Quick Hit August 2022: what we've missed in recent weeks

Our most regular Newsweed readers will have noticed that we’ve been on hiatus for the past two weeks. But since the news doesn’t wait for us, here’s a recap of what’s been happening in the cannabis world in the meantime.

France

31 senators from the Socialist, Ecologist, and Republican (SER) group have signed a forum calling for the legalization of cannabis. In response, the Republican Party sent its top spokespeople on TV to try to explain why it was a bad idea.

Othman Nasrou, vice president of the Île-de-France region, no less, argued that legalization should not be pursued because «60% of cannabis still comes from the black market» in Canada—an argument that is usually used to show that legalization works well. If you’re reading this, Othman, it’s actually, more like 60% of legal cannabis.

Then Patrick Karam, who is also vice president of the Île-de-France Regional Council, appeared on Cnews to explain his opposition to legalization, arguing that it would lift «the moral taboo linked to the legal aspect.» The same moral taboo that causes the France is the largest consumer of cannabis Europe? Bitch, please.

Europe

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach admitted that he had tried cannabis and that he now supports legalization after having previously opposed it. In an interview, he offered some insights into the legalization of cannabis in Germany : More than 5 billion euros per year in potential tax revenue; an «ambitious» approach in line with European legislation; cannabis will likely be available in specialty stores as well as pharmacies. The bill is expected to be finalized and presented to the Bundestag before the end of this year, with the law set to take effect in early 2023 and sales to begin no earlier than 2024.

A majority of Britons now support a harm-reduction approach, such as Portugal's, which treats addiction as a mental illness rather than a crime, in a recent YouGov poll.

The Danes also want Legalize it and let the government handle cannabis sales.

United States

An American anti-drug organization, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) called on its supporters to oppose a federal bill on the legalization of cannabis, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). What is most surprising, however, are the sponsors of this nonprofit organization: Purdue Pharma, Pfizer, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, Krispy Kreme, Johnson & Johnson, and the The NFL, which conducts its own studies currently on the use of cannabis for pain management among athletes. Some of these companies are actively profiting from the cannabis industry in Canada, while making donations to an organization that encourages U.S. senators to vote against legalization. CADCA has since removed the «sponsors» page.

Here’s a visual version pic.twitter.com/pnrU9ffUDI

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A bill, the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, was passed by the House of Representatives and aims to expand research on the medical use of cannabis. It would facilitate the authorization of various health or research institutions to «manufacture, distribute, dispense, or possess cannabis or cannabidiol (CBD) for medical research purposes.».

Universities in states that have legalized cannabis have seen the number of applications for admission is increasing «without any apparent decline in the quality of the applicants.».

Cannabis regulation in New York is taking too long. Nevertheless, the cannabis market is already very open, with trucks selling weed right on the street. The police comes to catch 20 of them.

Brittney Griner, the professional basketball player who plays in Russia and whose suitcase contained a cannabis vape cartridge, was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Some point out the hypocrisy of the U.S. government, which, while finding Brittney Griner’s sentence ridiculous, continues to imprison its citizens—particularly Black people—for cannabis.

The North Dakota will vote for (or against) the legalization of cannabis next November after a citizens' initiative gathered enough signatures.

Canada

The SQDC, which markets cannabis and cannabis-derived products in Quebec, has begun selling 3 new edibles : THC/CBD-infused beets, cauliflower, and dried figs. Each bite contains 2.5 mg of THC and 5 mg of CBD. 6,90$CA for 4 pieces.

Legal Canadian cannabis producers destroyed a record 425 million grams of unpackaged dried cannabis in 2021, far exceeding the amount they were able to sell. In addition to the destruction of unpackaged dried cannabis, more than 7 million packaged cannabis products across the country were sent for destruction in 2021, according to data from Health Canada.

Canopy Growth lost $2 billion from cannabis sales this quarter.

The monopoly of the’Ontario Cannabis Store, the only company authorized to sell cannabis online and in bulk in Ontario, is starting to get on my nerves. It must be said that business is good: the organization sets the purchase prices paid to producers, takes a 42% markup, and then resells to stores, which in turn must add their own markup just to stay afloat. This monopoly, which gobbles up profits, stifles innovation, and is slowly strangling the emerging cannabis industry—particularly its small operators and independent retailers. To top it all off, following a cyberattack on one of its servers, it was forced to to suspend its cannabis deliveries to stores for about ten days.

Rest of the world

Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s new president, calls for an end to the war on drugs: «It is time to adopt a new international convention that recognizes that the war on drugs has failed.» The country considers decriminalizing cocaine use and establishing government oversight of production to cut off the cartels’ funding. Some U.S. companies are already already interesteddriven by the business of «decocainated» coca leaves—such as those used in Coca-Cola—whose production has been heavily regulated until now.

The Thai Cannabis Market could already be worth 1.2 billion euros by 2025. However, the decriminalization implemented does not, for the time being, constitute legalization. The government has reiterated that the sale of cannabis is illegal on Khao San Road, one of Bangkok’s tourist thoroughfares, even though at least four cannabis shops operate there openly. However, the police can only apprehend people who are smoking in public. Several weed shops have also just opened in Pattaya, Phuket, and Ko Pha Ngan.

Thailand, as always, is taking the initial measures to decriminalize personal drug use by adopting threshold amounts (1.5 g of methamphetamine, 300 mg of heroin, 600 mg of cocaine). Possession of an amount below the threshold could result in referral to a treatment program instead of prosecution. One question remains: what «treatment program»?

Malaysia, for its part, wants to follow Thailand’s lead in promoting the medical use of cannabis. The Thai health minister said that he would organize a trip for his Malaysian counterpart to study how cannabis can be used for medical purposes.

South Africa's Longest-Standing Cannabis Growers are automatically excluded proposals to legalize cannabis.

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31 young people aged 12 to 25 who suffered from an anxiety disorder and showed no clinical improvement despite treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or antidepressants used CBD for 12 weeks and up to 800 milligrams per day. Anxiety decreased an average of 42.6%.

A study A study conducted by Washington State University found a 37 % decrease in reports of poisoning from illicit synthetic cannabinoids in states where cannabis is legal, compared to states with restrictive policies.

A Canadian study has shown that the legalization of cannabis is not associated with an increase in psychosis or schizophrenia.

A Spanish study, led in particular by GH Medical, noted that consuming 65 mg of THC was less intoxicating when combined with CBD in a 2:1 ratio than when taken alone.