Skip to main content
france flag france flag france flag france flag france flag france flag france flag france flag

Former President Of France Francois Hollande Supports Adult Use Cannabis

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

While not willing to say he is “in favour” of consumption, he does believe that better control of the drug can be handled by legalization

In a sign that things are changing on the cannabis conversation even in France, which just this year reluctantly moved forward on a highly limited medical trial, Francois Hollande, who led the country between 2012 and 2017, came out with a statement in favour of the establishment of an adult-use market in the country.

Citing less his support for the industry and more as a common-sense one, designed to regulate the industry, prevent it from getting into the wrong hands, and making a dent on the black market.

The German Example

Citing the decision of Germany’s new “Traffic Light” Coalition to move forward with a recreational use plan, Hollande stressed that cannabis reform could not just be limited to a national discussion but rather tackled on a European level.

Hollande also believes that just decriminalizing the drug without providing for a regulated, legal market makes no sense. As he said in an interview with a European news organization, “As soon as it is legalized, there is no longer any reason to penalize, except those who could drive while having smoked or those who harm their health and the health of others by overconsuming.”

How Fast Will Reform Move in France?

France is one of the slowest moving European countries on the issue of formal reform – or at least it has been so far. Current President, Emanual Macron proposed earlier this year to launch a national debate on the issue. Perhaps the German decision to move forward will also speed this up now too.

Regardless, for a prominent former politician to take a stand on cannabis reform is a significant step, particularly given the fact that he pinned his logic on the German example.

The Great Teutonic Tipping Point for Cannabis?

It is very clear, regardless of how fast reform actually moves in France, or anywhere else in Europe for that matter, that recreational reform has now entered the mainstream debate. The German market will continue to drive the discussion forward – both on the medical and now on the recreational front. 

And even if it is not next year, or the next several after that, the writing is on the wall. France will follow suit.

Make sure to stay on top of European developments in the fast-paced and changing cannabis industry by attending the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Barcelona, Berlin and Zurich next year.

earth from space earth from space earth from space earth from space earth from space earth from space earth from space earth from space earth from space earth from space

Former National Leaders Call For Global Cannabis Reform

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Nick Clegg, the former Liberal Democratic leader, calls for legalization in the UK, following global trends

Citing the German and American cannabis market reforms, Nick Clegg, the former British Prime Minister, has now gone public with his support for cannabis legalization in the UK. In doing so, he is joining other public figures globally including four Nobel Laureates, in calling for a radical overhaul of not just British but global cannabis policy. Indeed, leaders from countries including New Zealand (former PM Helen Clark), Columbia (former president Juan Manuel Santos), Switzerland (Ruth Dreifuss, former president) and others have also added their voices of support in a new report called Time to End Prohibition.

Clegg’s comments come not only just after the momentous news that Germany’s new government will move forward on recreational reform as early as next year and as the UK unveils a new Ten-Year Strategy to combat drug crime and related issues that will target users and dealers with a hefty price tag of about $330 million.

Time For a Global Change

There is clearly a renewed call for such reforms now that Germany, Europe’s largest economy has announced a forward motion on the legalization topic as of next year. 

Further, as the debate continues to escalate (including at the UN level), there is a clear trade-off emerging in policy approaches to reform. Many countries, now cash-strapped because of Covid, are looking at the cannabis sector to create economic development opportunities.

The UK, while behind other countries is unlikely to sit this one out for the long term. Starting with the fact that despite onerous cannabis policies, the UK is still a cannabis exporting country.

International vs. Sovereign Reform

For the last ten years, cannabis reform has been very much a sovereign discussion. However, with Europe now entering the fray on a regional level and multiple countries around the world putting at least medical reform on the front burner, the conversation has clearly shifted. Further, the Covid Pandemic has also clearly shown the industry is an essential one – and further one that so far, has proven to be, if not Pandemic Proof, growing despite the global health crisis.

It is undoubtedly easier for those out of office now to lead the call for political change – but as Germany has shown this is also beginning to shift – particularly as new governments come into power. Indeed, Germany is not the first coalition government to enter office on the promise of cannabis reform. See Luxembourg in 2018.

However, the fact that so many former leaders are now calling on those who replaced them to move the conversation forward is just another sign that the globe is moving in a green direction and will certainly not turn back.

The International Cannabis Business Conference returns to Europe in 2022! Stay tuned.

cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil cbd oil

Is The FDA Going To Issue Commercial CBD Regulations Soon?

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Three years ago the United States Congress, via the 2018 Farm Bill, legalized hemp nationwide, and with it, cannabidiol (CBD) products derived from hemp. Given how long domestic hemp cultivation was previously illegal in the United States, it was a very big deal.

Since that time domestic CBD products have proliferated store shelves all across the United States, with products coming in all types and forms, from shampoo to drinks to toothpicks (literally).

However, comprehensive regulations for over-the-counter commercial CBD products have yet to be implemented, and from what it sounds like, no one should expect regulations any time soon. Below is more about it via our friends at NORML:

Washington, DC: Nearly three years following the passage of federal legislation legalizing hemp production, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to promulgate rules regulating the marketing and sale of commercial products containing hemp-derived CBD.

Speaking last month at the National Industrial Hemp Business Summit in Washington, DC, FDA representative Gail Sipes said that the agency cannot move forward with regulations without more data on the safety of CBD products. She reiterated the agency’s position that companies which market CBD-infused products as either food products or as dietary supplements are violating the Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Act.

NORML and other groups have urged the FDA to provide regulatory guidelines overseeing the production, testing, labeling, and marketing of hemp-derived CBD products. Analyses conducted by the FDA and others have consistently reported that many over-the-counter (OTC) CBD products are of variable quality and potency, and that they may contain contaminants or elevated levels of heavy metals.

Survey data compiled last year by the National Consumers League reported that more than eight in ten US voters desire greater federal regulatory oversight over the labeling and marketing of commercially available CBD products.

In a report provided by the FDA to Congress in 2020, the agency said that regulating OTC CBD products presents unique challenges because the substance is already available as a FDA-approved medicine (Epidiolex).

Additional information is available from the NORML fact sheet, “FAQs About Cannabidiol (CBD).”

hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp hemp

European Parliament Agrees To Raise THC In Hemp – Equivalent Of US Farm Bill

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The European Parliament has agreed to raise the THC limits in hemp to .03%, bringing the EU into line with the US. Will this mean a growing new international hemp trade between the US and Europe?

Late last week, the European Parliament agreed on a new Common Agricultural Policy for the region, which goes into effect on January 1st, 2023. Namely hemp grown in EU countries can have a THC content of up to 0.3%. This is up from the current limit of 0.2% (at least at the EU level). National regulations within the region are already all over the place. 

This change has been bubbling for some time. However now that it has been formally adopted into something so fundamental as regional agricultural policy, there is little chance of the tide turning back on CBD. Namely as has also been widely feared that CBD would again be ruled a narcotic and at a regional level. With this announcement, there is little chance of that happening.

Implications

This is a very important moment for the hemp industry across Europe – and will invigorate the industry much like the passage of the federal hemp bill in the United States in 2018. What this means is that there is a regional minimum standard. Obviously, sovereign laws take precedence. However, what this does is set a bar that latecomers to the discussion will essentially have at least considered as a reference guide as they wrestle with full and final cannabis reform.

A Magic Cure-all?

While highly significant, this is not, however, the end of the hemp industry’s problems in Europe. Chief among those, starting in Germany, is the remaining inclusion of even CBD in national narcotics acts. For this reason, while a very big step that the hemp lobby, for one, is rightly celebrating, it is still not one that entirely overcomes the many issues even this part of the industry is still facing.

Indeed, the only real way to normalize the CBD discussion is to reconnect it, once again, to the THC one as multiple countries in Europe now wrestle with full and final legalization, even if only of the home grow kind.

However, luckily for everyone in every part of the industry, that is now a conversation that is fully underway.

Be sure to stay tuned to the International Cannabis Business Conference blog for the latest cannabis reform developments in Europe.

hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd hemp seed clone plant cbd

Is‌ ‌European‌ ‌Recreational‌ ‌Cannabis‌ ‌Legalization‌ ‌Starting‌ ‌With‌ ‌Home‌ ‌Grow‌ ‌First?‌ ‌

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

A trend is developing – Italy, Luxembourg and now Malta, are on the verge of “recreational reform” that only allows for the personal cultivation of a limited number of cannabis plants. Is this the new “normal” until Germany leads the way?

If there is such a thing as a “trend” afoot in the European recreational cannabis reform discussion, then this is clearly one. Home grow is a hot topic in multiple European countries right now that are all publicly claiming to be implementing “recreational reform.” 

This is of course a huge irony considering not quite so recent developments. Namely, of course, that just as the Swiss are gearing up to launch their rec trial in 2022, Germany will probably legalize some kind of commercial marketplace and infrastructure, even if they kick the can down the road for a market start. Furthermore, it is precisely because the Germans did NOT want to tangle with the issue of patient home growing for medical use that the Bundestag passed the medical reform bill they did in 2017.

How four years ago. Not to mention, how much has changed.

In Germany right now, despite rising patient numbers, the pushback from the insurers and MDK is still considerable, in part because of the cost of cannabis treatment (still, sadly) and because cannabis is still considered a “drug of last resort.” Patients who cannot prove this, of course, are in the deep end of hell.

This is why the revived European home grow trend is so interesting. It also means that there will probably be some kind of home grow provision in the German recreational reform language. There must be. Nobody wants to penalize patients who still cannot get prescribing doctors or healthcare approval.

Regardless, this is a very, very interesting trend indeed. It means that there will be a huge interest in the mom-and-pop grassroots, even if such efforts have little chance of becoming legit. The Canadian model, for starters, showed that the commercial market’s largest competitor was patients.

The fact that this trend is now starting to take place in Europe is also a testament to the perhaps late realization by the powers that be that if medical reform takes place, there is little to stop the ball from rolling forward, starting with the fact that those who are sick and cannot get the drug any other way, will also almost always resort to “other” channels to get the only drug that seems to make a difference. 

With a focus on stamping out the black market, this also then pushes the discussion, in European countries right now at any rate, into a gentle slope that may start with home grow but in fact is a tipping point for full and final reform.

Be sure to keep up with European cannabis business trends – attend the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Europe next spring and summer.

luxembourg luxembourg

Is Luxembourg Planning On Sidestepping Real Rec Reform?

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The European country has had rec reform on its legislative agenda for the last three years. However, it increasingly looks like such plans have no intention of creating a commercial industry.

The coalition government of Luxembourg has been in the global spotlight since 2018 since it formally announced it planned to legalize recreational cannabis by 2023. Since then, however, exact steps and formal timelines have been assiduously avoided. Indeed, there have been many rumours in the last several months that the country planned to enter this space in a way that might be unexpected.

That lack of clarity came to an end last week when the government put its proposal online.

Here are some of the surprising details.

The Government Will Legalize Home Grow

Luxembourgian citizens will have the right to grow four plants at home – either indoors or outdoors – if the cannabis grow is secured and not visible to anyone passing by a public road. This is a per household, not resident law, meaning that no matter how many people live at a single address, the four plant rule will apply. This means that cannabis could be grown indoors, outdoors in a private garden, or on a balcony, out of sight of public view. 

The cannabis can be grown from seeds that will be available in stores in Luxembourg as well as imported online from overseas. This will be a huge boost for the seed stores in Holland and Spain (for starters). It may also lead to a booming “pre-recreational” cannabis market in seeds but nothing else.

Persons caught in public with more than 3 grams will still face an administrative fine (€145). 

The donation or sale of cannabis will remain illegal.

For a government that has also supposedly studied “other models” – starting with Canada, this is remarkably slow off the bat approach. Regardless, in a space currently defined by Holland and nobody else, it was unlikely that the Luxembourgian experiment was going to blow any doors off in terms of breaking the mold.

That honour will almost certainly fall to Germany – which of course in the last week has also seen its new political leaders declare that cannabis reform is a common plank if not top priority.

In the meantime, however, there will begin to be a limited cannabis market in Luxembourg, if only confined to seeds and home grow setups. And Switzerland, as well as Germany, will now almost undoubtedly set the pace for the rest of Europe.

Be sure to keep abreast of the now rapidly moving cannabis reform discussion in Europe by staying up to date with the International Cannabis Business Conference blog! Don’t forget, the International Cannabis Business Conference is returning to Europe in 2022.

Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany Berlin Germany

German Coalition Government In Waiting Sends Positive Signal On Recreational Cannabis Reform

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The news that the so-called “traffic light” coalition had decided to work together on some kind of recreational cannabis reform is a positive step – but there are many details along the way to be done and dusted.

Last week, the news that the pending coalition government in waiting had come to an agreement on changing German cannabis policy spread, virally, within hours, first from German-language sites to English ones – and from cannabis specialty blogs to mainstream news.

The announcement, no matter how many details remain to be ironed out, is in fact, big news. It signals that the coalition government of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP will prioritize legislation as early as next year to start to tackle the entire recreational cannabis conversation. While the police have recently come out against recreational reform, just on a safety front, the green tide has turned here, and everyone knows it. Further it is a relatively easy lay-up win for a new government which is looking for ways to work together and gain points with an electorate that just voted the CDU out of power for the first time since the end of WWII.

That said, the devil is in the details – and this being Germany, there are a few to think about.

By far, the most important issue is how to redefine cannabis legally – and further to carve out medical versus recreational use starting with the German Narcotics Act. And that is daunting.

Here is why. Cannabis is listed as a narcotic in the Act. This is already problematic as Germany is now out of step with current EU thinking on at least CBD (namely that it is not a narcotic). However, CBD is the least of the problems here. THC is, when used medically, technically a “narcotic” – and further one that fits neatly, and pharmacologically, in the medicine cabinet of definitions that include major pain drugs, starting with opioids. “Legalizing” this as a recreational substance will take some legal eagling and wordsmithing to figure out a new kind of definition for cannabis under German (as well as EU) law. This is particularly challenging when, at an international level at least, cannabis is still defined as a Schedule I drug.

The push towards compromise is also happening at a time when the rumours are that the European Commission may yet rescind its ruling that CBD is not a narcotic.

Given the political winds, it is unlikely that the new coalition, once it formally agrees to work together and takes power in early next year, as widely expected, will backtrack on its promises. But it is also very likely that what may emerge is clear decriminalization and a deliberately small, limited and highly expensive to access market – at least at first. There is precedent. See the German bid.

But then again, see the German bid – which left German firms out of the first iteration of the same. There is hope at least that German politicians might have learned something so far – if not from other countries than the first medical tender.

It is for this very reason that no matter how messy the first iteration of recreational reform is likely to be, that it will change the conversation here and in a meaningful way – not only in Germany but across Europe. And that is significant, indeed.

Book your booths now as the International Cannabis Business Conference begins to gear up for next year’s conferences in Barcelona, Berlin, and Zurich!

euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash euros currency coin money cash

Just How Much Would The German Recreational Market Be “Worth?”

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Business, Politics.

A new study by the Institute for Competition Economics at the University of Düsseldorf estimates that the German recreational market could be worth 4.7 billion euros – but what is all this estimating based on?

A new study by the University of Düsseldorf has estimated that legalizing cannabis could bring in as much as 4.7 billion euros a year to the German economy. In Germany, this includes not only the size of the market but the impact on tax revenues, social security contributions from the legalized business, and savings to the police and justice system. The study estimated that 1.8 billion euros of this amount would in fact flow directly into the state treasury.

Of course, all of this is just conjecture at this point. However, given the current furore over the possibility of recreational legalization here of late, a study on the potential worth of said industry was bound to get attention.

But what do such estimates really have to do with reality? After all, when it comes to cannabis, German consumers are just like consumers everywhere else. Not to mention an estimate, before the market has even started, anywhere, is just that. However, here are some contributing factors to consider (beyond the nitty-gritty of getting there).

Size Matters

Here is one way to think about the potential market here. Colorado’s population is just over 5 million and the recreational market there tops $10 billion as of this year (in real-time). Germany has a population of 80 million. It does not take a huge imagination to figure out that Deutschland may turn out to be the EU’s most valuable recreational market, beyond its medical one.

There are a couple of differences to consider right off the bat of course. The first is that there is a real medical market here – and unlike in Colorado, health insurance does cover medical cannabis. Indeed, there are about 100,000 patients in the German system. That number is also going to increase over time – potentially to as much as 10% of the entire population.

What happens beyond that – in other words, a purchase of cannabis without a doctor’s prescription – is literally the great unknown. It is also established that consumers begin to use not only fewer illicit and prescription drugs but drink far less alcohol when cannabis is legal (at least in legalizing states and countries to date). In Germany, this is potentially a huge market – limited at this point by legalization and imagination. Culturally, Germans are ready for something new – particularly a plant they are hearing a great deal more about of late.

Beyond speculation, in other words, however, one thing is very clear. Germans are getting ready for some kind of recreational cannabis reform. And that is pretty massive.

Be sure to stay abreast of breaking European and global cannabis news and developments by following the International Cannabis Business Conference blog!

robert veverka robert veverka

Writing About Cannabis Is A Crime In Czech Republic

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

In early October we reported on a disturbing situation in the Czech Republic regarding a cannabis media company and its editor being persecuted by the government for doing nothing more than providing cannabis education. Unfortunately, the case resulted in a conviction, which is inhumane, to say the least.

It sets a dangerous precedent for the repression of freedom of speech and people’s right to information. If you care about freedom of the press, you are encouraged to donate to Robert Veverka’s crowdfunding transparent bank account no. 2900469065/2010
(IBAN: CZ4320100000002900469065, BIC/SWIFT: FIOBCZPPXXX - https://ib.fio.cz/ib/transparent?a=2900469065). The funds collected will be used to cover the costs of the lawsuit and for the further fight for freedom of expression. Below is more information about the case via a press release sent out by Magazin Legalizace:

On November 3, 2021, the Legalizace magazine and its editor-in-chief, Robert Veverka, were convicted of inciting and promoting “toxicomania” by the district court in the town of Bruntál.

The editor-in-chief, Robert Veverka, and the publishing company of the Legalizace magazine, both prosecuted since the summer of 2020 for allegedly inciting and promoting “toxicomania”, were given a one-year prison sentence contingent on a probationary period of two and a half years as well as a fine of 50,000 CZK by the district court in Bruntál following two court hearings.

According to the public prosecutor, Jan Žalman, Veverka and the publishing company have committed the crime of inciting and promoting toxicomania by publishing more than two hundred articles during 2010-2020 which allegedly gave the impression of cannabis processing and handling being legal, provided qualified instructions on cannabis cultivation, processing, and storage, and by publishing cannabis-themed advertisements as well as offering legal and freely marketable cannabis seeds which appeared several times as a supplement of the printed magazine issues. This conjecture was confirmed by Judge Marek Stach in his verdict on November 3, 2021, when he found the defendants guilty of the above.

Although the judge admitted that the Legalizace magazine gives the impression of a very objective medium, as it provides broadscale, comprehensive information and expert opinions as well as insight into the medical aspects of cannabis, he proclaimed the reason for his verdict is that some of the articles may incite the desire in certain individuals to acquire equipment that could enable them to grow, harvest, process, and use cannabis in a way which is illegal. The judge also stated that if the printed photographs depict cannabis flowers evidently covered with resin, these images cannot therefore be of industrial cannabis without psychoactive properties. According to the judge, such content is a temptation to readers; almost every issue of the magazine allegedly possesses the capability of influencing the conduct of readers and inciting them to abuse addictive substances. Although the majority of the articles found in the published magazine issues are legally sound, according to Judge Marek Stach, even one single article with the potential to incite readers is enough for the Legalizace magazine to constitute the crime of inciting and promoting toxicomania.

“The judge mentioned that he is not competent to assess the benefits of the current legislation, the benefits of cannabis products in healthcare, or the negative effects of cannabis use, but that he must base his verdict on the existing legislation which is binding for all. He stated that according to his judgement, Legalizace magazine evidently and factually constituted the criminal offence of inciting and promoting toxicomania. He did not take into account the legislative provisions allowing for cannabis to be handled legally in certain cases or the comprehensive and educational nature of the information published in the magazine. On the contrary, the judge expressed his doubts as to whether the individuals who granted interviews to the magazine were made aware of its content and overall message. Personally, I consider the verdict to be very biased and severely restrictive of the freedom of expression, the right to express political opinion, and the right to information,” says Robert Veverka.

The verdict is not final, the defendants are waiting for the written statement of the reasons for the court’s decision to be issued and will use this time to consider a possible appeal. The verdict has caused considerable outrage among the lay and expert public alike, which is calling on the newly appointed Chamber of Deputies to update the outdated legislation on psychoactive substances and the specific section of the law referring to the inciting and promoting of toxicomania.

If you care about freedom of the press, you are encouraged to donate to Robert Veverka’s crowdfunding transparent bank account no. 2900469065/2010 (IBAN: CZ4320100000002900469065, BIC/SWIFT: FIOBCZPPXXX – https://ib.fio.cz/ib/transparent?a=2900469065). The funds collected will be used to cover the costs of the lawsuit and for the further fight for freedom of expression.

Media Contact:

Robert Veverka, tel. +420 773 691 561, email: robert@legalpub.cz

Website: https://magazin-legalizace.cz/, FB: https://www.facebook.com/magazinlegalizace

Robert Veverka is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Legalizace magazine, the head of the Legalizace.cz NGO, a member of the Prague Council Commission for Drug Policy Coordination, and a representative and member of the Security Commission and Education Commission of the Prague 2 municipal borough.