Marijuana and Cannabis World News
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 1:20 pm
According to Mexican news sources, members of the Party of the Democratic Revolution are drafting laws that would allow people to cultivate cannabis at home, smoke it at specific clubs and bars and possess up to 25 grams.
Currently, possession of up to five grams of cannabis is decriminalized in Mexico along with small amounts of other drugs like LSD and cocaine.
Leaders and representatives of the 34 nations that make up the Organization of American States (OAS) held its annual general assembly meeting last Thursday in Guatemala to discuss a range of issues, with a debate about marijuana legalization expected to take center stage.With many of the OAS member-nations being wracked by drug war related violence, a debate over immediate solutions to curb illegal narcotics trafficking was considered to be a top priority by many attending and observing the 3-day meeting. Instead, the conference concluded with no specific judgment being given regarding the decriminalization or legalization of drugs like cannabis in the Western Hemisphere. 
Organization of American States logo.
It may seem counter intuitive to tell your employer "It's none of your business what I do when I'm not here" when they ask for a drug test. But that's what an employee with the Halifax Streets Department in Nova Scotia told his boss after his boss says he smelled weed in the city truck in which the employee was a passenger.
Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The employee, listed only as "Mr. Jeffery" in the ruling, says he is a recreational user of cannabis and that he would have tested positive, but he maintains that there was no evidence of impairment or on-the-job drug use and refused the drug test - and the courts have backed the employee's decision.
After the Netherlands banned public cannabis shops in border towns, southern Netherlands coffee shop owners say their business - both local and foreign - went in the gutter. Despite their anti-cannabis stance, the courts agreed and say the owners are entitled to compensation.
A coffee shop menu.
But the move also clarified the laws, upholding the bans and other measures used to prevent tourists from buying drugs in the country.
Facing increasing opposition from doctors and patients who support and depend on the use of medical marijuana, Israel's Minister of Health, Yael German, has seen her Facebook page dominated by dissent, and a full-scale hunger protest form on her front lawn.
Israel Minister of Health Yael German.
The protests spawned from a recent increase on the regulations that govern the country's blooming medical marijuana program, specifically on what illnesses would be eligible for treatment with some Kosher Kush.
It was an eventful week in medical marijuana news with groundbreaking discoveries happening in laboratories around the world. 
In addition to finding out that cannabis can lower risks for bladder cancer and diabetes, scientists this week announced several other interesting findings regarding our favorite plant.
It's Friday, so you're likely sitting at your desk (or hiding from your boss on your smart phone) waiting to get off work. We feel your pain. But keep this in mind, your life could be much worse. 
Take it from one of these unfortunate grow/stash owner stories culled from around the world this past week:
Regular marijuana users don't have an increased risk of cancer compared to people who only toke every now and then.
Wikipedia commons.
That's the findings of a report submitted at the annual American Association of Cancer Research this week that includes data from six case-controlled studies between 1999 and 2012.
There's apparently a form of cocaine more depraved than crack in Colombia called bazuco. The drug is a cheap, meth-like form of cocaine made with sulfuric acid and kerosene from leftover cocaine manufacturing residue. And like meth, it's users resort heavily to crime to support their habits.
Bogota, Columbia.
With this public health menace before them, Bogota officials are trying everything to help bazuco addicts - including providing them with marijuana, the Miami Herald reports. Over the next few weeks, some 300 addicts will take part in a program that uses high-strength cannabis as a crutch to help them kick.
Things could get even lovelier on the little island of Puerto Rico. Last week, a bill was introduced at the Capitol that would legalize possession of an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and up. 
Sen. Miguel Pereira, who sponsors the bill, is a former federal prosecutor who says the war on marijuana is a win-less effort. He said that possession cases are wasting government money and said that as many as 80 percent of people in jail are there for nonviolent crimes.
