Cannitrol – Cannabis Control Agent

Marijuana news from around the world

Columbia

Department Stores for Cannabis: The CEOs of Remedy on Cannabis Retail

Remedy currently has two locations, one in Baltimore and one in Columbia, Maryland. The first thing you notice at these dispensaries are the large parking areas. When you step inside, you’re greeted by an entrance that is less like a waiting room and more like a lounge. Their massive open floor plans offer space for […]

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Colombian President Signs Decree Legalizing And Regulating Medical Marijuana

Joining America’s 23 states that have legalized medicinal cannabis for the benefit of its citizens, Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos put pen to paper on Tuesday, signing a decree that legalized the cultivation and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes. According to Yahoo News: “Santos announced it would be fully legal to grow, process, import […]

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Marijuana may be used to treat addiction in Columbia

marijuana bud

Marijuana’s reputation was relentlessly attacked for decades.  We at marijuana.net have spoken in great length about the propaganda our government has utilized to attack a plant.  Movies such as “Reefer Madness” were used to scare much of the general population, while the War on Drugs has worn out everything from morale to finances.  Propaganda movies and failed politics appear to be on the way out.

While the new marijuana reform movement and medical research has helped to change the perception of cannabis considerably,  we have just learned of a new development that is groundbreaking.  It appears that Columbia’s capital city,  Bogota,  is considering a new approach to combating the issue of serious drug use.  In this case marijuana is not the villain, but may in fact be the savior.  The mayor of Bogota in the city may administer a program that would have basuco users (a cocaine derivative often compared to crack) use marijuana to help combat their physical addiction.

Basuco is considered to be one of the least pure forms of cocaine and there is widespread concern over its health implications.  Experts estimate that there are over7000 problem users (those who take 15-20 hits per day).  There are likely many other users in need of help who use slightly less.

It will be interesting to see if such a program ever makes its way to the united states.  Amanda Reiman of The Drug Policy Alliance does not think it will be anytime soon as she recently told ABC news “Unfortunately, universities rely on grants from the federal government for research, so most of what they do is what the feds want done.  As you can probably guess, the feds are not too interested in beneficial uses for marijuana, and even less interested in how to help people who are addicted to substances, so most of the research in this area occurs outside the U.S. or through private funding.”  If the program is successful in Colombia us authorities may have no choice.  Support for medical marijuana is growing rapidly, and research is regularly revealing new ways in which cannabis can aid patients.

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Uruguay Moving Forward With Plan To Legalize Marijuana and Combat Drug Violence

uruguay

 

As marijuana.net noted yesterday, the escalating drug cartel violence received no mention during Monday’s presidential debate.  While many of our fellow Western Hemisphere countries look to The United States for leadership on the issue, we continue to maintain our failed drug policy.  Fortunately, other countries in Central and South America are considering their own alternative to the 40 year failed War on drugs.

For the last several months the Uruguay government has been discussing legalizing, regulating, and distributing marijuana.  While there has been some opposition to legalization, the plan appears to be moving forward.  Several government officials have made recent comments regarding the program.   Uruguay Interior Minister, Eduardo Bonomi recently said “We have a progressive tradition… The negative effects of consuming marijuana are far less harmful than the outbreak of violence associated with the black market.”

Uruguay may be far along the process of altering their approach toward reducing drug war violence but they are not the only one.  As the United States continues fighting the cartels in the traditional way, which involves gunfire and bloodshed, other countries now realize they will be responsible for their own safety and legislative direction.  Columbia has recently decriminalized personal possession for marijuana and cocaine.  Bolivia has also been attempting to decriminalize cocoa leaves.

The people of the United States are war weary after a decade of The Afghanistan conflict and the recently ended Iraq operations.  In this region America has taken note of our previous mistakes and has decided on a new direction in its approach toward dealing with Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.  Instead, as we saw both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney agree to during Monday’s debate, economic sanctions have been used to put the pressure on Iran to come to the table and talk disarmament.  In the modern world, economics can also be an effective weapon.  While we applaud a progressive approach toward Iran, when will see the United States utilize and economic approach to stem the daily violence occurring close to home, not thousands of miles across the world.  Legalization and regulation would reduce the drug cartel’s power, influence, and purpose in the western hemisphere.  If marijuana were regulated and available domestically, this could crush the cartels economically.

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Growing Marijuana Helps Save Families Across the World

marijuana farmers

While much of our news coverage focuses on domestic issues and our own western culture, it is important that we do not lose sight of the marijuana movement worldwide.  In recent months we have had encouraging news in Central and South America as Columbia, Mexico, Uruguay and other countries have now seriously discussed decriminalization and legalization plans.

Moving toward the rest of the world, we can see that the recession has an even greater impact on struggling countries.  With no industry and help in sight, villagers in trouble have turned to a new way to make ends meet and feed their families.  Several months ago many news outlets reported that Rasquera, a small village in Spain was considering renting out their fields to help pay off a large debt owed to the European Union.   The small village has been growing concerned that its younger population is moving out, seeking jobs in larger metropolitan areas.  Though the village voted to enact the plan, an official from the Spanish government said there was virtually no way this program would ever get started.  Officials in Spain may be forced to think outside of the box as Spain is suffering from 23% unemployment (unemployment is considered a huge problem in the U.S. and is currently at 8.3%) with economists predicting another upcoming and prolonged recession.

While the Spanish government may be dragging their feet and standing in the way of villagers taking their own initiative, the New York Times recently reported on a grandmother in Swaziland who has become a cannabis grower as a way to support her 11 grandchildren.  Khathazile, (she only provided her middle name to the Times reporter) has lost her 3 daughters who all died young and is growing the famous “Swazi Gold” strain as a way to take care of her motherless grandchildren.  Marijuana was not necessarily her first choice to grow but traditional crops do not provide enough for the large family to survive.  As Khathazile says “If you grow corn or cabbages, the baboons steal them.”  Another local woman, Sibongile Nkosi, started to grow marijuana before her daughter died and was impressed with the ease of the grow.  She described her first attempt by saying “I put the seeds in the ground, watered them, and it grew.  I was able to feed my children.”

While these stories may seem controversial to some, it is easy to criticize the idea from more economically vibrant regions of the world, where we may not be faced with having to break the law in order to clothe and feed our children.  HIV/AIDS has ravaged much of Africa with so many children becoming orphans at a young age.  We can no longer afford ignorance, and the luxury of fear mongering and propaganda.  Simply put, marijuana saves and improves lives both medically and economically.  As men in pressed suits try to put their expensive western education to work and try to create elaborate economic recovery plans, Khathazile already has a sustainable low cost plan for pulling the world out of this recession.

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Outside of U.S. Comfort Zone President Obama Forced to Discuss Failed War on Drugs

summit of americas

Over the weekend President Obama attended the 6th Summit of the Americas in Columbia.   Most of the media focus will be on the secret service prostitute scandal and Cuba’s exclusion from the event.  However, medical marijuana patients were treated to at least a glimmer of hope from the weekend summit.

President Obama has sidestepped discussions on marijuana several times over the past several months.  In two separate online votes, the White House has encouraged participants to submit topics  they wanted the president to discuss.  Marijuana reform dominated the votes, but was sidestepped by the White House.  This comes at a time where patients are genuinely concerned about the administration’s handling of medical marijuana and feel that President Obama is not keeping his promise to uphold state law.

Unfortunately for the president, he was unable to maneuver out of a drug policy discussion at the Summit of the Americas.  Momentum for marijuana legalization seems to be growing significantly.  Many Latin American countries have voiced their opposition to the American War on Drugs recently.  Vice President Joe Biden also was pressured on marijuana policy last month in his visit to Central America.  As the violence has escalated out of control in the region, especially in Mexico, many former and current world leaders including former Mexico president Vicente Fox, have called for a change of course.

At the summit, President Obama maintained his current position that legalization is not the answer to combat drug cartel violence.  Instead he feels we need smarter laws, better law enforcement structure and stronger economies.  These general statements may not sit well with U.S. patients and residents of Latin America although President Obama did indicate that he was willing to hold a debate on the issue.  He did acknowledge that the war on drugs has not been successful over the past 40 years.

While the United States Federal government seems reluctant to enact any changes to its approach on marijuana policy, other countries seem more than willing to do so.  The United States now trails many other countries in education, crime rates, and stem cell research.  Is America willing to take a backseat on yet another global issue?

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