Global Cannabis News Updates – The Swiss go to THC, Germany flip-flops on Rec, Costa Rica says yes and Malaysia is next

Swiss city wants to sell recreational cannabis

Basel-Stadt, a region in northern Switzerland, announced they will begin pilot trials of legal marijuana sales by September 2022.

This is a milestone for Switzerland, a possible first step towards legalizing marijuana, reports The Straits Times. “The scientific knowledge gained from this provides a basis for discussion for a future responsible cannabis policy,” says a statement from the region. Currently, cannabis can only be purchased for medical purposes, although non-medical marijuana use is widespread, but it only contains less than 1% THC.

Although there are restrictions, marijuana use is popular throughout Switzerland.

These will be the first of many pilots that have been given the go-ahead by the Federal Office of Public Health with the intention of potentially regulating adult cannabis sales. It will take them 2.5 years to “investigate the impact of regulated cannabis sales on the behavior and health of cannabis users compared to the status quo where cannabis is available illegally,” they said.

The Federal Office of Public Health adds that the majority of the Swiss population has expressed an interest in changing the current drug laws. The test participants must be over 18 years old, live in the canton of Basel-Stadt and have tried marijuana in the past. You will experiment with 6 different products, four of which are in hash and cannabis flower form, with different levels of THC and CBD.

Federal health minister now for legalization of cannabis

Karl Lauterbach, health minister for Germany, previously opposed legalizing cannabis, reports The Local.

But he seems to have had a change of heart, admitting on the Today show that he’s smoked marijuana in the past. “It was pleasant, I must say. It brings back pleasant memories,” he said. Today show interviewers Lutz van der Horst and Fabian Koster confirmed that he had opposed it in the past, which Lauterbach then verified. “But I think the security aspects of legalization have changed in recent years. I’m for legalization now,” he replied.

According to Justus Haucap, director of the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics, legalizing cannabis would bring enormous economic benefits to the European nation. They predict taxes from a legal market could bring in around £4billion in a year, plus savings from resources that would normally be spent catching those keen to use cannabis, The Guardian reported.

German authorities also know that this will help minimize underage access. “We are talking about regulation of the market,” said the Federal Republic of Germany’s Narcotics Committee, Burkhardt Bienert. “If we do it well, we can prevent young people from getting into heavy use. We don’t want to repeat the mistakes we made with alcohol,” he said.

Could Malaysia be next to legalize weed in Asia after Thailand?

Thailand’s hugely popular, if rather messy, transition to legal marijuana has made waves in Asia.

Now Malaysia, another nation known for its strict drug laws, is considering doing the same. Currently, anyone found in possession of more than 200 grams of marijuana faces the mandatory death penalty. However, a health ministry official announced last week that the country was looking to learn from its Thai neighbor after Thailand’s health minister said he would meet Malaysia during a meeting this week.

The aim of the meeting is for Thailand to share with APEC health ministers its work on legalizing the drug.

“We are developing our own framework for the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes and want to learn from Thailand,” the official told Reuters, opting to speak anonymously. The Malaysian government is particularly interested in learning how to regulate marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Unlike Thailand, however, where police turn a blind eye to recreational use, Malaysians shouldn’t hold their breath when it comes to adult-use marijuana. Malaysian Health Minister Khayry Jamaluddin made it clear they will not allow recreational use while he was visiting Thailand to learn more about their practices and policies. “I’m here in Bangkok to better understand the clinical evidence and the regulatory framework,” he said.

“When the clinical evidence shows that cannabis is safe and effective for medical use, we will create a robust regulatory framework and clinical practice guideline,” he adds. “Rest assured, recreational use will not be considered,” he announced on his Instagram page.

Costa Rica President Reveals Recreational Marijuana Plans

President Rodrigo Chaves just announced that they intend to propose recreational marijuana use to the Legislative Assembly. Additionally, they intend to create separate rules for the hemp and medical marijuana industries.

Costa Rica legalized MMJ and hemp even before Chaves was elected, so they are now pushing hemp cultivation and regulatory frameworks for MMJ. They will also adjust the high license costs. “They had to have very expensive licenses, some people told me they’re building the business for a group of influential businessmen,” he said, as reported by The Costa Rica News.

“The licenses will not cost more than a token amount, and whoever wants and can comply with the law will grow this product and have the opportunity to process it,” Chaves clarified.

Regarding recreational marijuana, he says his office is working on the bill and they’ve already reviewed the first draft. He also suggested they would try to convince lawmakers to approve it, adding that criminals benefit from the fact that recreational marijuana isn’t legalized yet.

MORE CANNABIS NEWS, READ MORE…

THE EUROPEAN CANNABIS NEWS UPDATE, WHO DOES WHAT?