The 60 Second Global Cannabis News Flash

Greek pharmacies sell medical cannabis

The Greek government has made significant investments in the production of medicinal cannabis in hopes that it would contribute around $1.67 million to the country’s revenue each year.

Greek Minister of Development and Investments Adonis Georgiadis told Greek Reporter that they would be producing and selling cannabis soon this year. “The goal is for Greece to become the leading European country in the production of medicinal cannabis. Greece’s environment is friendly to this particular crop and we believe we will have a natural advantage,” he said.

He further explained that Tikun Europe has invested a large amount of money in Corinth, while they are also awaiting two more investments from Canada and the UK to start producing medicinal cannabis. The Tikun Europe office in Greece was established in 2018; this subsidiary of the Israeli company Tikun Olam, a leader in cannabis research and development. Georgiadis told Greek Reporter that foreigners visiting the country can use the plant and buy it from pharmacies, although “the only condition is that they have a prescription from their doctor”. Unlike other cities, including Amsterdam, cannabis users have to go to specialty stores to buy their medication.

Decriminalization of cannabis demanded in Taiwan

Green Sensation, a cannabis advocacy group in Taiwan, is calling for the decriminalization of cannabis so it can be used legally for medicinal purposes. On April 16th they held a press event and stressed that cannabis should be removed from anti-drug campaigns.

Chung Ho-Yun, spokesman for the group, also says medicinal cannabis products containing no more than 0.3% THC should be legalized, reports Focus Taiwan. He explains that the Taiwanese government’s laws regarding cannabis are not standardized as the Ministry of Justice still punishes cannabis users. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare grants special permits to certain people to import CBD medicines.

Focus Taiwan also reports that Zoe Lee, a renowned human rights lawyer who is also a member of the local Green Party, believes the Justice Department is biased towards cannabis and calls for its decriminalization.

Nepal wants to end marijuana ban

In 1973, cannabis dispensaries in Kathmandu were closed after Washington started the drug war. It was also the result of Washington’s pressure on foreign governments to do the same.

Nepal, once a popular stop on the hippie trail, a popular route with destinations where foreign travelers had easy access to marijuana, has had to change its stance, which hasn’t been good for the country. Cannabis has long been part of the culture and tradition of the Nepalese, as the plant grows wild and local communities have used parts of its plant to make clothing, food and even Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times.

“There is no justification for a poor country like ours having to treat cannabis as a drug,” Nepalese Health Minister Birodh Khatiwada told AFP. “Our people are being punished… and our corruption is increasing due to smuggling as we follow the decisions of the developed world, who now do as they please.”

Khatiwada helped push the first parliamentary move to end the drug’s ban in January 2020. Two months later, a bill was proposed that would partially legalize them. Unfortunately, efforts have stalled, prompting the Home Office to call for a study into the plant’s medicinal uses.

“It’s a drug,” says prominent activist Rajiv Kafle, who has HIV. He has long campaigned for the drug’s legalization, since he can use cannabis to treat his symptoms. “So many patients are using it, but they’re being forced to do it illegally,” he told AFP. “You can be caught at any time.”

“The ban has destroyed an important source of income in this region,” adds a farmer from western Dang district. “It ignored that it was part of our culture and everyday life, not just … an intoxicant.”

The Mayor of London is considering legalizing cannabis

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has just announced they want to study cannabis legalization after being inspired by a trip to a grow facility and dispensary in Los Angeles, reports the High Times. For this reason he commissioned a group to look into the legalization of the plant and appointed a Labor Party official to lead the effort.

While in Los Angeles, he was able to learn about the many types of cannabis products available from legal dispensaries. He said the group he hired would study London’s drug laws to see how legalization could benefit drug-related harm.

“The illegal drug trade is causing tremendous damage to our society and we must do more to fight this epidemic and advance the debate on our drug laws,” he said. “That’s why I’m in LA to see firsthand how they handle cannabis.”

The commission he has appointed will be responsible for collecting data on the legalization of cannabis around the world, while also analyzing the plant’s public health benefits. They will also assess techniques that can be used to prevent abuse and how law enforcement should be conducted. Any recommendations they find are sent to City Hall, as well as public health officials, law enforcement, and government officials. The London Drugs Commission is expected to present its first report next year.

Amsterdam’s mayor wants to ban coffee shops that sell marijuana to tourists

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema wants to start banning coffeeshops selling cannabis to tourists, saying it should only be available to residents so that the coffeeshop industry is regulated and separate from any relaxation of cannabis policies, NLtimes reports.

Halsema believes that the fact that more than 3 million foreign tourists come to Amsterdam each year contributes to a risk of serious crime. “There is a worrying correlation between the soft and hard drug trade: money from the lucrative cannabis trade easily finds its way into hard drugs,” she said in a letter.

But the Bureau Breur & Intraval said the move would seriously affect the coffeeshops and hurt their bottom line, already a challenge in a city notorious for high rents. There are 166 coffee shops in the city, but research shows that they only need 66 of them to meet existing demand, leading researchers to conclude that some coffee shops would inevitably go bankrupt.

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