Forbes • 2nd October 2023

Thailand To Reconsider Cannabis Decriminalization Amid Thriving Market

Thailand's new government is reconsidering ending the ongoing decriminalization of cannabis almost two years after it became the first Asian country to do so. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has recently vowed to roll back 2022 cannabis legislation amid a hardline anti-narcotics campaign pledged during the latest election campaign. In an interview with Bloomberg Television in New York while attending the UN General Assembly, Srettah made clear that cannabis in the country will be used for medi

Forbes • 29th September 2023

What Would The SAFER Banking Act Mean For The Marijuana Industry?

The marijuana industry in the United States writes a new chapter of its history with the vote of the Senate Committee on the bill that would secure access for businesses to financial institutions. The Senate Committee passed The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act with a 14-9 vote on Wednesday, September 27, after weeks of negotiations and revisions to reach a bipartisan agreement. The SAFER Banking Act replaces the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Act, a bill that has never r

Forbes • 26th September 2023

Online Marijuana Shops Lack Proper Age Verification System For Minors, Study Finds

A new study has revealed that numerous online dispensaries have inadequate age verification security systems, potentially allowing children to purchase marijuana without undergoing proper and secure age verification processes. As both medical and adult-use marijuana are legal in more than 30 U.S. states, ensuring that children are prevented from purchasing is one of the core values of most state marijuana legislations. However, several marijuana shops still lack proper age verification systems

Forbes • 21st September 2023

The Netherlands Set To Launch Cannabis Legalization Pilot Program In December

The Netherlands is to officially launch its pilot program to legalize the sale of adult-use cannabis in the country in December. The program aims to assess whether coffee shops in the participating municipalities will receive authorization to legally sell cannabis. As announced in February, the Netherlands is to launch a pilot program to explore the legal sale of cannabis. This initiative, which has experienced multiple delays since receiving Senate approval in 2019, has now been officially co

Forbes • 20th September 2023

Square Enters Canada’s Cannabis Industry With A Partnership With Jane Technologies

Financial services platform Square has entered Canada's cannabis market in partnership with online ordering platform service for cannabis dispensaries Jane Technologies. The partnership involves Jane enabling cannabis dispensaries to use Square to supplement their brick-and-mortar business with an online store, allowing customers to browse through an updated product list and place orders for either pickup or delivery. This marks a significant advancement in the joint effort of the two companie

Forbes • 14th September 2023

California Set To Launch Amsterdam-Style Cannabis Cafes Starting Next Year

Californians will soon have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite snacks alongside their cannabis, thanks to a new bill that aims to introduce Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes in the Golden State. A proposed bill that sought to legalize cannabis cafes in California, mirroring the successful model established in Amsterdam to expand and diversify the marijuana industry in the state, finally arrived on the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom this week, who also has to sign a bill that would legalize certain

Forbes • 13th September 2023

New York To Open Adult-Use Marijuana Licenses To Multistate Operators

New York's adult-use marijuana regulators have decided to expand their licensing program, making it accessible to a broader range of applicants. This move would enable major multistate operators to enter a market currently dominated by unlicensed dispensaries and a limited number of small entrepreneurs, following regulators' efforts to prioritize social equity applicants in launching a legal marijuana market. New York's Cannabis Control Board voted on Tuesday, September 12, in favor of allowin

Forbes • 11th September 2023

Colombian President Proposes Latin Alliance To Shift War On Drugs Towards Public Health Approach

It's not an everyday event to hear the leader of a country describe the war on drugs as a failure and suggest moving away from the current drug policy. But this is what Colombian President Gustavo Petro did in Cali on Saturday, September 9, during the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs in front of the representatives of other countries of the region. Petro suggested forging an alliance among Latin American nations to present a united front in addressing drug trafficking. This str

Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East • 9th September 2023

Lebanon: Backlash as MPs introduce bill to decriminalize LGBTQ+ relationships

BEIRUT — Members of the Lebanese parliament have for the first time introduced a bill to decriminalize same-sex relationships. The proposed legislation aims to repeal Article 534 of the Penal Code, which prohibits "any sexual intercourse contrary to the order of nature" with a penalty of up to one year in imprison. Only made public in recent weeks, likely due to a leak in parliament, the bill had been introduced in early July by nine representatives, including independent members from Forces of

Weed World Magazine • 4th September 2023

Is Vaping Cannabis Safe?

Smoking is undoubtedly the most popular way to consume cannabis. However, cannabis consumers have developed new methods to consume it over the years. Edibles, tablets, gummies, tinctures, and topicals are just a few examples that cannabis businesses have created to diversify the offer in the cannabis market. Besides, even the method of smoking cannabis has experienced an upgrade recently. For instance, vaping liquids containing THC and vaporizing cannabis dried flowers and leaves have become

Forbes • 31st August 2023

What Would The Reclassification Of Marijuana Mean For The Industry?

The announcement of the call for the reclassification of marijuana's current status has excited industry players, but it hasn't escaped criticism either. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent on August 29 a letter to Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency, calling for the reclassification of marijuana as a Schedule III substance within the framework of the Controlled Substances Act, as first reported by Bloomberg News on Wednesday, August 30. The DEA con

Weed World Magazine • 30th August 2023

Cannabis and Work

As the use of cannabis is catching on in our society due to legalization, many consumers wonder how it could affect work performance. All US legal cannabis states and countries where cannabis is legalized prohibit people from working under the influence of cannabis. However, science does not have a clear position on how cannabis affects work performance, as there is a lack of enough studies on this topic.The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) says1 that cannabis negatively affects attenti

Forbes • 29th August 2023

Residents Of Danish Hippie Enclave Christiania Call For End Of Cannabis Sales Amid Rising Violence

Once a paradise enclave for hippies, Christiania Freetown has turned into a battleground where gangs vie for control over the illegal drug trade. The residents now want the cannabis sale to stop. In the wake of a fatal shooting incident that occurred last week, residents of Freetown Christiania, a commune in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, which has become one of the main tourist attractions of the city for cannabis consumers, want to stop cannabis sales along its main street. The shooting occu

dw.com • 25th August 2023

How Lebanon was plundered by its own central bank – DW – 08/25/2023

The 30-year tenure of the former governor of the Bank of Lebanon Riad Salameh culminated in controversy, inquiries and sanctions. What role did the once respected financial authority play in Lebanon's economic collapse? Before the start of the economic crisis in Lebanon in 2019, the governor of the country's central bank, Riad Salameh, had a strong reputation as one of the world's best. But by the end of his mandate at the Banque de Liban (BDL) on July 31, he was being described as one of the

dw.com • 24th August 2023

How Lebanon was plundered by its central bank – DW – 08/24/2023

The 30-year tenure of the former governor of the Bank of Lebanon Riad Salameh culminated in controversy, inquiries and sanctions. What role did the once respected financial authority play in Lebanon's economic collapse? Before the start of the economic crisis in Lebanon in 2019, the governor of the country's central bank, Riad Salameh, had a strong reputation as one of the world's best. But by the end of his mandate at the Banque de Liban (BDL) on July 31, he was being described as one of the

The New Arab • 24th August 2023

Riad Salameh and the making of Lebanon's economic collapse

The farewell of Riad Salameh as the Governor of Lebanon's Central Bank could have been better. Except for a small crowd of colleagues and journalists taking pictures of him to some background music, on 31 July, the last day of his mandate, Salameh left his 30-year-long tenure with a country burdened by a crippled economy and a tarnished reputation as the face of Lebanon's financial crisis. Investigations into him and his associates extended across Lebanon and at least six European countries. I

Weed World • 24th August 2023

Has THC Potency Changed Over the Years?

The most common reason to consume cannabis is its psychoactive effects. Cannabis is wildly used worldwide for recreational purposes, even though people have become more aware of its medical benefits in recent years. Therefore, average adult-use cannabis consumers pay significant attention to the potency of delta-9 tetrachydrocannabinol, most commonly know as THC, the main cannabis compound that makes you feel high. Although many experts and cannabis connoisseurs explain that THC is not the onl

Forbes • 22nd August 2023

New Jersey’s Marijuana Revenue Contributes To Funding Violence Prevention Programs

New Jersey will use part of its marijuana revenue to fund violence prevention programs in the state, showcasing how cannabis earnings can drive positive change in society. Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin have recently announced that part of the revenue from legal marijuana sales in New Jersey will pay for one-third of a grant initiative focused on stopping and preventing violence within the state. Out of the total $15 million available as grants to community organi

Forbes • 17th August 2023

Germany Takes Step Closer To Legalizing Cannabis

Germany's government has approved the long-awaited bill that seeks to legalize adult-use cannabis for personal consumption within the country. This move positions Germany as the second EU country, following Malta, to take this significant step toward legalization. Despite encountering numerous obstacles and facing criticism in its efforts to legalize cannabis, the German coalition government has remained steadfast in fulfilling its commitment to regulating personal cannabis consumption. Moreov

Forbes • 10th August 2023

Drug User Can’t Be Barred From Owing Firearms, US Court Rules

A federal appeals court has declared the application of a long-standing law banning firearm ownership for illegal drug users unconstitutional as it violates the Second Amendment. This ruling, announced on Wednesday, August 9, involved the case of Patrick Daniels, a marijuana user. He had been found guilty under that law when police discovered a handgun, a semi-automatic rifle, and marijuana cigarette butts in his car during a traffic stop in Hancock County, Mississippi, in April 2022. The U.S.