Forbes • 8th October 2024

Spain Introduces Draft Royal Decree To Regulate Medical Cannabis

Spanish patients could soon have access to medical cannabis as regulators push forward with a new bill. However, its use is expected to be strictly limited to specific medical conditions, highlighting the cautious approach being taken. After the request of the subcommittee for the Health and Consumer Affairs Commission in 2021, the Ministry of Health of Spain introduced last week a draft royal decree for a public hearing that seeks to regulate medical cannabis. With this decree, the government a...

Forbes • 1st October 2024

California Legalizes Cannabis Cafes Amid Hemp THC Ban

California municipalities can allow cannabis businesses to open cafes where patrons can consume cannabis on-site while also being served non-cannabis-infused food and beverages. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1775 into law yesterday, allowing specific cannabis retailers to prepare and sell non-cannabis food and beverages, as well as host live events and sell tickets at their licensed locations, similar to coffee shops in Amsterdam. The new legislation allows licensed cannabis...

The New Arab • 30th September 2024

After Nasrallah's killing, what will Israel do next in Lebanon?

Grief and anguish filled Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh after Hezbollah confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday. Screaming in sorrow, some collapsed to their knees as despair and rage swept over them, with spontaneous rallies erupting in Beirut and across the region renewing allegiance to the veteran leader. A day earlier, Israel announced it had killed Nasrallah using 85 US-produced ‘bunker-buster’ bombs designed to target underground facilities in an attack that...

dw.com • 27th September 2024

Israel-Hezbollah conflict deepens Lebanon's economic crisis – DW – 09/27/2024

The escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel is contributing to Lebanon's economic instability. People in the crisis-ridden country are struggling to survive.In his small currency exchange shop in Beirut, 86-year-old Farouk Khoury is watching the news on television, showing the escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel spreading across Lebanon. No customers ring the bell to exchange money. "Today, I have money to exchange, tomorrow, I don't know. Maybe tomorrow we close," Kouri t...

Forbes • 19th September 2024

Thailand Unveils New Bill To Regulate Cannabis Industry

Thailand’s new government has introduced a bill to regulate the cannabis industry without expressly criminalizing recreational cannabis. The Ministry of Health, under the new government led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has published a bill open for comments until September 30 to regulate the cannabis industry, avoiding the criminalization of recreational cannabis but without explicitly regulating its use. This represents an anticipated U-turn for cannabis legislation in Thailand, as...

Forbes • 18th September 2024

Nixon’s Tapes Reveal He Knew Marijuana Was ‘Not Particularly Dangerous’

A newly uncovered audio reveals that former President Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs even though he acknowledged marijuana “was not particularly dangerous.” The newly discovered tapes reveal that Nixon, speaking to a small group of advisers in 1973, two years after launching the war on drugs in 1971, admitted that he knew marijuana was “not particularly dangerous.” The discovery was made by marijuana lobbyist and Minnesota activist Kurtis Hanna in tapes that were recently made available...

Forbes • 16th September 2024

Japan To Criminalize Recreational Cannabis And Legalize For Medical Use

Japan is set to criminalize the recreational use of cannabis while legalizing medical use. The decision, announced last week, will take effect on December 12. Although the possession and cultivation of marijuana are already illegal in Japan, the new law will also ban its use and impose a prison sentence of up to seven years for offenders. At the moment, Japan does not impose penalties for cannabis use, partly to safeguard farmers who might inadvertently come into contact with the plant’s substan...

Forbes • 10th September 2024

California Governor Introduces Regulations To Ban THC In Hemp Products

California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed legislation to ban hemp products containing any traces of THC, with stakeholders arguing that the regulations would jeopardize the state’s hemp industry. Last week, Governor Newsom introduced new emergency regulations stating that “industrial hemp food products intended for human consumption” must have “no detectable amount of total THC” and “no more than five servings per package.” The rules would also prevent individuals under 21 from purchasing...

Forbes • 4th September 2024

Volkswagen Bets On Hemp To Replace Faux Leather In Car Interiors

Volkswagen has partnered with a hemp company to develop a sustainable material made from hemp fibers as a replacement for faux leather. Germany’s auto giant announced last week a partnership with the German start-up Revoltech GmbH to research and develop sustainable materials made from industrial hemp. Volkswagen mentioned that a material derived from hemp fibers could serve as a sustainable surface option in their models starting in 2028. This 100% bio-based hemp material uses by-products from...

Forbes • 30th August 2024

California Advances Bill To Establish Amsterdam-Style Cannabis Cafes

Californians may soon enjoy cannabis just like in Amsterdam, as the state moves closer to introducing cannabis cafes. The California Senate has advanced two key bills to expand the state’s cannabis market. The Senate passed a bill this week allowing on-site cannabis consumption at licensed businesses, which could also offer non-cannabis food and non-alcoholic drinks and host live events like concerts, similar to Amsterdam’s cannabis cafes. This proposed legislation allows licensed cannabis retai...

Forbes • 29th August 2024

U.S. Court Rules Marijuana Users Cannot Be Banned From Owning Guns

A U.S. appeals court has ruled that a Texas gun owner using marijuana cannot be prosecuted under federal law, finding it unconstitutional to disarm her based on past drug use. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that the prosecution violated Paola Connelly’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, referencing a significant 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that broadened gun rights. The ruling, first reported by Reuters, challenges the constitutionalit...

Forbes • 23rd August 2024

THC Could Protect Brain From Aging, Study Finds

A promising new study suggests that long-term, low-dose THC intake may protect the brain from aging, improve cognitive function in older age, and promote overall longevity. A group of researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany recently published a study in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science that investigates the impact of long-term THC treatment, the main psychoactive compound of cannabis, on brain aging. The study centers on a key cellular pathway known as mTOR, a prot...

Forbes • 20th August 2024

King Of Morocco Pardons Over 4,800 Cannabis Farmers

Morocco's progress in cannabis policy has led the King to pardon thousands of cannabis farmers in the North African country. Moroccan King Mohammed VI on Monday pardoned over 4,800 people convicted, prosecuted, or wanted in cases related to cannabis cultivation. This decision coincides with this year's anniversary of the King and People's Revolution. King Mohammed VI has issued an order to pardon a group of individuals, including both detainees and those at large, who were sentenced by various c...

Forbes • 16th August 2024

Ohio Marijuana Sales Top $11.5 Million In First Week Of Rollout

Ohio dispensaries have sold over $11.5 million worth of recreational marijuana in just less than one week since sales began. Recreational marijuana sales between August 6 and August 10 amounted to $11,530,708, with an additional $8.3 million coming from medical marijuana sales, according to a recent report from the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control. The marijuana agency also reports that 173,043 units of manufactured marijuana products and 1,285 pounds of plant material have been sold. The avera...

Forbes • 13th August 2024

Cannabis May Help People Reduce Opioid Use, Study Says

A new study suggests that cannabis could assist some people in reducing or quitting opioid use. The study, conducted by University of Southern California researchers and published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports this week, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Through qualitative data and an emphasis on the real-life experiences of drug users, the researchers found that cannabis may help people navigate some of the most challenging phases of reducing or quitting opioi...

CannIntelligence • 6th August 2024

Italian amendment reintroduced that could leave CBD, hemp sector in ruins | CannIntelligence

The proposed and withdrawn amendment to ban CBD products in Italy has reappeared as part of a bill aimed at enhancing public safety and combating crime. The government amendment 13.06 to hemp law 242/2016 would require hemp cultivation in the country to clearly be intended for industrial purposes only. The proposed and withdrawn amendment to ban CBD products in Italy has reappeared as part of a bill aimed at enhancing public safety and combating crime. The government amendment 13.06 to hemp la...

Forbes • 6th August 2024

Ohio’s First Marijuana Sales Begin At Nearly 100 Dispensaries

Adults over 21 in Ohio can start buying marijuana without a medical card today at nearly 100 dispensaries across the state. The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) has issued the first dual-use Certificates of Operation (COO) to 98 dispensaries across the state. This comes more than a month before the September 7 deadline specified in the statute approved by Ohio voters in November 2023. However, it is still unclear how many businesses receiving the certificates will b...

The New Arab • 31st July 2024

Biden's legacy of failure in the Middle East

In a letter published on X on 21 July, US President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to contend for the White House with former president Donald Trump in November's election. Biden's announcement shook up the presidential race and came after increasing pressure from within the Democratic Party, and among members, that he should step down after a poor performance in the 27 June debate against Trump in which his mental capability to serve was call...

Forbes • 25th July 2024

Thailand To Reverse Cannabis Re-Criminalization Plan

Thailand is making a U-turn by planning to regulate cannabis without re-criminalizing it for recreational use, despite previous promises to restrict its use to medical purposes by the new government following the elections. This move, announced by Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, as well as former Minister of Public Health from 2019 to 2023, who pushed for the decriminalization of cannabis, would save Thailand’s thriving recreational cannabis industry, which w...

Forbes • 22nd July 2024

Where Does Kamala Harris Stand On Marijuana?

With U.S. President Joe Biden stepping aside for the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, her potential candidacy for the 2024 election against Donald Trump brings attention to her stance on multiple issues, including marijuana. Following Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he will not seek re-election, Democrats are rapidly strategizing to maintain control of the presidency. In the hours after his announcement, several Democrats endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris...