united states
The CBD Regulatory Environment in Europe: Part 4
This is the final piece of a four-part series discussing European cannabis regulations. Click here for Part One, here for Part Two and here for Part Three. Part Four wraps up the series below. Where is the future of CBD heading? A review of these various jurisdictions, the EU, the UK, and the USA, makes it clear that […]
Why is the US Banning Canadians Who Admit to Trying Weed?
As if the United States border crossing experience wasn’t unsettling enough, apparently answering a simple marijuana-related question incorrectly can get you banned from the “land of the free” for life. How could such baseless oppression be possible in 2016, when more than half of our states have some form of legalized marijuana? Allow Canadian music […] Thanks to marijuana.com
Marijuana Updates From Romania and Switzerland
The United States government has taken the first step toward repealing prohibition, Canada has relaunched and expanded the scope of their medical marijuana program, and Mexican leaders and celebrities are banding together in unprecedented fashion in order to legalize and reduce cartel violence. It was an eventful month in North America. Perhaps riding the momentum spilling out of North America for marijuana reform, Switzerland and Romania have announced major changes to their cannabis laws.
As of this month, marijuana possession for adults in Switzerland has been decriminalized. For those over the age of 18, getting caught with 10 grams or less will result in a ticket without jail time or a court appearance. The fine has been set at 110 Francs (approximately $120 in U.S. currency). The move was aimed at freeing up the courts, law enforcement resources, and creating a clear law across the board, as local municipalities have enacted different and conflicting laws. The penalties for selling marijuana to those under 18 have increased.
Romania also has moved forward with significant changes to their marijuana laws. Recreational use will remain banned, but a new medical marijuana program received the green light this week. They have become the 10th country within the European Union to legalize medical marijuana. Patients with certain debilitating conditions may be able to legally obtain marijuana to help with their symptoms. Manufacturers will soon be able to apply through Romania’s National Agency of Medicines.
We will keep you updated with any new developments on this or other international developments. Cannabis’ reputation as a healer and economy driver seems to be traveling far and wide these days.
Uruguay Moving Forward With Plan To Legalize Marijuana and Combat Drug Violence
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.
Ohio Teen Highlights the Tragedy of Inaction
History credits alcohol prohibition with giving way for the rise of the American mob. The aftermath of marijuana prohibition is eerily similar with cartels dictating Mexican politics. Unfortunately the situation for our southern neighbors is even more out of control as governments in Central and South America are unable to end the extreme violence. The …continue reading
Germany May Follow Worldwide Marijuana Reform Efforts
While much of our focus on marijuana.net centers around the domestic United States patient, we are always trying to keep our readers up to date on international developments regarding marijuana reform. The past two weeks have treated us to great news coming out of Uruguay and Colombia with the former legalizing and the latter decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.
We at marijuana.net were excited to learn that Germans are also voicing their pleas for decriminalization and legalization efforts. German government officials have been conducting online polls in an effort to engage the people in the political process directly. According to Reuters, 152,000 German residents voted online to make cannabis legal. Also up for vote was a bestiality law, which received 93,000 votes, another vote we agree with. Apparently in 1969 sexual abuse of animals was decriminalized, decades before serious marijuana reform (if in fact it even happens soon).
Germany is known for their innovation and has successfully navigated through the rough economic currents challenging most of the world. In fact, much of the rest of Europe and those who utilize the Euro as their main currency have been depending on Germany to provide funds for a bailout in order to stabilize the effects of the European Debt Crisis. As they are typically forward thinkers in terms of industry, Germany may want to think of unconventional ideas in order to stay ahead of the economic curve. Additionally, their online polling and voting system may prove to be a great tool for future governing, letting the people actually have a say.
As stated above, there have been some great develops internationally for marijuana reform. It appears change is now occurring rapidly. Marijuana.net recently wrote about a U.N. study that showed marijuana has now become the most used “drug” in the world. Regulated cannabis could be used to solve financial issues (a small town in Spain tried to lease their land to growers as a way to climb out of debt) and bring much needed medical relief worldwide. Legalization could also make Oktoberfest even more fun.
Cartel’s Advanced Tunnel System may pose a serious Security Threat to U.S.
As new details are provided concerning the fight against drugs, this news isn’t positive. While U.S. government bodies happen to be fighting cartel forces for many years, the conflict may now be a much bigger domestic threat.
U.S. Border Patrol agents have found over 160 illegal tunnels across the U.S./Mexico border. However, agents have found much more advanced tunnel systems lately. Huge amount of money are increasingly being spent to equip the marijuana smuggling tunnels with lighting and today even railway systems. Many government bodies believe the geography in Tijuana might be especially useful towards the efforts from the cartel. U.S. attorney Laura E. Duffy has stated that smugglers use horizontal drills that don’t disturb top soil making recognition difficult. The soil is soft and simple to drill through. North Park College anthropologist Victor Clark Alfaro feels this really is one more reason which helps the efforts of individuals digging the tunnels. He lately stated the “noise in the airport terminal is a superb benefit to them.” Probably the most advanced tunnels have been discovered near Tijuana Airport Terminal.
Escalation is definitely an issue in police force. Aggression always provides the opportunity for retaliation, and cartel efforts to smuggle marijuana now pose a much greater security problem than in the past. The weapons and transportation employed by smugglers has become progressively advanced as U.S. agents have concurrently elevated its degree of pressure used to look for marijuana. The fight against drugs cost has jumped in to the billions, as the intended target is continuing to grow unmanageable. America’s almost century lengthy fight against marijuana has produced a scenario where organized crime makes money and people are frequently forced to cope with them (even when in a roundabout way) when they seek relief. A lot of us will invariably question just how much bloodshed and today domestic security risk might have been prevented having a more sensible approach toward marijuana. With no underground community, it is not easy to picture 100s of subterranean tunnels being funded by organized crime.
Of course, national security is a large area of the approaching presidential election. In the end watch two males in customized suits discuss issues overseas or even the Mexican border as it requires immigration, will People in america again be refused the chance to listen to our leaders discuss our most harmful and native security risks?
Fight against Drugs much more Costly than we believe?
We’re all very acquainted with how much cash world war 2 on drugs has cost the U.S. economy in the last 4 decades. The cash continues to be allocated to a war which has created little and possibly even made the specific problems worse. Reviews now indicate the fight against drugs has joined the rare billions of dollars stratosphere.
As the official statistics reveal that this war has ended up costing several that now surpasses several with a lot of zeroes for all of us to count, One Dollar,000,000,000,000, there still appears to become costs that aren’t considered within the overall number. Because this “Great Recession” continues, we have seen that everybody is shifting toward a worldwide economy. Immediate communication has led to a faster and simpler system for the money to rotate. Because this concept eludes our chosen authorities plus they still attack the drops within the bucket (for example pork barrel investing and tort reform, that are important but pale in financial comparison towards the bigger issues) they still demonstrate deficiencies in understanding regarding the way the global economic machine runs. Because of the we are able to no more sweep the worldwide fallout from your drug war underneath the carpet.
Mexico is clearly battling within their fight from the cartels as 15,273 everyone was killed this year alone consequently from the conflict. Within the huge most of instances the cartel is attempting to slide past border security and ship product in to the U . s . States. Although this point continues to be introduced home many occasions before, it shows how poor legislation could affect not just America, but other nations too. Similar fallout in our drug war is felt in other battling nations too costing both of them in paper currency and physical lives, again not counted within the already bloated trillion amount.
Unknown dollars within this war aren’t only at worldwide issues. A current article describes a man’s vehicle being totaled by police because they looked for marijuana which was nowhere found. The balance for that BMW demolition was over $12,000 and government bodies are surely waiting for a suit in the vehicle owner in addition to his insurance carrier, Geico. Although this might be less pricey than other conditions, many leaks can continue to result in a ton. The lawsuit of two more legal cases and potential money being compensated out can also add up, especially thinking about that’s no isolated incident.
Obviously we’ve even bigger problems as our drug policy might be the greatest cause of an upswing of the house-made high. Much like alcohol prohibition, the house-made product (moonshine) was typically stronger than was available formerly inside a controlled market. Methamphetamine use appears directly associated with our current fight against drugs. Meth is really a terrifying problem and it is use could be debilitating. Would we’ve this problem when the U . s . States were built with a more sensible method of drugs enforcement in the last several decades? Now reviews show that government bodies need to make it even harder to buy items like Sudafed which include pseudoephedrine. Although this might be well intentioned, it might have been an avoidable scenario. Since the idea of creating addictive drugs from items offered at the neighborhood pharmacy is into the spotlight, exactly how will we take it off? We can’t even make a list of the balance correctly, a smaller amount win this pricey fight against drugs.
40 Years
40 years could be a very long time based upon which position it’s seen from. For many, it’s, regrettably, an eternity. For many, it is just 1 / 2 of a existence. Searching with the wide scope from the world, it might barely be considered a nanosecond. When it comes to social/political/economic issues, 4 decades can represent many lives over, a number of births and deaths.
World war 2 on drugs was initially known to at that time leader Richard Nixon on Next Month, 1971. There is clearly a significant cultural divide within the U . s . States in the nineteen fifties towards the seventies. Opposing viewpoints on many social issues, especially drugs appeared just like a primary adding factor for that social division. Besides the cultural conflicts, among the primary factors within the U . s . States dealing with aggressive anti-drug guidelines was as a result of an increasing epidemic of heroin use among coming back Vietnam soldiers. Estimations were staggering and experts established that 10-fifteen percent people soldiers who offered within the war were hooked on Heroin.
The ensuing 4 decades would see over 1 trillion dollars allocated to this war. Lately, The Worldwide Commission on Drug Policy has mentioned the “war on drugs has unsuccessful, with devastating effects for people and communities all over the world.Inch This commission is composed of some very accomplished and profile people. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, U.S. official George P. Schultz (who offered under both Presidents Taxation and Richard Nixon’s cabinet), former U.S. Fed chairman Paul Volcker, former presidents of Mexico, South america and Colombia, and also the current pm of A holiday in greece are the people who constitute all of this-star panel. The folks from the U . s . States appear to concur, as polls established that over 75% of People in america believe world war 2 on drugs is failing.
In character change can frequently have a very lengthy and attracted out path (climatic change, ice age, mountain formation, continental drifts etc.). Social issues and legislation can alter each day however the Fight against Drugs appears to become moving more carefully to natures pace, a glacial pace. Since Nixon first made his proclamation concerning the Fight against Drugs, the earth has observed an amazing quantity of change, all although this war remains constant. During the period of the final 4 decades we view the finish from the Vietnam War, the invention from the microchip, Internet within our houses, fall from the Berlin Wall, the finish from the Cold War, Iran Contra, Afghan-Soviet war, Two attacks around the World Trade Center, 8 U.S. Presidents, Cell Phones, Social Media, NASA rovers touching lower on foreign planets, The Gulf War, The 2nd Iraq War, The United States. Afghan Conflict, Stem Cells, The Patriot Act, Dolly the Cloned Sheep, etc. (clearly it might take pages to list out the many other significant occasions).
Even while, we have seen a regular Fight against Drugs. With both worldwide community, and domestic community in complete agreement, the problem appears only poised to achieve traction. There has been some domestic changes, particularly in marijuana laws and regulations, but nonetheless more than 30 billion dollars is going to be spent through the U.S. government this year about this war. Having a battling economy along with a consensus among both U.S. people and also the relaxation around the globe, shall we be approaching seeing a cease fire about this 40 year Fight against Drugs?