised to make this all happen back in 2018 when they got elected. How time flies.

Indeed, Luxembourg is likely less to be like “Canada” and more like Colorado in the ongoing European model. Holland is currently playing the part of California, sans raids by the federales. 

No matter the analogy, and from where it is drawn, politicians of the “left” persuasion are now in the political hot seat to deliver. Reform in the Duchy must be passed.

A Tipping Point European State?

Luxembourg, no matter the particulars of its reform, and how to control and regulate the sales of cannabis, is clearly a tipping point moment in the entire debate for the European Union if not Europe – particularly with Switzerland lining up to follow suit just next year.

Once there is a test model, there will be something for (at least) the Germans to debate. However, reform in Luxembourg is not even what it was pre-pandemic. The hit to every European economy from the shutdowns is massive. Further, it is inevitable that there will be both societal as well as political shifting – including on the entire topic – almost exactly like there was in the Roaring Twenties of the last century.

Just because Luxembourg is doing it, however, is not going to be an excuse that is likely to fly smoothly at the Bundestag (for one). That said, Germany, Italy, and other countries where medical reform has now come will be in the front lines of the debate in a way that has not happened here, yet.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Berlin this August!

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‘Cannabis Master Plan’ To Be Presented In South Africa

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Cannabis reform is spreading across the African continent slowly but surely. There’s still a tremendous amount of work left to be done, but the momentum for the cannabis movement in Africa is greater than ever.

The country where that is most evident is probably South Africa. In 2018 South Africa’s top court issued a ruling that determined that cannabis prohibition was unconstitutional.

The Court’s ruling is similar to rulings that were issued in Mexico and Italy. Both of those countries have yet to fully implement the courts’ rulings via legislation.

The same is true for South Africa, although a ‘cannabis master plan’ is apparently on its way. Below is more information about it via a government press release:

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is on the verge of presenting a Cannabis Master Plan to Nedlac.

DALRRD Minister Thoko Didiza says as the legalisation and the commercialisation of cannabis remains at the forefront of public debate and on top of the agenda for policymakers globally, the plan will be presented to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) by the end of May 2021.

The Minister said this when she tabled the department’s budget vote in Parliament on Thursday.

She said this was one of several masterplans that the department will finalise as part of setting targets and implementing interventions to increase production in the sector.

“An inter-departmental team comprising representatives from various departments was established to guide the development of the National Cannabis Master Plan with [the department] as the convener.

“The Cannabis Master Plan is being presented to Nedlac before the end of May 2021.  The department will, as of October 2021, begin issuing and monitoring permits for the production of hemp in South Africa,” she said.

Interventions to bolster production

Didiza said in order to increase local production in the sector, a combination of interventions as well as different support systems will need to be implemented to realise this vision.

These includes:

  • Increasing land under production. This will mean cultivating land that has been given to individuals and communities through our land reform program and those in communal areas.
  • Strengthening the extension and advisory services by employing capable individual Officers;
  • Collaborating with the private sector and individuals who are willing to be mentors as well as able to give agreements to those who produce;
  • Strengthening government’s agri-financial services to support production;
  • Improving agricultural Research. The Agricultural Research Council will utilise the Parliamentary Grant to focus on the development of scientific solutions, inclusive of the development of new technologies and crop varieties, enhancing the quantity and quality of agricultural produce, devising climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, increasing sustainability, reducing consumer food prices.
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French Multi-Party Parliamentary Report Calls For Cannabis Legalization

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

France is home to the greatest cannabis consumption rate out of any of the countries on the European continent according to the World Health Organization. In fact, consumption rates in France are more than double the European average.

Historically, France was home to one of the harshest cannabis policies in Europe, although cannabis is now decriminalized for personal possession. People caught with a personal amount of cannabis in France are now subjected to a 200 euro fine.

For many in France, decriminalization is not good enough, and they are demanding that France legalize cannabis for adult use. One of those people is French lawmaker François-Michel Lambert, who recently used a cannabis joint as a visual aid to hammer home his point as first reported by Marijuana Moment:

A French lawmaker caused a stir on Tuesday when he brandished a marijuana joint on the floor of the National Assembly, denouncing the criminalization of cannabis and calling for a policy change.

Deputy François-Michel Lambert said prohibition “is a total failure” and that “legalization would make it possible to dry up trafficking, create tax revenues and create jobs” before showcasing a cup with a cannabis leaf on it and then pulling a joint from it.

“Other countries have chosen to face the problem rather than the ostrich policy” of France, the deputy said.

Per Marijuana Moment’s reporting, the move by François-Michel Lambert came a day before a report from the National Assembly called for adult-use legalization.

“For fifty years, prohibition has adopted an unattainable objective, without ever having the means to achieve its ambitions. Regulated legalization is the best way to regain control and protect the French.” the report stated.

Hopefully lawmakers head the advice from the report because cannabis prohibition is an epic public policy failure that has ruined way too many lives.

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Poll Shows That Most In U.S. Want Their State Legalized

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Cannabis first became prohibited at the federal level in the United States in 1937. Complete prohibition was in place in the U.S. in all states until 1996 when California became the first state to legalize cannabis for medical use.

Since that time, every state except two (Idaho and Nebraska) have legalized cannabis for medical use, and an ever-growing list of states have legalized cannabis for adult use. Cannabis is also completely legal in Washington D.C.

Now, over 40% of U.S. residents live in a state/district where cannabis is completely legal. However, cannabis still remains illegal at the federal level.

A recent poll by CBS found that a majority of U.S. residents want their states to legalize cannabis for adult use, as outlined in a news release by our friends at NORML which can be found below:

The majority of US adults support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in their states, according to nationwide polling data compiled by CBS News.

Fifty-five percent of respondents say that they want to see legalization in their home states. Among those already residing in legal states, 60 percent said that they favor the policy change.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents also favor expunging the criminal records of those with past marijuana convictions.

Few of those polled acknowledged being regular consumers of cannabis, and this decision appeared to be largely unaffected by the plant’s legal status. Seven percent of respondents residing in legal states reporting using cannabis versus five percent of those surveyed in jurisdictions where its recreational use remains illegal.

The CBS poll is the latest in a series of recent national polls showing that most Americans believe that the possession and use of marijuana by adults should be legally permitted.

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Lawmakers In Mexico Miss Another Cannabis Legalization Deadline

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

At the end of 2018, Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling, determining that cannabis prohibition was unconstitutional in Mexico.

As part of the ruling, the Court at the time mandated that lawmakers pass a legalization measure within one year to fully implement the Court’s ruling. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

The Court then issued an extension, and then another extension, and then yet another extension. Lawmakers failed to meet the latest extension, which expired at the end of April, as reported by Marijuana Moment:

This session, it seemed like the reform would finally be achieved. The Senate approved a legalization bill late last year, and then the Chamber of Deputies made revisions and passed it in March, sending it back to the originating chamber. A couple of Senate committees then took up and cleared the amended measure, but leaders quickly started signaling that certain revisions made the proposal unworkable.

That’s where the situation stood for weeks as the court’s latest April 30 deadline approached. There was an expectation that the Senate would again ask the court for an extension, but that did not take place. Instead, lawmakers have begun floating the idea of holding a special legislative session after June’s elections in order to get the job done this year.

A special session may be a really good idea, in that it lets lawmakers focus on passing the required cannabis legalization measure without all of the distractions that come with a standard session.

Mexico needs to do something that hasn’t been tried in the past because at this point legalization in Mexico is a ‘failure to launch.’ Part of that is due to COVID, however, a big part of it is just the slow-moving process that can be politics at times.

Lawmakers need to put their differences and special interests aside and do what is best for the country, including especially for cannabis consumers and patients in Mexico.