Germany recently passed a new law that decriminalizes marijuana possession and cultivation for personal use, permitting individuals over the age of 18 to possess up to 25 grams of marijuana and cultivate up to three plants for personal use. Beginning in July 2024, German citizens can also join cannabis grower’s associations or not-for-profit social clubs that focus on the collective cultivation of cannabis for members’ benefit.
In contrast to Germany’s progressive stance, the UK government maintains its support for cannabis prohibition, which sets it apart from several nations, including certain U.S. states, Canada and Malta.
One of the primary arguments put forth by UK authorities in favor of prohibition is the concern over the potential negative impact of marijuana on mental health. While research has extensively explored the relationship between marijuana usage and mental-health issues such as psychosis, it has been difficult to demonstrate a clear causal association because of ethical concerns.
However, studies have shown a notable correlation between psychosis and marijuana use, suggesting that certain individuals may be more susceptible to developing psychotic symptoms due to marijuana consumption. Research indicates that the incidence of psychosis among marijuana users remains relatively low compared to the overall number of individuals using the substance. For instance, one study estimated that preventing one case of psychosis would require deterring about 40,000 cannabis users.
Decriminalizing marijuana could yield various public health advantages in the United Kingdom, particularly concerning tobacco use. Many marijuana users in the UK use it together with tobacco, inadvertently exposing themselves to the well-known health risks associated with tobacco, including cancer, stroke and heart disease.
However, the illegality of marijuana in the UK complicates efforts by public-health organizations to intervene effectively. Germany, on the other hand, has a thorough public-health education campaign that aims to educate people about the dangers of cannabis usage. This contrasts with the lack of quality control and information in illicit markets where cannabis remains prohibited.
Notably, political parties such as the Conservatives and Labor have demonstrated little willingness to decriminalize marijuana despite the substance being widely used in the region. Surveys showing public support for current policies may have an impact on this hesitation.
Moving beyond decriminalization to legalization could offer substantial financial benefits. Estimates suggest that legalizing marijuana in Germany could generate annual tax revenue of approximately $4 billion, similar to the regulated market in Canada. Given the financial strain on public services, particularly the NHS, persisting with marijuana prohibition in the UK represents a missed opportunity for public health and is a costly policy choice.
The step that Germany has taken in decriminalizing marijuana could trigger a domino effect round the bloc and create a robust international market for companies such as Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), which may be interested in growing their footprint outside their primary North American market.
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CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of an article each business day at 4:20 p.m. Eastern – a tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. The concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.
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Following BC’s announcement earlier this year that certain businesses could open patio space to cannabis consumption, a handful of cannabis stores and other businesses in the province have taken action.
“When I first heard about the amendment, I thought this just makes sense. They already have the space, they have these pubs where people are smoking. Why not enhance the smoking patios and become a little more like a lounge, set some games up, make it more appealing to this generation.”
Laura Rowse, the co-owner of Cheeky’s Cannabis, which also has a location in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, says the partnership with the Billy Miner will serve as a sort of pilot project to assess consumer demand and troubleshoot any challenges. She came up with the idea following BC’s announcement in February that locations like pubs and cafes that have patio areas where customers can smoke tobacco can also now allow cannabis consumption.
If it goes well at the first location, Rowse says she hopes to expand to another pub in Maple Ridge, as well as a new location in Mission near a new store they plan to open in the future. The current and proposed locations are all in coordination with the Springs Group, which Rowse says has been very helpful through the process.
“We’re very grateful to have their support. When I first heard about the amendment, I thought this just makes sense. They already have the space, they have these pubs where people are smoking. Why not enhance the smoking patios and become a little more like a lounge, set some games up, make it more appealing to this generation.”
Rowse says she was inspired by other cannabis consumption spaces she has visited, including in the US, which gave her a vision of a different kind of community consumption space than how many bars are currently set up. One location in Palm Springs, California, the Four Twenty Bank, was particularly eye-opening.
“To me, that’s my inspiration, is what she’s done there. There’s games, good ventilation, very open and welcoming. I really think this is the future of pubs. People don’t want to just sit around and drink anymore. I think people are interested in having something else to do. And this just makes it more cannabis friendly.”
Seed and Stone, another small cannabis chain with a handful of locations in BC, is currently developing a similar space at a cannabis store it operates in partnership with the Songhees First Nations on Vancouver Island.
Vikram Sachdeva, the Founder & CEO of Seed and Stone, says he is working with the local leadership to develop a space with a food truck and an area where customers can enjoy cannabis.
Sam Jones, the owner of 2% Jazz Coffee, a cafe in Victoria, also began hosting cannabis-themed events in April.
“It’s a very casual affair,” Jones explained to StratCann earlier this year. “There’s no smoking indoors at all. No buying, nothing like that. It’s just an open cafe where people can go out on the patio and smoke a joint. Then you can come back in and enjoy a coffee and some good conversation.”
Instead, he works with local cannabis companies who help host the event, which can serve as a learning session for those interested.
“We just want to provide a space where the idea of having a joint can be normalized.”
Further north on the island in Cumberland, the owner of cannabis store Trugreen Cannabis is helping to develop a community space on the property next to their store that will feature a cannabis consumption space, which store owner Michael Arneja plans to “soft launch” for April 20.
Marianna Wolff, the owner of Cannabis Cottage, a cannabis store in Penticton, is hosting a grand opening for their own outdoor consumption space in front of their store on April 20.
“This was what we were hoping to do from the beginning,” Wolff told StratCann. “We secured a space with the hope that at some point the government would allow for consumption spaces as well. So right now we’re just jumping over the moon.”
Back in Maple Ridge, Rowse says the ultimate goal is to provide a comfortable place for people to consume cannabis outside of their homes without being pushed into a back parking lot or alley.
“My goal is for people to be comfortable, and I think this is a chance for a lot of pubs and similar businesses in BC to bring people back after covid.”
Interest in the use of psychedelics in therapy has increased over the last couple of years, with researchers finding that drugs such as psilocybin, LSD and ketamine may be useful in the treatment of different mental-health conditions.
According to one therapist, psychedelics are drugs that enable the dissolution of the individual ego. This is the objective of many spiritual traditions, where one realizes that they aren’t an individual island living a separate life but a smaller cog in a huge machine.
By the aforementioned definition, psychedelics include ayahuasca, DMT, ketamine, psilocybin and LSD. It is important to note MDMA is not a part of this definition.
So, how are these substances linked to psychotherapy, and why do they matter?
To let go of one’s ego isn’t an easy experience, particularly if one is holding on to their sense of self or other issues. Psychedelics help with this in a way, but for it to be fully effective, one has to learn how to fully let go and experience everything in their reality. Talk therapy helps in such instances, mainly because it works for many individuals in different situations.
However, there are instances where talk therapy may not work. This includes when an individual experienced hurt in their early childhood. In such instances where a person was wounded even before they could talk, that trauma is very deep.
For example, individuals who have primal wounds of feeling unwanted feel the wounds at a deep level. While speaking to someone like this in a rational way about how their mother putting them up for adoption had nothing to do with them or how they are loved by the parents who adopted them sounds like a good idea, it will not make a difference as the words do nothing to help with primal wounds.
This is where psychedelics come in, because they venture deeper than words can. The substances open an individual up to a deeper and broader experience of themselves, allowing them to connect to their inner selves. Psychedelics work in a manner different to talk therapy and may bring about profound healing in a person, in a way faster than decades of talk therapy could.
It should be noted that this doesn’t always happen, and sometimes, having a psychedelic experience once isn’t enough to heal an individual’s wounds. However, psychedelics offer an alternative route to healing that may be very effective in a way that other conventional treatments aren’t. It is this alternative path to healing that startups such as Mind Medicine Inc. (NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED) (DE: MMQ) are looking to leverage through the drug-development programs that they are running.
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Officers with the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Safety announced they recently arrested seven people and seized cannabis-related items and cash following searches at three locations selling cannabis without a licence.
Officers seized several kilograms of dried cannabis and pre-rolls, along with cannabis products, including gummies, hash, shatter, and cannabis and nicotine vape cartridges.
The first search warrant was executed on April 5 at Cloud Nine Vape at 10 Germain St. in Saint John, where a 35-year-old Saint John man, a 22-year-old Saint John man and a 25-year-old woman from Saint John were arrested and face charges under the federal Cannabis Act. This is the second time in recent months that the 10 Germain St. location has been raided.
All three of those arrested were released from custody and will appear in court at a later date.
Officers say they seized:
1.4 kilograms of dried cannabis
84.8 grams of hashish
212 pre-rolled cannabis joints
25 packs of shatter
15 distillate cartridges
21 vape pens containing THC
26 packages of gummies
73 flavoured nicotine vapes
$1,051 in cash
In the second raid on April 4 at the Queen-E Smoke and Vape Outlet at 540 Pinewood Rd. in Riverview. A 57-year-old Moncton man, a 42-year-old Moncton woman and a 23-year-old Shediac man were arrested and face charges under the federal Cannabis Act.
All three were released from custody and have court appearances scheduled for June 24 in Moncton.
Peace officers seized:
1.83 kilograms of dried cannabis
97 packages of edibles
16 grams of hashish
176 pre-rolled cannabis joints
24 grams of shatter
49 flavoured nicotine vapes
$2,132 in cash (including cash in ATM)
A search warrant was also executed on April 4 at another Queen-E Smoke and Vape Outlet in Moncton at 1631 Mountain Rd.
A 55-year-old Maple Hills (Lakeville district) woman was arrested and faces a charge under the federal Cannabis Act.
She was later released and is scheduled to appear in court on June 24.
Once passed, the proposed amendments to the act and its regulation would give inspectors more authority and increase fines for those operating illegal dispensaries and their landlords. They have been introduced as Bill 29, An Act Respecting Cannabis Control Act.
Despite this new bill, the province maintains that it cannot enforce its cannabis rules on businesses operating in First Nations communities and reserves.
In March, peace officers with the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety arrested two people and seized contraband cannabis and other illegal products from two unlicensed cannabis stores.
The province has recently announced several new licensed cannabis locations, including one on Germain Street in Saint John, with a goal of supplanting these kinds of unlicensed stores.
Featured image via New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety.
New three-year agreement between SFWJ’s Eko2o and Danziger Colombia reflects both companies’ commitment to sustainable, innovative agriculture practices
The collaboration is projected to generate $2.5–$3 million in revenue over the next three years
Eko2o will provide greenhouse infrastructure services, irrigation products and technology to Danziger’s flower operations in Colombia
Agriculture can have a significant impact on the environment, and an increasing number of companies are working to ensure their agricultural practices are sustainable. Software Effective Solutions (OTC: SFWJ) is among that group, with its majority-controlled, Colombia-based subsidiary Eko2o S.A.S entering a major multiyear contract with Danziger Colombia (https://cnw.fm/apRCJ), the world’s largest producer of flower seedlings.
The contract between SFWJ’s Eko2o and Danziger Colombia represents both companies’ commitment to sustainable, innovative agriculture practices. And while the agreement reflects commitment to savvy growing decisions, it is also expected to be a smart financial move; the collaboration has been projected to generate between $2.5 million and $3 million in revenue over the next three years.
“This partnership with Eko2o S.A.S. is a testament to our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices in our operations,” said Danziger Colombia CEO Uri Goldstein. A subsidiary of the globally renowned Danziger Group, Danziger Colombia is focused on the cultivation and innovation of flowers and ornamental plants, utilizing advanced breeding techniques to produce varieties that thrive in diverse climates and meet the evolving needs of the global market. “We are confident that Eko2o’s expertise in greenhouse infrastructure and agricultural technology will significantly contribute to our success and help us achieve our goals of producing high-quality products efficiently,” Goldstein concluded.
Specializing in providing state-of-the-art greenhouse infrastructure and agricultural technology solutions, Eko2o works to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural production in Colombia and beyond. According to the announcement, Eko2o will provide greenhouse infrastructure services and irrigation products and technology, as well as other technologies related to Danziger’s flower operations in Colombia.
“We are thrilled to embark on this initial phase with Danziger,” said Juan Ricardo Velez, Eko2o CEO. “This partnership not only represents a significant milestone for our company but also sets the stage for future expansion. We eagerly anticipate further growth with Danziger in the near future and are confident that this agreement will pave the way for more collaborations with other leading flower producers globally and nationally.”
Software Effective Solutions is a holding company focused on developing companies in the agricultural technology industry. The company’s focus is on developing clients and companies in Latin America, initially in Colombia, and partnerships with laboratories, research facilities and hospitals throughout the world. As SFWJ moves forward with its expansion plans, the company remains committed to delivering on its promise of building a solid foundation for the future growth of its holdings.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.eko2o.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to SFWJ are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/SFWJ
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As part of its work looking into issues around the federal government’s ArriveCAN app, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) recently heard from Aurora Cannabis Chief Information Officer Darryl Vleeming,
Vleeming spoke with the committee in his current role as vice president and chief information officer at Canada Border Services Agencies (CBSA).
The committee questioned Vleeming on the issue of GC Strategies, a company which received millions of dollars from the federal government to develop the mobile app provided by the Canada Border Services Agency in 2020, while Vleeming was still with Aurora.
Vleeming was speaking to the committee along with Jonathan Moor, vice-president, comptrollership branch of the CBSA, and from the Office of the Auditor General: Andrew Hayes, deputy auditor general; Sami Hannoush, principal; and Lucie Després, director.
During questioning, Bloc Québécois MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné questioned Vleeming about a hack that occurred when he was chief information officer at Aurora Cannabis on Christmas in 2020.
In that breach of security, hackers stole all of Aurora’s computer data, noted Sinclair-Desgagné, including copies of driver’s licences “and other highly confidential documents.”
When the hackers tried to sell that data in an online marketplace, she noted, they used a copy of Vleeming’s passport as evidence that their claims were real.
Vleeming confirmed the hackers had indeed shared his passport but said Aurora’s security system had limited them to accessing only “a very small amount of data.”
“The data breach actually got a very small amount of data from Aurora, and we were subjected to blackmail,” Vleeming told the committee. “Basically, they tried to force us to pay to not release it, but the amount of information they stole was extremely limited, so we made a decision as an organization not to pay.”
Sinclair-Desgagné questioned whether this showed a lapse in his duties as chief information officer at the time, but Vleeming says such hacks are “never ideal” but common.
“You’re never as prepared as you could be, but the reality is that cyber-attacks continue to increase worldwide,” he said as part of his final comments on the matter. “You just have to google the number of companies that get hacked on a daily basis. It is expected. What you have to do is limit the damage, and in this case the damage was extremely minimal.”
The hackers that stole data from Aurora Cannabis posted 11 sample images on January 7, 2021, as “proof of concept.” In addition to Vleeming’s passport, it appeared to include an Alberta driver’s licence belonging to Amy Lamoureux, a supply chain manager at the company.
Aurora maintains that no patient data from its medical cannabis program had been compromised.
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