German Cabinet Approves Bill to Liberalize Cannabis Use | DW News

Aug 16, 2023 | A controversial draft bill on legalizing the recreational use of the drug cannabis was unveiled on Wednesday by German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach after it was approved by the German Cabinet. The draft law would make it legal for people over 18 to possess up to 25 grams (0.9 ounces) of cannabis and to cultivate up to three plants for personal use. There will also be approved so-called cultivation associations. Often referred to as cannabis social clubs, they provide their members with home-grown cannabis products.

Governments have been waging a war on tobacco and cigarette-smoking for years and years; and the war has been relentless and is still in progress. Many governments, especially successive UK governments, have made the smoking of a cigarette so expensive and so difficult that it has gone from being a pleasure that most people could afford to becoming a rich person's pleasure. Successive governments have also made it well-nigh impossible to go anywhere and smoke a cigarette. One cannot smoke a cigarette in cafés, pubs, restaurants, or in any public places or public transport. Virtually the only place that one can smoke a cigarette today is in one's own home. And in some places in the US, especially rented properties, even that is not allowed!

I write here as an ex-smoker; so, having given up smoking in April 2022, I no longer have any skin in the game. But I wish someone could explain to me the logic of waging an all-out war on smoking tobacco and then making a volte-face on the smoking of cannabis. To my way of thinking, this is as illogical as it is crazy. Is society going to be any healthier when people turn away from the smoking of tobacco and take up smoking cannabis instead? That, to me, seems highly improbable. I'd wager that by encouraging people to take up smoking cannabis—its legalisation will give the green light to its consumption—there will be, in the years ahead, a whole host of health issues to be faced, many among them probably being cognitive difficulties — health difficulties which are challenging health systems as it is. I believe I am right in saying that it is an undeniable fact that cannabis can have a deleterious long-term effect on a person's brain function. I guess we're about to find out for definite.

In view of many Western governments' easing up on soft drugs, might I suggest that laws on smoking cigarettes be relaxed again and their prices be sharply reduced? The war on smoking has had a profound effect on people's sense of joie de vivre. Moreover, obesity has increased exponentially and miserableness abounds. – © Mark Alexander

Marijuana Majority

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Americans support marijuana legalization, but many of their political leaders do not.

A decade ago, no American lived in a state where marijuana was legal to smoke, vape or eat recreationally. Today, nearly half of Americans do or will soon: Voters approved legalization ballot measures this month in Maryland and Missouri, bringing the number of states allowing any adult use to 21.

Legalization may not make major news often anymore, but it’s a big deal. It amounts to America’s largest change to its drug policy in decades. By aligning marijuana with alcohol and tobacco, rather than harder drugs, the policy change is giving birth to a new industry. And, over time, it could reduce the hundreds of thousands of marijuana arrests made in the U.S. every year, freeing up police resources.

The change came about largely because of the support of voters, not politicians or lawmakers. While the public backs legalization, some prominent political leaders do not: President Biden has said he’s opposed. Donald Trump has characterized legalization as an issue for states to decide, but his 2020 presidential campaign said marijuana should remain illegal. » | German Lopez | The Morning | Wednesday, November 23, 2022

How New York City Became a Free-for-All of Unlicensed Weed: Shops selling weed have proliferated since the state legalized cannabis last year, thriving in confusion over their legality and a lack of enforcement. »

Weed Is Now Legal in Thailand. How Long Will the High Times Last?

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Cannabis shops have multiplied since the drug was decriminalized, with caveats, in June. But some lawmakers are pushing for tighter regulation.

Thailand’s military government is carrying out an experiment: What happens when a country in Asia, a region where drug laws tend to be harsh, essentially legalizes marijuana overnight?

In the first few months, lots of people have opened weed dispensaries, and their customers have smoked a lot of weed.

Thailand’s marijuana industry has a joyful, freewheeling vibe on a street level. Some dispensaries offer workshops on rolling joints and brewing “weed tea.” Next week, one is holding “yoga on high” class; the ticket price includes a joint, a beverage, a snack and a yoga mat rental. » | Mike Ives | Thursday, November 10, 2022