Global

Poll: Most Americans & Canadians Ready To Legalize Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 30, 2012 Culture, Global, News

Two Thirds of Respondents Expect Marijuana To Be Legal In Next 10 Years

A majority of people in the United States and Canada believe cannabis should be readily available for those who want to use it, a new two-country Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of representative national samples, a majority of Canadians (57 percent) and Americans (54 percent) support the legalization of marijuana.

Most respondents in each Canadian region back the legalization of cannabis, including 64 percent of Atlantic Canadians and 60 percent of British Columbians.

Deepak Chopra Joins Movement To End War On Drugs

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 29, 2012 Global, News

Wikipedia

Deepak Chopra: Newest member of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Honorary Board

Becomes Newest Member of Drug Policy Alliance Honorary Board

Joins Powerful Group that Includes Former Heads of State, Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Sting, Russell Simmons, and Former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Secretary of Defense, U.S. Surgeon General, U.S. Attorney General and Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve

Physician, bestselling author and global thought leader Deepak Chopra has joined the Honorary Board of the Drug Policy Alliance, the U.S.-based organization that is leading the fight for drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.

UN Official Wants U.S. To Cancel Marijuana Legalization Votes

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 20, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

International Narcotics Control Board

Raymond Yans, U.N. INCB: American voters’ approval of marijuana legalization sends “a wrong message to the rest of the nation and it sends a wrong message abroad”

The man in charge of the United Nations’ anti-drug agency has told United States federal government officials to challenge ballot measures in Colorado and Washington that removed penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults.

Voters’ approval of cannabis legalization sends “a wrong message to the rest of the nation and it sends a wrong message abroad, said Raymond Yans, who heads the U.N.’s International Narcotics Control Board, reports The Associated Press.

Yans’ announcement was greeted with a mixture of indifference (a vast collective yawn being the primary reaction) and hostility (“tell that UN moron to go fuck himself,” one stoner offered) in the American cannabis community.

Meanwhile, voters in Colorado and Washington were left to wonder when the hell they turned over control of the “messages” they “send” to some bureaucratic pinhead who doesn’t understand democracy.

Uruguay Introduces Marijuana Legalization Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 16, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

Fox News

Poised To Become First Country in the World To End Marijuana Prohibition

On Heels of Colorado and Washington Legalization Initiatives, Race Is On to See Who Will Be First to Set Up Successful Regulation of Marijuana

Uruguayan lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill in Congress to legally regulate marijuana. This comes on the heels of the historic approval of marijuana legalization initiatives in Washington and Colorado on November 6, making these two U.S. states the first political jurisdictions in the world to legalize the production and distribution of cannabis. If Uruguay approves the measure, it will become the first country in the world to do so.

Canada Toughens Marijuana Sentences As US States Legalize

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 8, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

The Fresh Scent

Talk about irony, eh? The very same day American voters in two states legalize, the Stephen Harper government in Canada brought into force tough new mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana.

As Washington and Colorado both on Tuesday approved measures loosening their pot laws, drug measures in the Conservative government’s Safe Streets and Communities Act, passed last spring, came into full force in Canada, reports Bruce Cheadle of The Canadian Press.

Weed Tourists Still Welcome In Amsterdam: Party Won’t End Jan. 1

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 2, 2012 Dispensaries, Global, News

Nol van Schaik/Facebook

Good news from Amsterdam, where the mayor says the Dutch city will continue to allow foreign tourists in its famous cannabis-dispensing coffeeshops after January 1. That’s the day when the infamous WeedPass was to become mandatory in the Netherlands — with the effect of shutting everyone but Dutch locals out of the thriving coffeeshop scene.

Mayor Eberhard van der Laan made it clear in an interview with AT5, in answering the statement of Dutch Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten’s spokesman, who said Mayor van der Laan “could not” go ahead allowing foreign tourists to buy marijuana in Amsterdam’s coffeeshops nexst year.

Dutch Activist: We Don’t Need A Weedpass, We Need To Pass Weed

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 1, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

Nol van Schaik/Facebook

NORML UK and other cannabis activists across Europe are welcoming the announcement that Dutch cities are set to ditch their proposed Wietpas (“WeedPass”) scheme, which would have allowed only Dutch nationals to buy cannabis in the country’s famous coffeeshops. At least 1.5 million of the city’s seven million visitors a year go to a coffeeshop.

The measure proposed by the previous Christian Democrat government would have forced the coffeeshops to become private members’ clubs, limited to only 2,000 members each and open only to Dutch residents, thereby banning sales to foreigners. The scheme had already been introduced in some parts of southern Holland, where critics say it has already lead to increased street dealing.

69% Favor Decriminalizing Marijuana In BBC Poll

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 22, 2012 Culture, Global, News

NORML UK

Last week, a major independent study called for the decriminalization of cannabis in the United Kingdom. The publication of a six-year study from the UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC) likened cannabis use to “moderately risky” gambling or junk food.

The report prompted the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live Show, a weekly topical political news show aired at 10 a.m. every Sunday, to hold a debate on cannabis.

The show included a debate in the studio with journalists and broadcasters Germaine Greer, Peter Hitchens, James O’brien, Gary Parker and contributions via Skype from former government drugs advisor Prof. David Nutt, drugs rehab worker, Gary Parker, and Clark French, a medicinal cannabis user with multiple sclerosis who is also NORML UK’s national spokesperson.

During the show, the BBC ran a viewers poll asking whether cannabis should be decriminalized. The result showed an overwhelming majority in favor, with 69 percent voting yes against only 31 percent who were opposed.

“I was incredibly pleased and excited to be invited on BBC1 this morning for a live debate,” Clark French said. “I had so much to say and so little time to say it, but I am pleased with the points I managed to convey. I hope to build on the current momentum and reach out to more television shows to share my story and campaign for our right to use cannabis as a safer form of medicine and recreation.”

Global Commission On Drug Policy To Meet In Poland

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 19, 2012 Global, News

Global Commission on Drug Policy/Facebook

Global Commission Members, Including Four Former Presidents, To Gather in Warsaw Oct. 24-25

On Heels of Success in Latin America, Global Commission Will Strategize Next Steps for Global Drug Policy Reform

The Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) will gather in Warsaw on October 24 and 25 to highlight the impact of the war on drugs on public health in Eastern Europe and prospects for change around the world.

The Global Commission was convened in July 2010 and has been working to establish a road map for change in drug laws and policies. It is currently composed of 22 international leaders, including seven former presidents.

The GCDP meeting in Poland brings the debate to Eastern Europe, in order to focus on the dramatic human and social consequences of the prevailing hardline approach to drugs in the region. The meeting will include a roundtable organized by the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza to allow interaction with key media and stakeholders.

Police Shut Down First Cannabis Coffeeshop In Denmark

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 5, 2012 Dispensaries, Global

Smokenhagen Coffeeshop/Facebook

Scandinavia may never be the same. Police in Copenhagen on Friday shut down Denmark’s first cannabis “coffeeshop” cafe. At Smokenhagen, customers could buy marijuana over the counter, get a receipt, and smoke it openly right there in the cafe.

During the raid, the police confiscated all the cannabis, but the shop is expected to reopen again soon, reports Danish website jv.dk.

Smokenhagen Coffeeshop openly sells cannabis following the Dutch model.

Browsing: Global