Forbes • 19th July 2025

Czech President Signs Bill To Decriminalize Recreational Cannabis For Personal Use

The President of the Czech Republic has signed a bill that decriminalizes recreational cannabis for personal use and home cultivation, but not its sale. President Petr Pavel signed several laws on July 17, including one that amends the Criminal Code to ease restrictions on recreational cannabis, allowing possession and home cultivation.Under the new regulations, adults over the age of 21 can legally grow up to three cannabis plants per person and possess up to 100 grams of cannabis flower, with...

Forbes • 18th July 2025

U.S. House Committee Advances Spending Bill That Would Block Cannabis Rescheduling

A House subcommittee has approved a spending bill that includes measures to block the Department of Justice from moving forward with cannabis rescheduling. The Republican-led House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Related Agencies on July 15 approved a spending bill in a 9-6 vote that includes a provision that would prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using funds to reschedule cannabis.The move would further stall the process of reviewing cannabis init...

Forbes • 12th July 2025

Senate Committee Approves Ban On Intoxicating Hemp To Take Effect In One Year

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the FY2026 Agriculture-FDA spending bill, which includes a provision banning intoxicating hemp products, but implementation would be delayed for one year. The committee approved the FY26 Agriculture-FDA spending bill on Thursday by a 27–0 vote. The bill provides $27.1 billion in annual funding for agriculture programs for the coming fiscal year. It also includes an amendment redefining hemp, which “closes the hemp loophole that has resulted in the...

Forbes • 26th June 2025

Thailand Moves To Ban Recreational Cannabis After Three Years Of Decriminalization

Thailand is planning to reintroduce a ban on recreational cannabis use, limiting consumption to medical purposes only, after three years of decriminalization that saw a rapid expansion of the recreational market. The move follows Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin’s signing of a new directive this week to regulate cannabis, allowing its use strictly for medical purposes and banning unlicensed cannabis sales. Under the proposed changes, reported by local news outlet Khaosod, individuals see...

CannIntelligence • 18th June 2025

CBD shops in Italy vow to remain open despite government ban on hemp flower | CannIntelligence

A security decree banning the sale of hemp flower in Italy has come into effect, but many business operators say they intend to continue their activities.The decree, initially approved in April, passed the Senate on 4th June and came into force on 9th June following its publication in the Official Gazette. A security decree banning the sale of hemp flower in Italy has come into effect, but many business operators say they intend to continue their activities. The decree, initially approved in A...

Forbes • 18th June 2025

Aurora Cannabis Faces Class Action Over Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Risk

Aurora Cannabis is facing a class action led by a Canadian military veteran, who alleges that the company didn’t adequately warn consumers about Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), a condition the plaintiff says was caused by its products. The class action was certified last month in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice and is being brought by Canadian law firm Sotos Class Actions. It seeks to represent all individuals in Canada who purchased Aurora Cannabis products between February 2015 and Ma...

The New Arab • 17th June 2025

UNIFIL at a crossroads: Is a crisis on the horizon for Lebanon's peacekeepers?

A crisis is looming for UNIFIL ahead of a UN Security Council vote to renew its mandate, with the mission under pressure from Israel and the US.

Forbes • 12th June 2025

German Court Rules Inmates Can Legally Possess Cannabis In Their Cells

A German court has ruled that prisoners who possess up to 50 grams of cannabis are not committing a criminal offense or administrative violation, as prison cells qualify as a ‘habitual residence’ under the country’s cannabis law. The Berlin court has recently ruled that a defendant serving a two-year and three-month prison sentence was not criminally liable for possessing 45.06 grams of cannabis resin in his cell, as it was intended for personal use. The court stated that the prison cell qualifi...

Forbes • 7th June 2025

Republican-Led House Committee Passes Bill To Ban Hemp Products With THC

A Republican-led House committee has approved a spending bill that includes a measure to ban all hemp products with THC nationwide, a move that could upend the entire U.S. hemp industry. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies approved on June 5 the fiscal year 2026 spending proposal in a 9–7 vote, sending it to the full Committee. The bill covers a wide range of issues, including hemp. One section of the bill wo...

Forbes • 6th June 2025

U.S. Seniors Nearly Double Cannabis Use In Just Two Years, Study Finds

U.S. Seniors are turning to cannabis more than ever, with use nearly doubling in the past two years, a new study shows. Published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, four researchers from the University of California and NYU Langone Health found that monthly cannabis use among adults aged 65 and older increased from 4.8% in 2021 to 7% in 2023, resulting in a 45.83% increase. The reasons for this increase are attributed to several factors, including greater access to cannabis. As of today, medic...

The New Arab • 5th June 2025

The Trump family's lucrative Middle East business empire

From golf courses to crypto, the Trump business empire is booming in the Middle East. But is there a conflict of interest with US foreign policy?

Forbes • 5th June 2025

Czech Republic To Decriminalize Cannabis As Legalization Plan Stalls

The lower house of the Czech Republic has approved an amendment that would decriminalize cannabis for personal use at a time when the process of full legalization is stalled. The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic passed an amendment last week with an overwhelming majority of 142 out of 159 votes. The amendment would modify the Criminal Code to ease restrictions on cannabis possession and cultivation, and it is part of a broader series of changes aimed at introducing alternative punishmen...

Forbes • 29th May 2025

London Mayor Backs Cannabis Decriminalization As New Report Examines Current Laws

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is backing a new report that calls for cannabis decriminalization, renewing his vocal support to end the persecution of individuals possessing small amounts of cannabis. The London Drugs Commission today published a 320-page report on the implications of recreational cannabis use in London and the impact of current laws, presenting a detailed analysis of written and oral evidence from over 200 experts and academics. The report concludes that while cannabis can ca...

Forbes • 28th May 2025

Germany Issues First Tax Stamp For CBD Flowers

A German CBD company is the first to receive a tax stamp from Customs for its THC-free CBD flowers, marking a breakthrough that shows Germany recognizes such products can be legally marketed as industrial hemp. Announced by the CBD wholesaler Sanaleo and confirmed by the German Cannabis Business Association this month, the issuance of the tax stamp sets a precedent that could potentially redefine the legal and tax framework for CBD flowers in the European country. CBD in the European Union is ca...

Forbes • 27th May 2025

U.S. Cannabis Employment Declines Amid Strategic Staffing And Growing Sales, Report Finds

Jobs in the cannabis industry went down by 3.4% in 2024, even though retail sales went up by 4.5%, signalling that companies are changing the way they approach hiring, focusing more on strategy than expansion, according to a new report released this month by cannabis hiring platform Vangst along with consulting firm Whitney Economics. The 2025 Cannabis Jobs Report showed that by early 2025, 425,002 people were working in the legal cannabis sector in the U.S., a 3.4% drop compared to the year bef...

Forbes • 22nd May 2025

Far-Red Light Boosts THC In Some Cannabis Strains And Lowers Energy Use, Study Suggests

Far-red lights can improve yield and the quality of specific cannabis strains, and reduce energy costs and carbon emissions amid energy-intensive cannabis cultivation, according to a new study. Published in Nature this week, this Australian government-funded study, conducted by researchers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Southern Cross University, analyzed whether the daily light period to which cannabis plants were exposed could be shortened from 12 to 10...

Forbes • 20th May 2025

Ukraine Launches Its Largest Industrial Hemp Processing Plant

Ukraine is making a bold entrance into the European hemp market with the launch of its largest industrial processing plant, aimed at revitalizing a once-thriving sector and signaling resilience through innovation. Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy announced last week that the Ma’Ryzhany Hemp Company has begun operating what is now the country’s largest hemp processing facility. The plant is located in the Ma’Ryzhany industrial park in the Zhytomyr region of the war-torn country. The company has turn...

Forbes • 14th May 2025

Texas Lawmakers Approve Bill To Expand Medical Cannabis Program

A new bill has been approved by Texas lawmakers to broaden the state’s medical cannabis program, which would increase the number of qualifying medical conditions and allow the prescription of vaping cannabis products. The Texas House on Monday approved a bill aimed at expanding the list of conditions that make patients eligible for the state’s medical cannabis program. Backed by Representatives Ken King (Republican) and Penny Morales Shaw (Democrat), the bipartisan measure advanced through commi...

Forbes • 1st May 2025

Cannabis May Boost Memory In PTSD But Harm It In Others, Study Suggests

Regular cannabis use could boost a key memory function in people with PTSD, according to a new study, which shows that for those with severe symptoms, cannabis may improve the brain’s ability to distinguish between similar but different experiences or memories. However, for people with mild or no PTSD, the effect might be the opposite. In a study published in the scientific journal npj Mental Health Research, researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcar...

CannIntelligence • 30th April 2025

Italy’s top court rules that oral CBD products are prescription drugs | CannIntelligence

Italy’s Regional Administrative Court (TAR) has dismissed an appeal challenging the Ministry of Health’s decree to classify oral CBD products as narcotics.This decision, taken on 16th April, was based on the precautionary principle, as it took into account the potential for trace amounts of THC in CBD oil, which may pose health risks or cause dependence. Italy’s Regional Administrative Court (TAR) has dismissed an appeal challenging the Ministry of Health’s decree to classify oral CBD products...