24th June 2022

How Republicans Want to Legalize Cannabis

In the United States, Democrats won't be more alone in legalizing cannabis at the federal level. As more states are regulating recreational and medical cannabis, also Republicans have come up with a proposal to regulate the market. Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace introduced to the House of Representatives in November 2021 the first Republicans' cannabis bill to regulate cannabis at the federal level. Entitled "State Reform Act," the bill aims to end federal cannabis prohibition while ensur

Forbes • 22nd June 2022

Cannabis May Treat Fatigue, Study Suggests

Fatigue is a feeling of constant tiredness or weakness. It can affect our body or mind or a combination of both. Fatigue can affect anyone and for the most different reasons. A study conducted in 2011 says that the prevalence of fatigue in the general population has been reported to range from 7% to 45%, and another study found that 38% of US workers reported being fatigued. Several factors that work in combination can cause fatigue, including medical conditions, unhealthy lifestyle choices, w

Forbes • 13th June 2022

Spain May Legalize Medical Cannabis, But It Won't Relieve Patients' Suffering

Spain may soon legalize cannabis for medical purposes, but associations and experts claim it won't change the current situation. On May 30, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) introduced a bill to legalize medical cannabis in the country. According to the bill, patients can access medical cannabis in hospitals' pharmacies to treat chronic pain from multiple sclerosis, some forms of epilepsy, and chronic non-cancer pain through medical prescriptions from specialists. Although the bill

Middle East Eye • 11th June 2022

Explained: Renewed Israel-Lebanon maritime border dispute

Tensions are rising between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime border after arrival of Israeli-contracted exploration vessel in disputed area.

Forbes • 8th June 2022

Ukraine May Legalize Medical Cannabis

Ukraine's Health Minister Viktor Liashko announced on June 7 that the government had backed the bill that would legalize medical cannabis amid the war with Russia. "We understand the negative effects of war on mental health. We understand the number of people who will need medical treatment due to this exposure. And we understand that there is no time to wait," he wrote on a Facebook post. He also stressed those who campaign against the legalization of medical cannabis in Ukraine deliberately

Forbes • 4th June 2022

High Doses Of CBD Don’t Affect Driving, New Study Shows

Researchers of the University of Sydney, Australia, found that high doses of CBD don't impair driving. Published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology on May 30, the study says that oral CBD treatment, even if taken at a high dosage, doesn't "appear to induce feelings of intoxication and is unlikely to impair cognitive function or driving performance." Researchers analyzed the simulated driving performance of 17 participants who undertook driving tasks after consuming a placebo and three differ

DAWN • 2nd June 2022

The ‘Nightmare’ of Being Gay in Tunisia

The fragile, two-month truce in Yemen that was just extended for another two months has been welcomed by all...

The New Arab • 30th May 2022

Lebanon's first test: Will Nabih Berri be re-elected?

For the first time since the economic crisis in 2019, Lebanese citizens voted on 15 May to elect a new parliament. The election set into motion two significant changes in the legislative branch of the government. On one hand, voters elected thirteen candidates inspired by the Lebanese uprising (or Thawra), a series of anti-establishment protests that started on 17 October 2019 to protest against the ruling class. On the other, Hezbollah and its allies lost their parliament majority. Although t

Forbes • 25th May 2022

Marijuana Legalization Has Reshaped Cannabis Marketing On Instagram, Study Finds

According to a recent study, marijuana legalization has drastically changed cannabis marketing on Instagram. In the study entitled "From dealing to influencing: Online marketing of cannabis on Instagram" and published in the international journal Crime, Media, Culture last month, researchers Silje Anderdal Bakken and Sidsel Kirstine Harder from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, compared 60 Instagram profiles belonging to illegal Swedish drug dealers to 70 cannabis influencers' profiles bas

Middle East Eye • 23rd May 2022

Lebanon's opposition MPs now need to prove their victory not only symbolic

Thirteen candidates inspired by the 2019 protest movement have been elected, making them the fifth largest bloc in parliament.

Forbes • 23rd May 2022

Thailand To Give Away One Million Cannabis Plants To Households Across The Country

Thai people may soon receive a cannabis plant at home gifted by their government. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced in a Facebook post on May 7 that he wants to distribute one million cannabis plants with a THC level below 0.2% to households across the country for medical purposes only. The plant giveaway coincides with the new law on cannabis growing, which will enter into force on June 9, and a recent government decision to remove cannabis from the list of drugs considered illega

Forbes • 19th May 2022

Colorado To Create A Task Force To Study Cannabis Delta-8 THC Products

This week, Colorado's lawmakers passed a Senate bill (SB-205) to allow the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to limit the sale of delta-8 THC products and create a task force to study intoxicating hemp products and, meanwhile, focus on consumer protection. The task force will submit a report to the general assembly by January 1, 2023. It will comprise 20 members, including state government representatives, experts in cannabis and industrial hemp regulation, and other

Middle East Eye • 15th May 2022

Lebanon votes for first time since economic crash

Lebanon's 2022 general elections | Live blog - news coverage from Tripoli, Lebanon.

Middle East Eye • 15th May 2022

Hope and apathy as Lebanon votes in first polls since economic meltdown

Low voter turnout comes as a disappointment to many who believed the country's crippling financial crisis would drive more voters to the polls.

The Independent • 15th May 2022

Lebanon is desperate for change but Sunday’s election is unlikely to help

Lebanon goes to the polls on Sunday for the first general election since a severe economic and political crisis hit the country in late 2019.

Forbes • 9th May 2022

Germany Speeds Up The Process To Legalize Recreational Cannabis

When Germany's new coalition included the legalization of recreational cannabis in its political agenda in late 2021, there were few details on how to regulate the industry. However, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced last week that it would start the legal process for cannabis legalization soon. He told German newspaper Handelsblatt he changed his mind on legalization over the past two years, and he now believes the dangers of non-legalization outweigh the risks of recreational cannabi

The New Arab • 6th May 2022

Why Gulf states are rekindling ties with Lebanon

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Yemen in April announced the return of their ambassadors to Lebanon, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain have yet to return their envoys to the country. The re-engagement came after diplomatic tensions had escalated in October 2021 following Lebanese information minister George Kordahi's criticism of the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen. Although Kordahi made those comments before being appointed minister, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states withdrew the

Forbes • 5th May 2022

Switzerland To Launch Adult-Use Cannabis Sale Trial Program This Summer

Switzerland will start adult-use cannabis sales this summer amid a trial program that will involve 400 people. Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) authorized on April 19 the first pilot on the sale of cannabis for recreational use. The initiative is a joint project with the University of Basel and will take place in Basel, Switzerland's third-most-populous city in the North of the country. The study on the legal sale of adult-use cannabis aims to provide information to regulate canna

Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East • 1st May 2022

Beirut blast families fight to keep ruined silos up until justice served

Families of the victims and activists say the Lebanese government is in an undue hurry to bring down a massive symbol of the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the negligence behind it.

Forbes • 28th April 2022

Biden Grants Pardons And Commutations To People With Marijuana Convictions

U.S. President Joe Biden issued on Tuesday, April 26, three pardons and 75 prison sentence commutations who were previously released to home confinement amid the coronavirus pandemic in his first-year grants of clemency since taking office. One of the pardons was related to non-violent marijuana offenses, and eight people with marijuana-related convictions received commutations. Overall, nine of the people that have been granted clemency were charged with marijuana. "America is a nation of law