Forbes • 27th June 2022

Inside The Process To Legalize Recreational Cannabis In Germany

When the German government announced in late 2021 its plan to legalize recreational cannabis sales in Germany, experts and cannabis enthusiasts put great expectations on the so-called "traffic light" government's plan to regulate the industry. Although Germany and other European countries focused in recent months on the war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February and the resulting efforts to detach themselves from Russian energy dependence, German officials had time to speed up th

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Forbes • 22nd April 2022

More Than Half Of Europeans Support Cannabis Legalization

The journey to legalize cannabis in Europe has taken a new direction in recent years. The use of medical cannabis across Europe, the production and marketing of CBD products, and the domino effect of state-level adult-use legalization in the United States brought Europeans to see the legalization of recreational cannabis from a new perspective. According to a report by Hanway, a London-based consultancy agency, 55% of Europeans support legalizing recreational cannabis, while almost 30% of resp

Forbes • 19th April 2022

Amsterdam Mayor Wants To Ban Tourists From Cannabis Coffee Shops

Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam, is pushing, once again, to ban tourists from buying cannabis products from coffee shops. On Monday, April 11, local news media outlets reported that the mayor of the Dutch capital said that the move remains the only option to control the local soft drugs market. Halsema said there is worrying interdependence between the soft and hard drug trade. She added that money from the lucrative cannabis trade easily finds its way into hard drugs. "Many of the majo

Forbes • 15th April 2022

New York Issues 52 Recreational Cannabis Cultivation Licenses

The cannabis industry is taking shape in New York as the state's cannabis regulators have given the green light to cultivate recreational cannabis. New York's Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved on April 14 the first licenses to cultivate recreational cannabis, issuing 52 permits to local hemp farmers. The approval marks a significant development in the nascent state's recreational cannabis industry. In February 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law allowing New York cannabis farmers to star

Forbes • 5th April 2022

U.S. House Of Representatives Passes Medical Marijuana Research Bill

U.S. House of Representatives passed on Monday, April 4, a bipartisan marijuana research bill that would remove barriers to conducting research on marijuana and allow scientists to access cannabis from dispensaries of legal cannabis states. The Medical Marijuana Research Act passed the House in a 343-75 vote. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) introduced the bill in October 2021. It is co-sponsored by 11 Representatives, both Democrats and Republicans, including Rep. Andy Harris (R), known as legal mari

Forbes • 30th March 2022

You Can Risk Death Penalty For Cannabis In These Countries

The US women's basketball superstar Brittney Griner's detention in Russia has raised concern over the lack of a spotlight on her case and the danger of traveling abroad carrying out cannabis products. On February 17, 2022, Griner, 31, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), was arrested in Russia. The Russian Federal Customs Service found cannabis oil cartridges for a vape pen in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. Russi

CBD-Intel • 24th March 2022

European Commission moving ahead slowly on permissible THC levels in food

THC levels have been established for certain hemp foodstuffs, which may later govern the amount of THC allowed in ingestible cannabinoid products, experts working for the European Commission have confirmed. Meanwhile work also continues on the of CBD and implementation of the European Court of Justice (CJEU) ruling in the Kanavape case into EU and member state regulations.

Forbes • 24th March 2022

Aurora Cannabis To Acquire TerraFarma (Thrive Cannabis) In $38 Million Deal

Canadian cannabis company Aurora Cannabis expands its recreational portfolio by announcing the acquisition of TerraFarma Inc., a parent company of Thrive Cannabis, an Ontario-based vertically integrated cannabis company. Toronto-based TerraFarma Inc. acquired 100% of the shares of Thrive Cannabis in 2019. According to the press release, Aurora will acquire all of TerraFarma's issued and outstanding shares for $38 million in cash and Aurora shares. Furthermore, Thrive will also be eligible for

Forbes • 17th March 2022

Mike Tyson Launches A Line Of Ear-Shaped Cannabis Edible Gummies

Mike Tyson's cannabis brand Tyson 2.0 has launched Mike Bites, an ear-shaped cannabis edible gummies in reference to the infamous bite against American former professional boxer Evander Holyfield's right ear. The bite cost Tyson a disqualification from the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Championship in 1997. His boxing license was revoked, and he was fined $3 million. "Holy ears! They're finally here! Go get your Mike Bites now," the company said on March 15, posting a picture of a Mike

Forbes • 7th March 2022

France Enters The Medical Cannabis Industry

France tiptoes into the medical cannabis industry, but legalization needs to be implemented. The French government issued a decree last month that authorizes the cultivation of medical cannabis and the development of its industry. Although the decree entered into force on March 1, 2022, regulators need to implement it. The legislation only specifies the conditions and procedures for the cultivation and production of cannabis for medical use. The decree has amended some parts of France's Code