Politics – Page 3 – International Cannabis Business Conference

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Morocco Moves Forward On Medical Cannabis Implementation

Written by Marguerite Arnold on March 8, 2022. Posted in Business, Politics.

The North African country allows medical and industrial hemp cultivation but only in three northern states

Yet another African country has now moved forward with some form of cannabis legalization. Morocco’s cabinet adopted a draft decree last Thursday allowing cultivation, under strict regulations and control – amending parts of the country’s cannabis law in the process.

Morocco changed its law to allow for the cultivation of medical cannabis in August 2021 and established a regulatory agency that is responsible for the oversight of the cultivation, export, and sale of the plant.

It is still illegal to consume cannabis for recreational purposes in Morocco.

The new decree assigns responsibility for supporting applicants and other stakeholders to the National Agency for the Legalization of Cannabis-related Activities. The agency will establish a procedure for monthly reporting on cannabis cultivation, seed production and stock and an annual inventory from each nursery. Other agencies, including the

That said, the new legislation also strictly limits reform to three states – all found in the north of the country. Al Hoceima, Chefchaoen and Taounate were the three initial areas chosen. This does not rule out the possibility of allowing cultivation in other provinces – depending on the demand of national and international investors.

A Major Provider of Illicit Cannabis Goes Legit

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Morocco was the world’s top producer of illicit cannabis in 2019.

The legalization of the market here will probably begin to impact that trade – although of course as even Canada has learned, even full recreational reform does not eliminate at least the grey market. It may impact the amount of hash now found in the black market across Europe, starting with Spain.

Morocco will certainly benefit more if such activities can be turned into legitimate income. It would allow the country to begin competing for at least the European medical market, which already has the attention of countries further south (including South Africa and Lesotho).

Obtaining investment for the sector now is obviously critical. It remains to be seen if the country can attract both domestic and foreign income for the purpose of developing its cannabis market.

Morocco becomes the 4th country in Africa, after Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, to attempt to regulate their cannabis sector. So far, however, they remain the only African country to attempt to limit legal cultivation in a certain area of the country.

See you at the International Cannabis Business Conference in Barcelona this week! Be sure to book your tickets to our upcoming conferences in Berlin and Zurich too!

Are Britain’s Terrible Cannabis Policies Holding Back Legalization In Bermuda?

Written by Johnny Green on March 7, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Cannabis reform is on the move in the Caribbean region, with several countries now operating legal medical cannabis industries. So far, no country in the region has legalized cannabis for adult use, however, at least one country is somewhat close to doing so.

Last year the lower chamber of Bermuda’s legislature passed an adult-use cannabis legalization measure. After passage in the lower chamber, The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 then went to the upper chamber where the bill hit a dead end.

The legislation was blocked from receiving a vote, and it has essentially collected dust for the last year. The upper chamber in Bermuda’s legislature can only hold up a bill for one year before it has to be sent back to the lower chamber for another vote, which is what has happened.

While the bill is likely to be approved once again by the lower chamber, it still faces an uphill battle after passage. One of the main reasons that opponents of the bill cite as to why they won’t support the measure is that they feel that Britain will not sign off on it. Per Royal Gazette:

The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022, tabled by Kathy Lynn Simmons, the legal affairs minister and Attorney-General, was drawn up to make recreational use of cannabis legal and to regulate production of the drug.

But, if passed as is likely, the legislation could create a flashpoint with Britain as Rena Lalgie, the Governor, has made it clear that the legislation would breach British international treaty obligations.

David Burt, the Premier, raised the stakes after he insisted that refusal of Royal Assent for the Act would “destroy” the island’s relationship with Britain.

Around the time of the passage of The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 Premier Burt insisted that failure to grant Royal Assent to something that Bermuda passes would be unacceptable, as touched on above.

“This legislation will pass … If Her Majesty’s representative in Bermuda does not give assent to something that has been passed lawfully and legally under this local government, this will destroy the relationship that we have with the United Kingdom.” Burt said according to Royal Gazette at the time.

The best thing that Bermuda can do is to pass the legalization measure and put pressure on Britain to do the right thing and go from there. Unfortunately, as long as the threat of Britain blocking the measure is lingering out there, cannabis opponents will continue to point to it and drag their feet. It is up to supporters to overcome that hurdle.

President Of Guyana Wants To Boost Hemp Production

Written by Johnny Green on March 7, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Guyana (official name the Co‑operative Republic of Guyana) is likely not the first place that you think of when you think of cannabis reform and the emerging cannabis industry.

However, the country is in the process of trying to reform its cannabis policies and launch a legal cannabis industry. If the President of Guayana has his way, farmers will be able to cultivate hemp sooner rather than later. Per Demerara Waves:

President Irfaan Ali on Sunday announced that he plans to meet with marijuana farmers to encourage them to get into the cultivation of high-value hemp.

“I intend to have a meeting very soon with all the marijuana growers in this country. I intend to have a meeting and to let them understand that there is a viable future in the hemp industry and bring them into that discussion and move away from the marijuana that has social consequences and come into mainstream economic activity that does not have that impact and has that returns,” he told a news conference.

The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) last year seized 1,976,956 kilogrammes of marijuana and destroyed at least 10 acres of marijuana cultivations.

Cannabis reform has spread across both the Caribbean region as well as South America. Guyana is located in the northern part of South America, and while it is technically part of South America, the nation tends to trend alongside Caribbean nations when it comes to industry and politics.

It’s unfortunate that Guyana is not pursuing non-hemp cannabis legalization in addition to hemp legalization, however, even legalized hemp is better than Guyana’s current outright prohibition policies.

Guyana’s economy is ranked 148th globally (as measured by GDP) and its main industries are agriculture and mining.

Are Cannabis Expungements On The Way In Israel?

Written by Johnny Green on March 7, 2022. Posted in Politics.

News surfaced out of Israel yesterday regarding big changes to Israel’s current cannabis policy. A temporary order is currently in place in Israel that prevents criminal charges from being applied to cannabis-only offenses in certain instances.

Israel’s government announced plans over the weekend to make that temporary policy permanent. Per Haaretz:

The Israeli government is considering decriminalizing recreational marijuana use and expunging the criminal records of those convicted of personal possession or use of cannabis, President Isaac Herzog and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Sunday.

On approval of the new regulations, those with recreational-use convictions would be able to submit a request to have their records voided, while those with pending criminal proceedings would be able to contact the police with a request to drop the charges. The move, said the statement, is intended “to lift the criminal labeling and the stain that accompanies it” and to “complement” decriminalization regulations published last month.

Unfortunately, the new policy does not extend to people that were charged/convicted during military service or to minors. The new policy does extend to drug paraphernalia charges, albeit not if the case involves a member of the military or a minor.

The policy announcement was coupled with news that personal cannabis use and possession would be ‘completely decriminalized’ with a maximum fine of 1,000 shekels. Passage of the policy change is expected as early as this week, and implementation would be immediate.

Last week Israel announced plans to decriminalize CBD over the course of two years. It’s unclear how this latest announcement affects the proposed CBD policy change.

Brittney Griner’s Arrest Highlights Harms Of Russia Cannabis Prohibition

Written by Johnny Green on March 6, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Unless you have been living under a rock then you likely heard the news that WNBA star Brittney Griner was recently arrested for cannabis possession in Russia. According to ESPN, “Griner is being detained in Russia after customs officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow…”

“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent with Wasserman Group, told ESPN via a statement Saturday. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

Some cannabis observers, including some long-time activists, were quick to place blame on Griner for traveling to Russia, allegedly with vape pen cartridges in her luggage. However, the real blame lands squarely on Russia’s inhumane cannabis policies.

Assuming that the allegations are true, Griner was likely traveling with an amount of cannabis vape pens that is legal in a number of states back in the U.S. If the pens contained hemp-derived CBD oil, then what Griner was caught with would have been legal nationwide in the U.S.

Unfortunately, Griner is now facing up to 10 years in prison, and given the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it’s very hard to speculate as to if/when she will be released and allowed to come home. Hopefully her freedom will not be used as a bargaining chip by Russia, although, it’s something that cannot be ruled out.

Many are calling on the Biden administration to do everything that it can to free Griner, and rightfully so. With that being said, Biden has scoffed in the past when asked to do the same for cannabis prisoners in the U.S., so I am personally not holding out a lot of hope for Biden to step up to try to free Griner.

Cannabis prohibition is harmful to people’s lives, including professional athletes. No one should ever be arrested for a plant that has been found to be exponentially safer than alcohol. Russia needs to free Griner immediately, as well as every other cannabis prisoner within its borders. Anything short of that is unacceptable.

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South Africa’s Constitutional Court Tackles Youth Cannabis Possession And Use

Written by Johnny Green on March 6, 2022. Posted in Politics.

South Africa is one of at least three countries that had landmark cannabis court rulings issued in recent years that determined national cannabis prohibition to be unconstitutional. Mexico and Italy also had similar court decisions rendered by their top courts around the same time.

For the decision in South Africa specifically, the Court determined that cannabis prohibition as it applied to personal possession and use by adults was unconstitutional. Unfortunately, the Court did not address prohibition policies as they apply to youth.

A lower court previously determined that cannabis prohibition was unconstitutional for youths, and this week South Africa’s top court heard arguments regarding the issue. Per IOL:

Pretoria – The Constitutional Court will hear arguments on Thursday, for the decriminalisation of the possession and use of cannabis by children.

In 2020, the Johannesburg High Court declared provisions of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act unconstitutional in so far as they criminalise the possession and use of cannabis by children.

The Centre for Child Law will today ask the Constitutional Court to confirm the high court order.

There is absolutely no reason for youth to ever be treated as criminals for acts that only involve cannabis. Cannabis prohibition is part of the school-to-prison pipeline that has ruined so many lives across the globe, and it’s a practice that needs to be ended immediately.

This is not to say that children should be allowed to smoke cannabis in the streets of South Africa unimpeded. Youth consumption is an issue that should always be taken seriously. However, public policy needs to be based on science, compassion, and logic.

The best approach for governments when it comes to youth and cannabis involves being honest and informative. Scare tactics do not work, and putting youth into the criminal justice system all but ensures that they will be in the system for years to come, possibly for the rest of the youth’s life. Hopefully South Africa’s top court does the right thing and renders a favorable decision.

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Medical Cannabis Tea Is Now Legal In New Zealand

Written by Johnny Green on March 5, 2022. Posted in Business, Medical, Politics.

New Zealand was very close to becoming the third country to legalize cannabis for adult use back in 2020. Voters in New Zealand narrowly rejected a legalization referendum measure in 2020, with the measure losing by less than 2 percentage points.

The title of ‘third country to legalize’ ultimately went to Malta, which passed a legalization measure late last year. The failed vote in New Zealand was a missed opportunity to be sure, however, cannabis reform is still moving forward in other ways.

Medical cannabis was already legal in New Zealand prior to the failed referendum vote, and recently medical cannabis flower was permitted for limited use. Per excerpts from an article first published by Newshub:

The cannabis buds from Australian pharmaceutical company ANTG have approval from the Ministry of Health to be prescribed to patients with chronic pain, but only in the form of a tea.

“This is a great day for New Zealand, just across the Tasman they’ve had dried flowers available to be prescribed by doctors for at least two to three years – we’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Green Doctors co-founder Mark Hotu says.

While this cannabis flower contains less than one percent THC, others due on the market later in the year will contain much more.

It is always perplexing why lawmakers and regulators around the globe seem to be so scared of cannabis flower. A number of jurisdictions that permit medical cannabis products simultaneously continue to ban sales of dried flower.

The reasoning offered up for such flower bans always seems to hinge on lawmakers and regulators wanting to deter patients from combusting and inhaling cannabis flower.

What that reasoning fails to account for is that some patients benefit more from smoking and/or vaporizing inhaled flower compared to ingesting cannabis via a pill or tincture or other delivery methods. It also doesn’t account for the fact that patients will still seek out unregulated flower if it’s not available legally, and the end result of the ban is simply that patients will be consuming less-safe medicine.

Suffering patients deserve to have unimpeded, safe access to any and all forms of cannabis that help treat their condition. It’s the logical and compassionate approach that every country needs to pursue via every reasonable means necessary, including in New Zealand.

Israel Plans To Decriminalize CBD Two Years From Now

Written by Johnny Green on March 3, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is arguably the most popular cannabinoid on the planet right now, at least by some measures. For instance, over the course of the last year searches on Google for ‘CBD’ have far exceeded searches for ‘THC’.

Products infused with CBD can be found almost all over the planet these days it seems like, with CBD being infused into all types of products including edibles, topicals, and even fabrics. Unfortunately, CBD is still illegal in some countries, including in Israel.

Israel’s government recently announced plans to finally decriminalize CBD, however, it’s a policy change that is not going to happen any time soon. Per Haaretz:

The Health Ministry has begun the process of exempting CBD, or cannabidiol, one of the active ingredients in cannabis, from its list of dangerous drugs.

According to the ministry’s plan announced Monday, sales of the chemical substance, which is used in food, medical and cosmetic products, will be permitted in about two years, after authorities complete all the necessary preparations.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said decriminalizing CBD was part of a greater push “for the regulation of the cannabis plant,” adding that “it is widely agreed [CBD] should not be classified as a dangerous drug.”

Israel has long served as an international leader when it comes to cannabis research, and it makes no sense why the country would have such a harsh approach to CBD. After all, CBD does not induce euphoria.

In the United States, where medical cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, hemp-derived CBD is legal and sold nationwide. CBD products are sold all over Europe. Even in Thailand, where people used to get the death penalty for cannabis offenses, CBD is legal nationwide.

Putting aside that CBD is still illegal in Israel, which is odd to say the least, why is it going to take two years before CBD is exempted from Israel’s list of dangerous drugs? For a country that is so progressive on cannabis policy in some ways, Israel is clearly on the wrong side of history when it comes to CBD.

Costa Rican Lawmakers Approve Another Medical Cannabis Bill

Written by Johnny Green on March 2, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Last year lawmakers in Costa Rica passed a medical cannabis bill and sent it to the Costa Rican President for his signature. Rather than sign the measure into law, Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada sat on the bill for a long time.

For months Quesada aired grievances about the measure, indicating that it wasn’t strict enough. All the while he would sprinkle in statements that he knows people that benefit from medical cannabis and isn’t against medical cannabis in general.

Ultimately, Quesada would go on to veto the medical cannabis measure earlier this year. According to The Tico Times, at the time Quesada wanted parts of the bill modified, specifically the wording around self-consumption and self-cultivation.

Why The Veto?

President Quesada indicated that he felt the previously identified areas undermined “legitimate” objectives of the bill and ‘could pose a public safety risk.’

“I want to say categorically that I support medical cannabis,” Quesada said to The Tico Times after the veto decision was rendered.

“This is to alleviate people with various diseases and I even have close and very dear people who need it. And I also support industrial hemp, because it will help agricultural production and economic revival. Let’s make this very clear: I agree with all these objectives and I want to be able to sign this law,” he said.

The move by Costa Rica’s president was described at the time as being a partial veto, however, the ultimate end result was that nothing got passed and it yielded the same effect as a full veto.

A Revised Measure

It did not take long for lawmakers in Costa Rica to revise the medical cannabis measure in a way that addressed President Quesada’s expressed concerns. Lawmakers passed the revised measure this week and sent it back to Quesada’s desk. Per El Mundo (translated by Google):

This Tuesday the deputies approved project 21,388, Law of cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic use and of hemp for food and industrial use.

The initiative that had the vote in favor of 35 deputies and only 4 against; was presented by Deputy Zoila Volio.

Costa Rica’s President previously indicated that he will sign the new measure, which did not include provisions for home cultivation. Only time will tell if President Quesada will make good on his promise.