decriminalization

Global cannabis brand comes to Thailand —despite 'legal vacuum'

South East AsiaThe arrival of a major US multi-state operator in Bangkok is a sign of the global cannabis industry's big ambitions for Thailand, the first Asian country to decriminalize. But with enabling legislation still pending, the regulatory environment remains uncertain.

Biden approaches trifecta of cannabis reform wish-list

Posted on December 5th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

BidenDespite a heretofore uninspiring record, Biden is poised to complete a trifecta of long-sought reforms of federal cannabis law: giving the industry access to financial services, expungement of convictions for possession, and allowing medical research.

Free speech under attack in Czech cannabis crackdown

Posted on December 11th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , .

PragueThe Czech Republic and especially its capital Prague have won a cachet among the international cannabis-cognoscenti. But now a local magazine dedicated to the cannabis culture may be forced to close by legal action — with its editor under threat of prison time.

Of all the post-communist countries, the Czech Republic is seen as the one that has best finessed the transition to an open society. Its predecessor state Czechoslovakia was at the forefront of the fight for freedom. Through it all, there was a strong whiff of alternative culture. The very word bohemia comes from one of the Czech Republic's two historical regions, Bohemia and Moravia.

Cannabis stocks paradoxically fall on Schumer legalization plan

Posted on July 21st, 2021 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

capitolIt's been a week since Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer of New York, joined by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), unveiled much-anticipated draft legislation to legalize cannabis at the federal level, calling it a "long overdue" move "to right the wrongs of the failed war on drugs." The proposed Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act would remove the plant from the Controlled Substances Act, and allow states to craft their own cannabis policies as they do with alcohol. It would also create a federal regulatory framework and impose an excise tax for cannabis products. It includes measures that would expunge prior convictions and allow those serving time for applicable crimes to petition for resentencing.

Mexico: high court decrees cannabis decrim — but will it roll back drug war?

Posted on June 29th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

MexicoTwo years and counting after Mexico’s Supreme Court ordered the country’s Congress to legalize cannabis, the high court justices ran out of patience with the legislative paralysis and issued a new ruling — this one removing penalties for personal use by judicial decree.

But there is no provision for commercial production, and the decree calls for tight federal regulation even of personal possession and cultivation. Will this move prove to be at least a beginning in the daunting challenge of ending Mexico’s long and bloody narco-nightmare?

Decrim bill clears Louisiana legislature

Posted on June 9th, 2021 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

LouisianaThe Louisiana Senate voted 20-17 on June 7 to lift criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis. Introduced by Rep. Cedric Glover (D-Shreveport), HB 652 was overwhelmingly approved by the House in a 68-25 vote in last month. It now awaits the signature of Gov. John Bel Edwards.

New York state of euphoria: MRTA becomes law at last

New YorkAfter years of activist effort, New York state finally passed the Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA), signed into law by a politically besieged Gov. Andrew Cuomo. This is being hailed as a victory by advocates, who pledge to craft a model of legalization that will dismantle a long legacy of racism and oppression under the prohibition regime.

Voters in six states pass cannabis-related ballot measures

leafVoters in Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon and South Dakota passed statewide ballot measures favoring medical marijuana, adult-use cannabis legalization or hemp cultivation in the Nov. 3 elections.

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