Johnny Green, Author at International Cannabis Chronicle

55% Of Australians Want To Regulate Cannabis Like Alcohol According To New Poll

Written by Johnny Green on April 28, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Back in 2012, I was part of a network of activists pushing for legal cannabis at the state level here in the United States. We were able to get adult-use cannabis legalization on the ballot in three states that year – Colorado, Washington, and Oregon (Oregon is where I live).

The activists in Colorado had the best political messaging out of the three efforts, heavily relying on the ‘regulate cannabis like alcohol’ talking point. It proved to be a tremendously successful way to frame legalization with voters. Much better than the ‘regulate cannabis like tomatoes’ talking point that many activists (not me) were promoting here in Oregon as part of what would prove to be a losing effort for us on Election Day in 2012.

Alcohol is common in society, and unlike tomatoes it induces intoxication. Yet, people are able to consume it responsibly and governments are able to regulate it. Given that alcohol is exponentially more harmful than cannabis, the ‘regulate cannabis like alcohol’ message resonated with a wide voter base because it was a logical approach to implementing sensible public policy.

It’s a concept that has since expanded well beyond the borders of the State of Colorado, and it’s still something that resonates with voters, as proven by a recent poll conducted in Australia. Below is more information about the poll via an excerpt from Cannabiz:

The online survey of 1,086 adults aged 18-plus, conducted by polling company Essential Research from March 30 to April 2, found 50% of respondents support making cannabis use legal, double the number recorded in the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

And a majority — 55% — favour regulating and taxing cannabis sales like alcohol or tobacco.

Meanwhile, 58% want medicinal cannabis made more affordable and accessible by allowing people with prescriptions to grow their own, and 62% support scrapping current drug-driving laws.

All of the poll’s results are insightful. However, the 50% level of support for ‘making cannabis legal’ compared to the 55% level of support for ‘regulating and taxing cannabis sales like alcohol’ really stood out to me. It demonstrates how many more people will support reform when there is a regulated industry component being proposed, and that it would be based on a similar regulatory structure as alcohol.

In years past, the concept of regulating cannabis like alcohol was just a theory. Now that a number of jurisdictions have implemented the practice, including Canada at a national level, places like Australia can see it working in real-time.

Legalization works. Regulation works. Hopefully lawmakers in Australia see these poll results and work to get their country on the right side of history sooner rather than later.

australia

Australian Researchers Examine Motivation Behind Increased Support For Legalization

Written by Johnny Green on April 25, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Support for adult-use cannabis legalization is stronger now at the global level than at any other time since the start of international cannabis prohibition. Now that Uruguay, Canada, and Malta have passed national cannabis legalization measures and the sky didn’t fall, that should only further add to the momentum for legalization in other countries.

Researchers in Australia recently examined survey data in an attempt to try to identify why support for cannabis legalization has risen in recent decades, specifically in the United States. The researchers leading the study were all affiliated with The University of Queensland, and they examined, “historical changes in legalization attitudes and the period-specific individual and external influences on these.”

“A systematic search was conducted for publications in PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO up to October 2019. Six studies with a regionally or nationally representative adult US-based populations were included.” the researchers stated regarding their methodology.

“A secondary analysis was conducted using data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Hierarchical age-period-cohort analysis assessed the trends in perceived harmfulness and availability of cannabis between 1996 and 2018. Ecological comparisons were made between these perceptions and support for cannabis legalization over time.” the researchers went on to state.

The researchers determined that support for adult-use cannabis legalization started to increase considerably in the 1990s, and that the increase continued in a linear fashion until 2019. That is reflected in the results of Gallup’s annual cannabis legalization poll, a graph of which can be seen below:

Gallup’s polling is particularly useful because they have asked the same question every year since 1969. As you can clearly see, support for legalization was a dismal 25% in the mid-1990s, and it continued to rise nearly every year through 2020 when it leveled off at 68%.

“Most people developed more liberal views, with no evidence that changes within any one sociodemographic group was disproportionately responsible for the overall attitudinal change. Increases in the proportion of people who use cannabis, non-religious population and political liberalism may partially explain the increased support for legalization.” the researchers determined.

“The decline in perceived harmfulness of cannabis, as reflected in the media, may have contributed to the increased support for legalization.” the researchers stated.

“The US population has become more accepting of cannabis legalization. The attitudinal change is related to changes in the perceived risks and benefits of cannabis use, influenced by broader political and cultural changes over the study period.” the researchers concluded.

The researchers obviously have their views regarding why cannabis legalization has increased, however, I don’t necessarily agree with all of their conclusions. I definitely do not think that there was a ‘decline in the perceived harmfulness of cannabis reflected in the media.’

To back up that personal belief, I would point to the ongoing ‘coverage’ by media companies that are blatant reefer madness propaganda. Mainstream media outlets still regularly provide cannabis opponents access to their platforms and allow them to publish nonsense without any attempt to fact-check it from what I can tell. What has changed is the increased volume of peer-reviewed studies regarding cannabis, and the increased availability and awareness of the results of those studies, many of which directly refute long-standing anti-cannabis talking points.

I also don’t think that increasing support for cannabis legalization is the direct result of an increase in ‘political liberalism’ being that support for cannabis legalization has increased among voters from all major political parties. I personally believe that there are two major factors at play in the recorded increase in support for legalization, and this goes for polling data in the United States and everywhere else.

First, many people have always supported legalization and are only now willing to admit it since prohibition is crumbling and the stigma is reducing. Secondly, people that were on the fence about cannabis legalization quickly move to the ‘supporter’ category when they see that legalization is working wherever it is allowed.

Once legalization goes from a hypothetical to implementation, and it works, many cannabis prohibition talking points instantly die in the minds of many voters. The legalization supporter base expands to non-consumers that just want to see sensible public policy enacted. It also expands to people that want to see society reap the economic benefits of a regulated industry. That is likely why you see polling results continue to improve as legalization continues to spread, at least in my opinion.

australia, united states

Which Country Has ‘The Best’ Cannabis Legalization Model?

Written by Johnny Green on April 23, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Cannabis prohibition, thankfully, has not always existed. For thousands of years, humans used the cannabis plant for various purposes, and it was only in the 1900s that cannabis prohibition first became a widespread public policy around the globe.

As I have said many times and will say until the day that I die, cannabis prohibition is one of the most harmful public policies in the history of humans. Countless people have had their lives needlessly ruined because of the cannabis plant, despite the fact that cannabis is safer than many of the products people have in their homes.

Fortunately, the walls of cannabis prohibition are slowly but surely crumbling, and now there are multiple countries within the global community that have legalized cannabis for adult use. Lawmakers in Uruguay, Canada, and Malta have all passed adult-use legalization measures, and all three countries have different legalization models.

Buying And Cultivating

All three countries that have legalized cannabis at the national level currently have the same legal age, 18 years old, and all three countries permit adults of legal age to cultivate cannabis at home, although Canada has seen some local bans that are working their way through various legal challenges.

The real difference between Uruguay, Canada, and Malta’s legalization models can be found in how people legally purchase cannabis for adult use. Uruguay, the first country to ever legalize cannabis for adult use, limits purchases to clubs and pharmacies, and only citizens and permanent residents can make purchases (although that is changing at some point).

Malta is still setting up rules and regulations after becoming the first country in Europe to legalize cannabis for adult use late last year. When sales do begin in Malta, they will only occur via private clubs – no dispensaries. From a purely purchasing standpoint, Canada has the best legalization model in that anyone from anywhere can make a purchase as long as they are of legal age, and those purchases can be made through the mail, via storefronts, and virtually any other way that people can buy cannabis.

More Legalization On The Horizon

Uruguay was the first country to ever legalize cannabis at a national level. Canada was the first G-7 country to legalize cannabis for adult use. Malta was the first country in Europe to pass an adult-use legalization measure. All three of those countries have a claim to being the first to legalize cannabis in some manner, however, none of them will be the last.

Multiple countries (Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands) are launching or expanding adult-use legalization pilot programs that create localized legalization. Multiple other countries (Mexico, Italy, South Africa) have had their top courts render decisions against cannabis prohibition policies and lawmakers there are working to fully implement legalization.

Germany, which is home to one of the largest economies on planet earth, is trending closer to legalization every month. The largest prohibition domino, the United States, is witnessing the continued spread of legalization at the state level with every passing year either via the election process or the legislative process. With that in mind, more legalization models are on the horizon and while all of them are likely to incorporate some policy components that are already implemented in current legalized nations, there will be new policy components introduced as well as more countries get on the right side of history, with some new policies being more nuanced than others.

Trying to determine what is ‘the best’ is a subjective measurement, and largely in the eye of the beholder. That is true of cannabis legalization policies just as it is with virtually anything else. What is considered to be ‘the best’ cannabis policy in one region may not work at all in different regions. With that being said, every legalization model is better than locking humans in prison cells due to them being caught with cannabis.

Canada, malta, uruguay

Why Isn’t The US Fighting Harder To Free Brittney Griner?

Written by Johnny Green on April 22, 2022. Posted in Archives, Entertainment, Policy.

Brittney Griner is one of the most elite professional athletes on this planet. Below is just a sampling of her accomplishments as a professional basketball player:

Member of Team USA’s 2016 gold medal team during 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
Two-time gold medalist with Team USA at FIBA Women’s Basketball World Championships (2018, 2014)
Named the MVP of the gold medal game in 2018
Two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2014)
Six-time WNBA All-Star (2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014 and 2013)
Two-Time All-WNBA First Team (2019, 2014)
Three-Time All-WNBA Second Team (2018, 2017, 2015)
Three-Time All-WNBA Defensive First Team (2018, 2015, 2014)
Three-Time All-WNBA Defensive Second Team (2019, 2017, 2016)
Holds WNBA regular season records for blocks in a single game (11), blocks in a season (129, 2014), single-season blocks average (4.04, 2015) and career blocks average (2.9)

That is about as impressive of a professional basketball resume as you will find. Unfortunately, Brittney Griner is not playing basketball anywhere right now after being arrested and lodged in jail in Russia upon suspicion that she was in possession of cannabis vape pen cartridges at a Moscow airport.

Griner was originally arrested in mid-February, although her arrest didn’t start making international headlines until weeks later. Griner is looking at serious charges in Russia that carry a possible, if not likely, penalty of 10 years in prison.

How Is The U.S. Government Handling Griner’s Case?

As I previously blogged about, as of 25 days after Griner’s detention government officials in the United States indicated that they had no contact with the basketball superstar. While that appears to have changed since I last wrote about this case, the virtual lack of effort on the part of the United States seems to remain the same. They appear to be doing the bare minimum to help Griner. Per excerpts from recent coverage by the Associated Press:

As extraordinary as her circumstances are, the details surrounding Griner’s case remain a mystery as a crucial court date approaches next month. Russian prosecutors have offered little clarity and the U.S. government has made only measured statements. Griner’s legal team has declined to speak out about the case as it works behind the scenes.

In some cases, U.S. officials do speak out loudly when they’re convinced an American has been wrongly detained. But Griner’s case is barely two months old and officials have yet to make that determination. A State Department office that works to free American hostages and unjust detainees is not known to be involved.

That’s a more restrained posture than the Biden administration has taken with two other Americans jailed in Russia — Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage-related charges his family says are bogus, and Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran sentenced to nine years on charges that he assaulted a police officer in Moscow as he was being driven to a police station after a night of heavy drinking.

The State Department has pressed Russia for their release, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken raising their cases in a meeting last December with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In contrast to Griner’s case, it has publicly described both men as unjustly detained.

Cannabis Stigma On Full Display

One thing that government officials seem to be clinging to is the fact that Griner hasn’t signed a privacy rights waiver, and that somehow the lack of a signed waiver means that the U.S. can’t do more than they have. Another popular excuse being offered up by people that claim to have talked to government officials and/or WNBA leadership is that government and WNBA reps ‘do not want to bring attention to the case to help ensure that Griner isn’t used as a political pawn.’ Both of those talking points are ridiculous.

No, Griner has not signed a privacy rights waiver, which hinders some things that the government can do, but certainly not all things. The entire world knows that Griner is in a Russian jail because of allegations that she was caught with cannabis. She is an international sports legend.

It’s blatant gaslighting for the U.S. government to act as if being quiet about the case will prevent Russia from knowing how famous Brittney Griner is. Russia knows exactly who Griner is, if for any reason because Griner gets paid to play professional basketball in Russia (roughly 4 times the amount she gets paid to play in the U.S. by the way).

Per the AP coverage cited above, the United States has been very outspoken in the case of Trevor Reed, a man sentenced for allegedly fighting with law enforcement after a long night of drinking alcohol. Why is it that the U.S. can speak out about Mr. Reed’s case without it resulting in him being used as a political pawn, but not Griner? Why is Mr. Reed being expressly brought up and classified as being wrongfully accused, but the same isn’t true for Brittney Griner?

It’s glaringly obvious that because Griner’s case involves cannabis that it is being treated differently, and that is shameful.

Brittney Griner, russian

hemp cannabis flower plant garden outdoor

Putting ‘Europe’s Biggest Cannabis Farm’ Bust Into Context

Written by Johnny Green on April 21, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Historically, I have always shied away from writing about cannabis busts. Having been present at no less than 3 no-knock raids in my youth, and having guns pointed at my face during the course of the raids, I know firsthand how traumatic the experience can be. Many members of my family have also been subjected to the practice due to cannabis prohibition.

With that being said, there was a recent cannabis bust in Europe that I felt was worthy of discussion. The bust occurred in rural Spain, and international media coverage ran with the claim that it was the ‘biggest cannabis farm’ in Europe. The numbers involved were definitely significant – over 415,000 plants ‘worth up to €100m.’ Per Sky News:

Police have raided what is believed to be Europe’s biggest cannabis farm in Spain.

Officers destroyed 415,000 hemp plants, worth up to €100m (more than £83m) at a plantation in the rural northern region of Navarre.

Around 50 tonnes of the plant were being dried in a warehouse to be processed into cannabidiol (CBD) – a non-psychoactive compound increasingly used to treat health conditions including anxiety and insomnia.

If you are like me, then you locked in on that last sentence in the cited media coverage. The plants involved were not high-THC strains. Rather, they were hemp plants and were being cultivated for the sole purpose of producing CBD products.

CBD is legal in Spain, yet, cultivating cannabis outside of very limited circumstances is still prohibited. Cannabis can be cultivated for making textiles, producing seeds, and for medical research purposes in Spain. In all of those instances, a government license is required, and it appears that the farm where this bust occurred did not have a license.

The number of plants involved in this case in Spain may seem like an enormous amount, however, it’s important to put the operation into context. The entire operation was roughly 166 acres in size. As far back as 2015, at least one farm in the United States had an operation that was nearly twice the size of this one in Spain, and it was operating legally.

According to data from 2019, at that time nearly two dozen countries in Europe had legal hemp industries that cultivated more than 166 acres. France alone had over 44,000 acres (converted from hectares) of agricultural land dedicated to cultivating hemp according to the previously cited data. If the people in Spain operating the farm at the heart of this article were doing so without a license, so be it.

However, when people read sensational headlines involving hundreds of thousands of plants ‘worth up to 100 million euros’ it’s important for people to keep in mind that it was hemp plants being cultivated for CBD purposes and that there are legal hemp farms out there that completely dwarf the size of the farm in question in Spain. Always make sure to sidestep the reefer madness propaganda and keep things in perspective when reading media coverage.

Spain

Taiwan’s Lowered Cannabis Penalty Does Not Go Nearly Far Enough

Written by Johnny Green on April 20, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Lawmakers in Taiwan moved this week to lower the mandatory sentence for people convicted of cultivating cannabis for personal use from five years to one year. The previous fine, NT$5 million (roughly $170,000 USD), was also lowered to NT$1 million. People cultivating cannabis for personal use can still receive a prison sentence of up to seven years depending on the circumstances under the new public policy.

When you look at the mandatory sentencing change from a purely mathematical perspective, receiving a one-year mandatory sentence is obviously better than receiving a five-year mandatory sentence. However, from a human perspective, incarcerating a person due to them cultivating the cannabis plant is ridiculous and shameful. It’s even more outrageous being that the amount involved with this particular policy change is a personal amount.

Intimidating Activists

Days prior to the mandatory sentencing change, cannabis activists calling themselves ‘Green Sensation’ rallied in Taiwan, calling for cannabis to be decriminalized and for low-THC products to be completely legalized. The activists held an event at Liberty Square under the theme “End the War on Cannabis.” The event portion was originally planned to coincide with 4:20 PM in Taiwan, after which the activists planned to go to the Ministry of Justice and deliver over 14,000 petitions and hold a rally.

Unfortunately, the time of the press conference had to be moved to earlier in the day after authorities deemed at least part of the rally to be illegal, even before anything took place. It was blatant government intimidation. Green Sensation ultimately decided to hold the press conference at the Ministry of Justice at 10:30 a.m., before the start of the other activities according to a social media post by the organizers.

Even when a handful of activists were holding signs in front of the Ministry of Justice and speaking, law enforcement was right next to them demanding that they disperse. The demands for dispersal came despite the fact that the activists were doing nothing more than advocating for sensible cannabis policy. Below is video footage of the intimidating encounter:

A Reminder That We Have Work To Do

The cannabis industry is experiencing exponential growth in many parts of the globe right now, and that is an amazing thing. As someone that lives where cannabis is legal, I can tell you firsthand how amazing it feels every day to be able to purchase legal cannabis. Today is 4/20, and after posting this article I will be going to the dispensary to do exactly that.

However, people that are lucky enough to experience cannabis freedom need to always remember that there are still many, many people around the world that live under prohibition policies, such as in Taiwan. Not only do they risk their own freedom if they are trying to treat themselves with cannabis or help someone do so, they can also be put in tense situations just for speaking out, as seen in the video above.

Until everyone across the globe is free of prohibition, there will always be work to do for activists inside and outside of the jurisdictions where cannabis prohibition still exists. No one should ever have one year of their life taken from them simply because they were cultivating cannabis for personal use. Anyone that says otherwise lacks compassion for other humans. I tip my hat to the activists in Taiwan who are showing the world what courage and compassion in action look like, and I am hopeful that their efforts will not be in vain.

taiwan

Decline In Cannabis Smuggling From Mexico Demonstrates Legalization’s Success In U.S.

Written by Johnny Green on April 19, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

I first started consuming cannabis back in 1993. It was a simpler time in many ways, especially when it came to acquiring cannabis. These days where I live in the United States (Oregon) cannabis dispensaries are scattered all over every major city and all it takes is cash and an ID showing that you are of legal age and you can buy any number of cannabis products that your heart desires.

It wasn’t that way back in 1993. Not even close. Oregon, as I am always proud to point out, was the first state to decriminalize personal possession of cannabis in the entire United States back in the early 1970s. However, that policy was only helpful if you got caught with cannabis – it didn’t help address how to obtain cannabis.

Back when I first started consuming cannabis it was fairly hard to find, at least consistently, even here in Oregon. To put the era into perspective, this was three years prior to California legalizing cannabis for medical use, and five years prior to Oregon doing so. It was over 20 years before cannabis became legal for adult use in Oregon. In the early 1990s, a lot of what was available in my area originated from Mexico.

The cannabis from Mexico, almost always in brick form, was notoriously terrible and had more seeds and stems in it than you could ever imagine. It had many nicknames: bammer, brickweed, budget, and ‘Charlie Brown’ to name a handful. Regardless of what people called it, it was never their first choice, but we made it work because we had to.

Cannabis from Mexico was much easier to find compared to higher-quality, homegrown cannabis at the time, which was before my area started to get flooded with much better cannabis from Canada. Cannabis from Mexico was also cheap. Unbelievably cheap, which was its main selling point other than the fact that it was available.

Whereas 3.5 grams of quality cannabis generally cost $50 at the time, I was able to get a quarter pound of Mexican brickweed for $40. As I often tell people now while reflecting back on those days, you made the most of what you could get.

Zoom back to the present day, and I can’t even find brickweed. Even if I asked every person I knew in Oregon, I doubt I would be able to find any of it at all. It’s not exactly rocket science as to determining why that is. Legal cannabis is easy to acquire in Oregon, which is true of a growing list of states in the U.S.

With that in mind, it’s not exactly a coincidence that the amount of cannabis being smuggled from Mexico into the United States is reducing with every passing year. It’s a mathematical fact that consumer demand for cannabis is shifting toward a regulated market in the U.S. and away from the unregulated market. Below is what the DEA had to say about cannabis and Mexico in its recent budget document:

Mexico remains the most significant foreign source for marijuana in the United States; however, in U.S. markets, Mexican marijuana has largely been supplanted by domestic produced marijuana. Marijuana remains illegal under Federal law and is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. The national landscape continues to evolve as states enact voter referenda and legislation regarding the possession, use, and cultivation of marijuana and its associated products.

In other words, cannabis reform in the United States has resulted in exponential growth in domestic cannabis production and that supply continues to supplant the supply of unregulated cannabis from Mexico. As cannabis reform continues to spread, “the national landscape continues to evolve” as the DEA said, and that means that the trend we have seen in recent years will continue. That is good news for job seekers, public coffers, and public safety-related resources.

The fact of the matter is that regulation works. That is not to say that current regulations in the United States, or anywhere else for that matter, are perfect because they are not. However, sensible legalization and regulation are better than prohibition, and a legalized industry benefits all of society whereas letting cartels control the unregulated cannabis industry only benefits the cartels.

I can’t imagine a day when the DEA will flat out say that legalization works. I doubt it will ever happen. The DEA and other entities like it around the globe will cling to prohibition talking points until the bitter end. With that being said, you have to assume that the DEA reps responsible for the budget document were squirming when they came up with the wording found earlier in this article since there is no way to sugarcoat the fact that prohibitionists are losing, and thankfully, compassion and sensible public policy are winning.

Mexico

Oaxaca Moves To Allow Responsible Cannabis Use In Public Spaces

Written by Johnny Green on April 17, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Mexico has been on the cusp of full adult-use legalization for multiple years now. In October 2018 Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that cannabis prohibition as it applied to personal use was unconstitutional. Since that time lawmakers have tried and failed to pass a measure to completely legalize cannabis for adult use and create a legal, national adult-use market.

City officials in Oaxaca have apparently taken matters into their own hands and issued a directive to local police to leave cannabis consumers alone, even when they are consuming cannabis in public spaces. Per Mexico News Daily:

The use of marijuana for recreational purposes has not yet been legalized in Mexico, but pot smokers can find an oasis in Oaxaca city.

The city government has advised police not to bother people smoking weed in public places in the state capital.

In an official letter directed to members of the Plantón 4:20 – pro-marijuana protesters who have occupied the El Llano park in recent months – and cannabis consumers in general, the city government reiterated its commitment to respecting human rights and noted that there is no municipal law that expressly prohibits the “personal responsible consumption of cannabis in public spaces.”

Below is the full letter, via the embedded tweet below:

La municipalidad de #Oaxaca @MunicipioOaxaca ha sentado un precedente histórico en reconocer los derechos de las personas usuarias de #cannabis y crear una descriminalización basada en la DGI 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Felicidades a todas las personas involucradas 💚💚💚 pic.twitter.com/wIyzg33OcU

— Zara Snapp (@zarasnapp) April 14, 2022

This is great news for cannabis consumers in Oaxaca. Hopefully it becomes a standard policy throughout Mexico, and beyond.

Mexico, oaxaca

Will Cannabis Reform Put Belize’s Banking System At Risk?

Written by Johnny Green on April 16, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

Banking laws and policies across the globe are hindering the growth of the emerging legal cannabis industry. The problem is not as much of a doomsday scenario as some industry observers may claim, however, it’s still an issue nonetheless.

It seems like every time that I post something on social media regarding cannabis banking, a digital food fight ensues. On one side, you have folks that act as if there is no problem at all, almost always pointing to the fact that their cannabis company has a bank account and therefore the problem doesn’t exist.

On the other side of the digital food fight, you have people that act as if it’s impossible to obtain a bank account if you are a cannabis company. As with many things cannabis industry-related, the truth is actually somewhere in between.

Yes, there are cannabis companies with bank accounts. More, in fact, than ever before. However, every one of them runs the risk of being shut down at any moment to some degree, and with little chance of successfully appealing the closure if/when it happens.

No cannabis company is guaranteed a banking account, no cannabis company is guaranteed that their account will stay open if they were able to obtain an account, and some cannabis companies will have their bank accounts in operation for many years with no issues. It differs from situation to situation.

Banking Concerns In Belize

In Belize, where cannabis reform is on the move, banking seems to be a particularly large concern in some circles. Whether it’s actual fear, or just the use of political scare tactics, people in Belize are expressing concern that the nation’s entire banking system could be at risk if cannabis companies are allowed to access it. Per Love FM:

One of the primary concerns echoed across the public sphere is that this new marijuana legislation will put the country’s banking system at risk. Former UDP Prime Minister Dean Barrow was the first who sounded the alarm.

Responding to the concerns was Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs: “You want me to listen to the advice of a Prime Minister who did not create a single new industry for this country in 13 years and you want me to take his advice? What I’m telling you in terms of this banking, when it comes to the cannabis business, it is done in Jamaica. They had similar issues as we when it comes to offshore banking regulations and they had to comply and change their regulations and now they’re fine with correspondent banking.”

As the Minister of Home Affairs astutely touches on, if other countries can be home to legal cannabis industries that have access to banking, the same will prove to be true for Belize. This is not to say that there will be no issues, however, it’s not as if Belize’s entire banking system will crumble just because cannabis industry revenue starts to flow into it.

Issues In Other Countries

Minister Musa mentioned Jamaica in his response to the concerns from former PM Dean Barrow. Back in October 2019, Jamaica’s Trade Minister Audley Shaw indicated that cannabis prohibition in the United States, and more specifically, banking issues related to the U.S. prohibition policy, was getting in the way of his country’s cannabis industry pursuits.

“It’s really a roadblock, no other word for it, it’s a major roadblock in the advancement of medicinal cannabis,” Shaw stated at the time. “The gravity of this situation requires the highest level of focus.”

In 2017 Uruguay, which was the only national legal adult-use market on earth at the time, received letters from large banks in the United States that indicated that they would not do business with banks in Uruguay that worked with the cannabis industry.

Years later, cannabis companies in Uruguay and Jamaica are still in business, and both of the countries’ national banking systems are still intact.

However, both countries have experienced banking hiccups as they have worked to expand their cannabis industries, so it’s possible that Belize could experience something similar, although that is materially different from saying that Belize’s entire banking system is being put at risk.

belize

driving driver car dui road duii intoxicated

Australian Lawmakers Want Public Input On Proposed Cannabis DUI Policy Change

Written by Johnny Green on April 15, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy, Science.

Cannabis policy as it pertains to driving while under the influence seems to always be perplexing to lawmakers and regulators around the globe. Much of that is born out of decades of reefer madness propaganda, with mainstream media and cannabis opponents portraying cannabis consumers as threats to themselves and society.

With that in mind, it’s likely not a coincidence that cannabis DUI policies around the world are not based on science. A prime example of that comes in the form of per se DUI laws. A per se cannabis DUI law essentially means that if a person has more than a set amount of THC in their system then it is automatically assumed that they are impaired.

A per se limit for alcohol is common around the world, with a .08 limit being a popular threshold. However, what works for alcohol does not work for cannabis when it comes to per se thresholds and intoxication. An infrequent cannabis consumer can be highly intoxicated, past the point of being able to operate a motor vehicle safely, and yet they have very little THC in their system.

Conversely, a frequent cannabis consumer can have a significant amount of THC built up in their system and a tolerance level that is enormous. That results in the person being perfectly capable of driving safely, yet testing well beyond any THC per se limit threshold. Per se limits literally punish responsible cannabis consumers while not detecting drivers that actually shouldn’t be driving on public roadways.

Metabolized THC can stay in the human body for many weeks, well after intoxicating effects have subsided. The human body metabolizes THC very quickly, and once it is metabolized there’s no way to know if the person consumed cannabis mere hours ago or if the THC is in their system from use that occurred weeks prior.

Cannabis DUI Policy Reform In Australia

Australia is a country that currently has per se cannabis DUI laws. As the country continues to improve safe access for suffering patients, and more people are consuming medical cannabis, more and more patients are being subjected to DUI charges even though there’s no actual evidence that they were impaired.

Lawmakers in New South Wales, Australia introduced the Road Transport Amendment (Medicinal Cannabis-Exemptions from Offences) Bill 2021 in an attempt to address the growing issue facing the area’s medical cannabis patients. Lawmakers are seeking public input regarding the bill, as seen in the embedded tweet below:

A bill that would exclude medicinal #cannabis users from related ‘driving under the influence’ offences in NSW is being examined by an #UpperHouse #inquiry. Share your thoughts by lodging a submission at https://t.co/Dub9bJ0j8N before 1 May #NSWpol #NSWparl pic.twitter.com/J5SohacgqT

— Legislative Council (@nsw_upperhouse) April 11, 2022

“The person must have consumed a legally prescribed medicinal cannabis product and, importantly, they had to have consumed the product according to the guidance of their doctor. That guidance will include how to use the product in such a way as to avoid driving while impaired, as is the case for other prescription drugs like opioids. The bill does not provide a catch‑all defence for persons with a medicinal cannabis prescription who are demonstrably impaired.” stated a transcript of the measure’s second reading.

Sensible Cannabis DUI Laws

No responsible cannabis consumer or advocate is pushing for people to be able to drive while intoxicated from consuming cannabis. Cannabis opponents sure do seem to try to portray it that way, however, that is not actually the case. What is the case is that cannabis advocates want cannabis DUI laws to be based on science, not political opinion.

Even people that do not consume cannabis should want cannabis DUI policy to be based on science. When it is not, it results in a tremendous amount of wasted public resources. Law enforcement resources get locked up for the duration of the investigation and follow-up processing. The court then spends a significant amount of time affording due process, and after all of those public resources are exerted the attorney representing the person charged with the cannabis DUI says something to the effect of, “Your Honor, my client did have THC in their system that day, however, it was the result of cannabis use that occurred weeks ago and there’s no actual evidence of my client being impaired at the day and time in question.”

In the above scenario, which is now common in places that have cannabis per se limit laws, the person charged with the offense gets let go, and rightfully so, but only after spending huge sums of money on an attorney in addition to the public resources wasted during the process. For people that cannot afford an attorney, the DUI charge is upheld way more often than not, even though the person being charged was not necessarily guilty of what they were charged with. That’s a terrible approach to such an important area of public policy.

The negative ramifications that then follow for people convicted of a false cannabis DUI charge are enormous. It can literally ruin a person’s life by preventing them from gaining employment, housing, and various types of assistance. No one should ever have to deal with that when they are truly innocent. Australia needs to let science lead the way when it comes to cannabis DUI policies, and that goes for everywhere else on the planet.

australia

No Cannabis Plant Limit In Thailand For Households After June 9

Written by Johnny Green on April 15, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

At a medical cannabis forum held at Rajabhat Si Sa Ket University this month, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that after June 9th there will be no cannabis plant cultivation limit for households in Thailand. Anutin Charnvirakul also serves as the nation’s Deputy Prime Minister and Bhumjaithai Party leader.

The Bhumjaithai Party has largely led the charge when it comes to reforming Thailand’s cannabis laws and policies, an effort that has hit warp speed in recent years. Part of the party’s campaign platform in Thailand was to allow households to cultivate up to six cannabis plants. However, the 6 plant limit appears to be on its way out and will not be replaced by any plant limit at all. Per Nation Thailand:

Anutin said his party’s campaign promise was to get households to be allowed to grow six marijuana plants for personal use, but he could do better by lifting this limit.

However, he said, the public would have to wait until June 9 because that’s when the Public Health Ministry’s directive decriminalising marijuana goes into effect. The order will have completed the requisite 120 days after being published in the Royal Gazette by then.

The minister added that people will not have to seek permission for growing marijuana, but will have to inform the authorities about the number of plants they possess. He said the registration of the number of plants is required by an international treaty Thailand has ratified.

The approach to medical cannabis policy reform that we are seeing in Thailand is in many ways unique. Thailand used to be home to some of the worst cannabis laws on earth, however, that is clearly not the case now. In addition to trying to boost domestic cannabis production, Thailand is also pushing very hard to become a top legal cannabis tourism destination.

With all of that being said, it is important to note that the cannabis that will be allowed to be cultivated by households in Thailand is low-THC. All of the parts of the cannabis plant are set to be decriminalized in Thailand, and households are going to be able to cultivate enormous amounts of the cannabis plant, yet, the THC threshold for those plants is very low (.2%). To put that figure into perspective, products containing less than 1% THC are already bought and sold legally at a national level in Switzerland.

Still, the new policy that will be implemented in Thailand in June will be revolutionary in many ways. Literally, every household in Thailand will be able to get into the cannabis industry and supplement their household’s income, which is not something that can be said about other countries, especially Thailand’s neighbors. Thailand continues to lead the way for the region, and that is always worth celebrating.

Thailand

Amsterdam’s Mayor Wants To Ban Cannabis Sales To Tourists

Written by Johnny Green on April 13, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

Amsterdam has served as a top cannabis tourism destination for decades. I will never forget when one of my best friends traveled to Amsterdam roughly 20 years ago and came back to give my friends and me ‘the scoop.’

Growing up in Oregon, and being in a family that sold cannabis for multiple generations, I would read about cannabis in Amsterdam in publications such as High Times and Cannabis Culture and would be skeptical as to how much of it was based in fact and how much of it was based on hype.

When my friend got back from Amsterdam and told me that the quality was off the charts, I knew that the cannabis there was the real deal being that he was a seasoned consumer. That, combined with how easy it was to walk into a coffee shop and make a purchase, made Amsterdam sound like heaven on earth.

Zoom forward to today, and cannabis is much easier to find in the United States and elsewhere. Just as people could walk into a coffee shop in Amsterdam 20 years ago and make a purchase, so too can they walk into dispensaries, clubs, and other establishments and make purchases in a growing number of jurisdictions around the globe.

Amsterdam is still a popular cannabis tourism destination, however, it’s less so than in decades past. I would think that leaders in Amsterdam would be scrambling to do whatever they could in order to maintain their standing as a top tourism destination and reap the financial rewards, yet, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Banning Tourists From Making Purchases

Amsterdam’s Mayor has previously floated the idea of making cannabis purchases illegal for non-residents. This week the mayor sent a letter to Amsterdam’s City Council that the plan will be implemented in the near future. Below is more information via excerpts from NL Times:

Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam plans to go through with a ban on coffeeshops selling weed to tourists in the city, she said in a letter to the city council. According to her, the enforcement of the residents-only criterion is “necessary” for the municipality to get a grip on the coffeeshop market and “inseparable” from any relaxation of the cannabis policy, such as regulated cultivation or expanded trade stocks, Het Parool reports.

Over three million foreign tourists visit coffeeshops in Amsterdam every year. They have made the capital’s cannabis market uncontrollably large and a portal to serious crime, Halsema said. “There is a worrying interdependence between the soft and hard drug trade: money from the lucrative cannabis trade easily finds its way into hard drugs,” the mayor wrote.

Why is it that other jurisdictions can successfully regulate adult-use cannabis sales, but according to Amsterdam’s mayor, Amsterdam cannot? The situation becomes even more perplexing when considering how long Amsterdam has had to work on this issue compared to other jurisdictions that now permit legal cannabis sales to tourists, such as in North America.

Prohibition Doesn’t Work

For the sake of discussion, let’s assume that the mayor gets their wish, and coffee shops no longer sell cannabis to tourists. If that happens, does that mean that tourists will stop coming to Amsterdam to purchase cannabis? Of course not.

All that will happen in that scenario is tourists will seek other means by which to acquire cannabis, and being that they will be doing so in the shadows, the purchases will be made in less-safe environments.

A much better approach would be working towards completely legalizing the cannabis industry in Amsterdam and the rest of the country. Establishing sensible rules and regulations would ensure that products are safe for human consumption, and would remove the ‘serious crime’ element from the equation that Amsterdam’s mayor seems so worried about.

It’s worth noting that the Dutch government is working towards launching a cannabis pilot program, and that may hinder the Amsterdam mayor’s plans. However, that showdown may not occur for some time being that the launch of the pilot program has been delayed multiple times.

amsterdam

Author: Johnny Green