Cannabis News Headlines – The Greeks Love Weed, Canada Hits It Big on Marijuana Taxes, Mexico Focuses on Regulations

Canada’s Cannabis Sector Created 151,000 Jobs And Contributed $15B In Taxes

A new report released by Deloitte revealed that Canada’s cannabis sector has contributed over $15 billion both in direct and indirect tax revenues for the provincial and Canadian governments.

In addition, the booming economy has generated over 151,000 jobs since October 2018, which was when they legalized the recreational use of cannabis. Given all of that, the cannabis industry has generated $43.5 billion to the economy since then and 2021, says the report.

“Our hope with this report is that people would realize that the industry’s done a lot more than simply provide licensed producers with $4 billion of retail access,” explains Deloitte partner Rishi Malkani, who also oversees the cannabis practice of the research firm. “It’s loaded government coffers and it’s been a boon to the construction industry.” Malkani adds that one of the most important revelations of the research was the sheer volume of employment that the industry has been able to generate even while other cannabis companies have laid off people because of an excess supply that initially hurt the market.

In addition, Canadians have bought some $11 billion worth of marijuana wince 2018, and companies in the business of selling and producing legal marijuana have spent $29 billion for capital.

Thailand Wants To Monitor Home Cannabis Growers Through An App

Thailand has just recently allowed individuals to grow cannabis at home, after marking a major milestone of being the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize cannabis for medical use as well as for cosmetics, food and beverage ingredients.

Now, the Public Health Minister Anutin Charnivirakul announced that he wants small home growers to register to the system using an app. Once they have completed registration, officials can then inspect their home garden.

“We don’t want it to be difficult for people,” said Anutin.

However, the bill restricts households from using cannabis and hemp extracts at home, so as long as home growers don’t work with the extracts then they can use the plants, he says. “The bill is aimed at allowing Thai people to benefit from cannabis,” he adds.

Cannabis Consumption in Athens Among Highest in All of Europe

Nikos Thomaidis, a University of Athens professor of analytical chemistry, disclosed his findings that cannabis consumption in the Greek capital of Athens is among the highest in all of Europe, even if the drug is still illegal recreationally.

He says that cannabis consumption rates decreased at the start of the lockdowns during March 2020 through September 2020, the same with other European cities because it put a stop to trafficking. “In Athens, we saw an increase in use from October 2020 to March 2021. In March 2021 we had quite high use, which corresponds to about 10% of Attica’s population,” he explains.

“Cannabis use increases in winter and decreases in summer,” he said.

Even though recreational cannabis use is illegal, they aren’t very strict on enforcing the laws for personal use. Back in 2017, the Greek government allowed the use of medicinal cannabis then one year later they removed the ban for producing and growing it.

Criminals Arrested in France And Spain for Trafficking Pot into Europe

Europol together with the French National Police and the Spanish Civil Guard successfully caught an organized crime group who was responsible for money laundering and drug trafficking activities.

They confiscated 2,400 kg of hash and 112 kg of marijuana in 11 arrests made in both Spain and France. The criminals were attempting to transport the drugs from Morocco to the South of Spain, then finally making their way to France. According to the investigators, the criminals were suspected of using as many as 5 fake identities each.

Additionally, the criminal group utilized profits from the drug trafficking trade to afford cars, helicopters, fake number plates, and make shell companies all with the intention of laundering the money and hide the funds related to the drugs.

Regulation of Marijuana A Priority for Mexican Lawmakers

According to the board of directors belonging to the Mexican Senate, they are working on cannabis regulations as a priority.

President of the Mexican Senate Olga Sanchez Cordero Davila announced in a tweet that she was ready to green light cannabis regulation, together with other important matters in the current legislative session.

“We will work to approve the initiatives that we have presented in matters of cannabis regulation, notaries, in vitro fertilization, rights of migrants, reproductive health, burials and Mexican nationality,” she tweeted. Furthermore, she made a promise to take cannabis regulation as a priority over the last few weeks, based on a report from Mugglehead Magazine. “I have just been informed that even Thailand, in the Asian countries, has already approved the regulation of cannabis,” she disclosed during an interview. “Of course, already in many other countries they are regulating it, and we do not want to be left behind.”

As of the time of writing, the cannabis legalization law is still in its infancy. A draft is yet to be presented by lawmakers. If passed, it could make it legal for adults over the age of 21 to buy cannabis without the need for a license. However, a license would be necessary for home growers to cultivate the plant, and all households would have a cap of 8 plants to be grown at home. Businesses and companies would be able to apply for a license that would allow them to grow, research, process, sell commercially, import, and export cannabis.

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