Forbes • 21st October 2021

Stop Using Indica And Sativa Labels For Cannabis, Study Says

In recent years, the cannabis industry has bred and churned out plenty of new strains labeling them with the most funny and creative names: CannaSutra, Northern Lights, Gandalf OG, Purple Monkey Balls. Cannabis producers always label strains to Indica and Sativa types to show their effects. Generally, while Indica strains have sedating and relaxing effects, Sativa strains give you euphoric and energizing effects. Furthermore, these cannabis types differ from the morphology of the plant. Howeve

DW.COM • 18th October 2021

Lebanon to resume talks with IMF, but outcome uncertain

Lebanon is to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the country seeks the financial support it needs to cope with its economic and financial crisis.

DW.COM • 15th October 2021

Lebanon: Day of mourning in Beirut as world powers call for calm after clashes

A day after sectarian clashes erupted in central Beirut, Lebanon's presidency declared a day of mourning. Banks, schools and government offices were closed, and Lebanese Army armored personnel carriers patrolled the streets. Barbed wire festooned the entrance to some areas one day after seven Shiite Muslims were killed.

Forbes • 15th October 2021

Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde Capital Invests $15 Million In Medical Cannabis Made In Portugal

Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde Capital makes its first investment in Continental Europe’s medical cannabis space by investing $15 million into Portuguese medical cannabis company AceCann. The funding round of seed financing was led by venture firm Casa Verde with participation from Portuguese venture capital firm Lince Capital, as well as with public funding and debt capital. AceCann will use the investment to develop a production facility in Vendas Novas, Portugal, dedicated to the organic cultivati

Forbes • 13th October 2021

Levi’s Aims To Use More Hemp For Its Fashion Collections

The latest Levi Strauss & Co. report provides an insight into the state-of-the-art hemp use in its clothing collections. The company recognizes hemp as one of the most efficient sources to make its clothing sustainable. The American clothing company known for its Levi’s brand of denim jeans highlights how hemp is a highly sustainable fabric as it requires less water and fewer pesticides to grow than traditional cotton. Between 2019 and 2020, Levi’s partnered up with the Swedish recycling text

Rolling Stone UK • 12th October 2021

Can the UK turn over a new leaf on cannabis?

As the legislation of cannabis continues to move towards wider decriminalisation in the US and Europe, Dario Sabaghi examines the obstacles it faces in the UK.

Forbes • 6th October 2021

Inside Amazon’s Support To Legalize Marijuana At The Federal Level

Amazon is taking action to push cannabis legalization at the federal level. It realized that the lack of national regulation on cannabis creates several hurdles that undermine its growth. But beyond its official claims, cannabis legalization would pave Amazon the way to enter the cannabis industry. In June, Amazon announced to treat cannabis in the same way as alcohol by no longer including marijuana in its comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department o

Forbes • 29th September 2021

Study: Cannabis Legalization Doesn’t Increase Daily Use, But Racial Discrimination Persists

While over 18 states have legalized cannabis for recreational use, there are few studies about changes in cannabis use outcomes by race and ethnicity following cannabis legalization. But researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that cannabis legalization does not change daily cannabis use among people while racial discrimination persists. They have recently published a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which explores the associati

Forbes • 25th September 2021

Over 500,000 Signatures To Decriminalize Cannabis In Italy Are Trapped In A Bureaucratic Quagmire

Italy’s ballot campaign on cannabis decriminalization has achieved over 500,000 signatures in one week, but it is trapped in a bureaucratic quagmire. Italians are craving cannabis decriminalization. Hundreds of thousands of people showed it by joining the ballot campaign, which would allow people to cultivate and possess cannabis without penalties. Italy’s ballot campaign on cannabis decriminalization achieved 500,000 verified electronic signatures in only one week against expectations. Accor

DW.COM • 23rd September 2021

How the US and Iran compete to fuel Lebanon

Lebanon has been mired in economic crisis since 2019. Recently, a severe fuel crisis has gripped the country and has exacerbated the situation considerably.

Forbes • 22nd September 2021

Drake, Kevin Garnett And Other Celebrities Urge President Biden To Release Marijuana Prisoners

Drake, Killer Mike, Deion Sanders, Kevin Garnett, and other celebrities have signed a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden requesting a general pardon to all persons subjected to a federal criminal or civil enforcement based on non-violent marijuana offenses. The Weldon Project’s President Weldon Angelos and Academy for Justice director Erik Luna gained signatures to the letter from over 150 artists, athletes, producers, lawmakers, and other professionals. Signers urge President Biden to grant a

DW.COM • 17th September 2021

Lebanon resumes forensic central bank audit amid obstructionism

Lebanon is resuming a long-awaited forensic audit to shed light on the financial disaster that mired the country in a crippling economic collapse.

Forbes • 17th September 2021

WADA Will Review Cannabis Ban Following Sha’Carri Richardson’s Suspension

The World Anti-Doping Agency will review its ban on cannabis following Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension from Tokyo Olympics. WADA’s Executive Committee met on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, to take several decisions and made recommendations to the Agency’s Foundation Board for its next meeting in November. Among its recommendations, WADA Executive Committee endorsed the review of cannabis status on the Prohibited List. In a press release, WADA stated that following receipt of requests from sev

Forbes • 14th September 2021

Inside Italy’s Push To Decriminalize Recreational Cannabis

A new chapter to end marijuana prohibition in Italy has just begun. Several pro-cannabis organizations and political parties launched a ballot campaign last week to decriminalize the domestic cultivation of cannabis and end penalties for personal use. Around 100,000 Italian citizens have already joined the campaign, but proponents need to collect at least 500,000 verified electronic signatures by September 30 to proceed with the ballot campaign. The referendum aims to decriminalize marijuana c

8th September 2021

What Cannabis and Psychedelics Industries can learn from each other

It is also the home of the psychedelics renaissance. Denver, the most populous city and capital of Colorado, has become the first place in the United States to decriminalize magic mushrooms in 2019. Voters in Denver chose to decriminalize adult possession and use of psilocybin, a compound produced by more than 200 mushrooms. Psilocybin is a prodrug which means it is a compound that once it is taken is metabolised into a pharmacologically active drug. Its effects include psychedelic experiences,

Forbes • 7th September 2021

Study: High-CBD Hemp Strains May Contain Higher THC Levels Than Expected

A new study has found that commercially available high-CBD industrial hemp strains may contain illegal THC levels, which may put the work of hemp growers at risk. The finding of the researchers of the University of Georgia published in Frontiers in Genetics in July 2021 warn CBD hemp growers of unreliable hemp strains that may put them at risk to grow illegal hemp crops. Hot hemp, or hot crops, is a term to define hemp with a THC level above 0.3%, the legal threshold set by the 2018 Farm Bill,

25th August 2021

The French Awaits Cannabis Revolution - By Dario Sabaghi

That’s why the National Assembly, the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament, launched an online consultation on cannabis legalization on 13th January 2021. However, this survey won’t legalize cannabis. Instead, it will provide information about the French public’s views about cannabis and help understand what drug policies people want. Experts see this survey as a first step that would lead to cannabis legalization, although consultation won’t change the current legislation on cannabis

Forbes • 25th August 2021

FDA Rejects Full-Spectrum CBD As A Dietary Supplement

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reaffirmed that CBD can’t be marketed as a dietary supplement. FDA objected to two application forms from CBD companies Charlotte’s Web and Irwin Naturals in August. The two companies filed New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) notifications for full-spectrum CBD extracts to FDA in early 2021. FDA has rejected the two notifications as CBD is the active ingredient in the approved drug product Epidiolex, and it can't be marketed as a dietary supplement. FDA’s

The New Arab • 19th August 2021

Climate change: Can the Middle East reach net zero emissions by 2050?

Analysis: The Middle East is already feeling the impact of climate change in alarming ways. Regional efforts to tackle these challenges are bold, but are they realistic?

Forbes • 18th August 2021

What You Need To Know About Cannabis Allergy

As more states are legalizing recreational and medical cannabis across the United States, the cannabis market is growing. But as more people consume cannabis, potential adverse events to the plant are becoming evident, including cannabis allergy. Some cannabis consumers may suffer from a cannabis allergy, which is a body reaction to the cannabis plant. It has recently become relevant because of recent legalization in the U.S. and Canada. Although the study on cannabis allergy is still in its