#GERMANY: Parliament Committees Hearing Marajuana Bill

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At least eight parliamentary committees in Germany are set to take up a bill to legalize marijuana this week, setting the stage for expected votes on final passage on the floor of the Bundestag on Friday.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UKRAINE: Parliament Approves Cannabis To Treat PTSD

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As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on and is set to complete two years in February 2024, reports suggest that thousands of Ukrainians are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that is often seen in individuals stuck in the middle of the war. 

Amid this dire mental health situation, the Ukrainian Parliament held a vote on Tuesday (December 19) to legalise marijuana (Cannabis), which is mostly banned but also used in a few countries for recreational purposes. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#GERMANY: Cabinet Approves Recreational Marijuana Use

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Germany's cabinet voted through plans Wednesday to legalize possession of cannabis as well as community cultivation clubs to serve local communities, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced.

Presenting his plans to reporters in Berlin, Lauterbach said the law should be passed by the Bundestag after the summer recess and come into force as early as the beginning of 2024. He said he does not expect any major changes from parliament.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRELAND: Parliamentarian To Introduce Marijuana Decriminalization

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Ireland has become the latest European country to consider legislation to legalize some form of adult-use cannabis.

The Irish Parliament, called the Oireachtas, plans to take up a bill introduced by Gino Kenny, a member of parliament from the People Before Profit party, according to a Forbes report.

The legislation would allow adults 18 and older to possess up to 7 grams of cannabis or 2.5 grams of cannabis resin for personal use, the news outlet reported. Viewed largely as a decriminalization bill, the legislation would not tee up commercial cannabis cultivation or sales, according to Forbes, nor would it allow the cultivation of cannabis for personal use.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: #Ontario's Gov't Lost $42 Million Selling Marijuana

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Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp. lost C$42 million in the latest fiscal year, according to newly released public documents.

The government-run provincial Crown corporation tasked with online sales and wholesale distribution of recreational pot reported revenues of $64 million for the year ended March 31, 2019. However, Ontario's consolidated financial statements show the OCRC, which operates as the Ontario Cannabis Store, racked up expenses totaling $106 million during the period.

Canada legalized cannabis for adult use on Oct. 17 last year, and the rollout was mired by supply chain issues and product shortages, which largely have been resolved in recent months.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#TRINIDADANDTOBAGO: Movement For Social Justice Party Unveils Pot Legalization Platform Plank

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The Movement for Social Justice has presented its candidates to contest the next local government elections, and a political platform of repealing the Sedition Act, which dates from the 1920s, and to legalize marijuana, while ensuring that one sector of society does not take control of the industry when it is legalized.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#TRINIDADANDTOBAGO: Parliament To Take Up Marijuana Decriminalization In Sept. Session

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Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said legislation to decriminalize marijuana is scheduled to be in Parliament by September. Speaking at the post-Cabinet media conference last week at the Diplomatic Center, Port of Spain he said the draft legislation has nearly been completed and, following Cabinet approval, will be laid in Parliament during the sittings in September.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#USA: #Colorado Bills Allow Pot Delivery, Make All Schedule I/II Drugs Possession Felonies Misdemeanors

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Colorado has become the first state to officially establish a framework for marijuana social consumption spaces.

In addition, the state legalized weed delivery services and permitted public investments into Colorado’s cannabis companies, which was previously banned. Gov. Polis also signed several pieces of legislation that reformed the state’s drug policies, including knocking down felony charges for possession of Schedule I/II substances to mere misdemeanors.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Bill In Parliament Could Suspend Criminal Records For Pot Possession

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Canada could suspend criminal records for marijuana possession under a bill introduced in Parliament, fulfilling a promise to ease offenses made when adult-use cannabis was legalized in October 2018. Liberal Party Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale has introduced C-93 on March 1st in the House of Commons to offer free and expedited record suspensions for Canadians with a conviction for simple possession of cannabis on their criminal record.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SWEDEN: "Hippie" Culture Minister Says She Smoked Pot "Twice" But Wouldn't Now; Must Have "Restrictive" Drug Policy

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Saying she wants to get the "corpses out of the closet" before they're discovered by others, Sweden's new Culture Minister Amanda Lind says she smoked cannabis (pot) twice, but doesn't anymore. "Others may judge whether it is a big or a small thing," she said. "I wouldn't do it today. We must have a restrictive drug policy."

The Green Party member of parliament joined the Social Democratic Party cabinet of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven late last month. She succeeds MP Alice Bah Kuhnke, who is now a candidate for the European Parliament.

Moderate Party MP Hanif Bali joked on Twitter, "I look forward to having a hippie as Minister of Culture. Incense, chakra massage and tons of weed in the ministry." Lind, a licensed psychologist, has studied herbal alternative medicine, acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#PORTUGAL: Two Parties Put Forward Pot Legalization Bills

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Members of Portugal’s parliament are debating two bills that would legalize marijuana. Though the country’s Left Bloc and People-Animals-Nature parties are advocating for separate pieces of legalization legislation that contain some minor differences, they would both allow adults 18 and older to purchase, possess, consume and cultivate cannabis. But it’s not clear that either bill would have enough support to pass. Portugal’s Socialist Party indicated that it would abstain from the vote. The Portuguese Community Party, People’s Party and Social Democrats Party reportedly oppose the legislation.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ISRAEL: Knesset Approves Exportation Of Cannabis

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Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has approved the exportation of Cannabis. The legislation authorizes the Israeli Police to conduct supervision of cannabis farms, and grant approvals for cultivating, growing and exporting of cannabis and cannabis-related products. Police involvement clears a legal obstacle necessary for the final approval of export of medical marijuana from the country in 2019. Neighboring Lebanon is already a major exporter of hashish in the region.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#NORTHERNIRELAND: Belfast Is "Awash With Drugs" Says Lawmaker; Calls For Higher Police Presence

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A Northern Ireland lawmaker is calling for a greater police presence on the streets of Belfast after witnessing drug use in public during a New Year's Day stroll with his young children. Christopher Stalford, a member of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly, says he was walking along the Connswater Greenway in mid-morning when he witnessed several incidents of cannabis use in public. The Democratic Unionist Party lawmaker said, "Frankly, I have the impression that Belfast is awash with drugs."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Concerns Raised After Revelation That Premier's Chief Of Staff Ordered Police To Raid Illegal Pot Shops

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford's chief of staff ordered senior political aides to direct police to raid outlaw cannabis stores the day marijuana became legal in Canada, and to show "people in handcuffs," according to a report in the Toronto Star.

Dean French reportedly made the demand in two conference calls on Oct. 17. He was met by stiff resistance from staff in the community safety ministry and the attorney general's office. Reports have also surfaced of conservative party officials expressing concerns about a government official ordering police to conduct operations.

Pictured: Doug Ford, left, and his chief of staff, Dean French.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRELAND: Opposition Criticizes Failure To Roll Out Medical Cannabis Program; Lack Of Reliable Supply Blamed

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The government has been criticized for failing to roll out a medical cannabis program, which was announced two years ago. The delay is being blamed on the government running into problems finding a quality assured supplier of cannabis and a supplier that can export its products to Ireland.

Health department officials recently visited Denmark for meetings with a number of government regulatory bodies and other stakeholders in the medical cannabis production and supply chain.

The health department says the difficulty is compounded by the fact that only two countries, Canada and the Netherlands, currently permit export of such cannabis products, which meet acceptable quality control standards, beyond their borders.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Ontario's Gov't Set To Release Details On How It Will Regulate Legal Cannabis Sales

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Ontario's government is set to release details outlining how it will manage the sale of recreational cannabis in the province. A full framework will be introduced in the legislature as early as this week. The plan may cap the number of cannabis retail licences that any single entity can own at 10% of the total available allocation, in a move that would limit the amount of stores one organization can own and prevent it from dominating the market.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#LEBANON: Bill Introduced In Parliament Seeks To Legalize Production Of Cannabis

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A bill has been introduced in Lebanon's parliament that would allow cultivation and use of cannabis for medical purposes. That's big news for residents of the nation's fertile Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, which has long been known as one of the world's major growing regions, producing some of the finest quality cannabis, mostly processed into hashish. Today, the country is the third biggest producer in the world, according to the UN. After decades of crackdowns, growers in the valley hope to reap greater benefits and profits from the crop.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#STLUCIA: Marijuana Decriminalization Bill To Be Introduced In Parliament Before Christmas

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A bill that will allow residents to possess and use small quantities of marijuana will go before parliament on December 12 for the first time. According to the country’s latest cabinet notes, the Marijuana Bill will be read a first time and distributed when parliament convenes.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Ontario First Province To Set Rules For Legal Pot Sales: Thru Gov't Stores Only

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Ontario is the first province or territory in Canada to lay out its plans for how cannabis will be sold and regulated in response to federal legislation that will legalize recreational use by July 2018. According to details announced at a Friday press conference, the province will set the minimum age at 19, the same as alcohol. The federal Cannabis Act gives provinces the ability to set the age as low as 18, although some medical groups have argued for a higher minimum age due to the effects of cannabis use on brain development.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Trudeau's Gov't Sets Date For Full Marijuana Legalization: July 1, 2018

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The Liberal Party government of Justin Trudeau will announce legislation next month that will legalize marijuana in Canada by July 1, 2018. Trudeau's party had long promised they would have legislation ready by the spring. The new regulations would basically follow recommendations released in December by a federally-appointed pot task force.

[FULL STORY HERE]