420GrowLife
via www.KahliBuds.com
Eleanor Pickston and Rob Picheta, CTV News, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife
Luxembourg Set To Become First European Country To Legalize Marijuana Following Government Recommendation
Luxembourg is poised to become the first European country to legalize marijuana, with key government agencies putting forward a plan to allow the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use.
The ministers of justice and homeland security on Friday unveiled the proposal, which will still require a vote in the Parliament but is expected to pass. It’s part of a broader package of reform measures the agencies are recommending.
Under the marijuana measure, adults 18 and older could grow up to four plants. However, under the non-commercial model that is being proposed, possessing more than three grams in public would still be a civil offense, carrying a fine of €25-500 ($29-581). Currently, the maximum fine for possession is €2,500 ($2,908).
In terms of access, adults would be able to buy and trade cannabis seeds for their home garden.
Justice Minister Sam Tamson said the government felt it “had to act” and characterized the home cultivation policy change as a first step, The Guardian reported.
Paquet stupéfiants:
élaboration du projet de loi usage privé du #cannabis : jusqu’à 4 plantes à domicile & décorrectionnalisation <3g
renforcement de la prévention & de l’accompagnement
des moyens de la police
élaboration d’un projet de production/vente #Luxembourg pic.twitter.com/8yre0Udt8J— Sam Tanson (@SamTanson) October 22, 2021
“The idea is that a consumer is not in an illegal situation if he consumes cannabis and that we don’t support the whole illegal chain from production to transportation to selling where there is a lot of misery attached,” he said. “We want to do everything we can to get more and more away from the illegal black market.”
While limited in scope, the reform would make Luxembourg the first country in Europe to legalize the production and possession of marijuana for recreational use. Cannabis has been widely decriminalized in certain countries in the continent, but it has remained criminalized by statute.
Government sources in Luxembourg told The Guardian that plans are in the works to develop a program where the state regulates the production and distribution of marijuana. Tamson said they are working to resolve “international constraints” before taking that step, however, referring to United Nations treaty obligations that multiple U.S. states and other countries like Canada and Uruguay have openly flouted.
The measures include:
Regulation of cannabis use and cultivation: adults will be able to legally cultivate up to four cannabis plants for their own use, provided the cultivation is happening at their place of residence.
— European Greens (@europeangreens) October 22, 2021
For now, the country is focusing on legalization within a home setting. Parliament is expected to vote on the proposal in early 2022, and the ruling parties are friendly to the reform.
This has been a long time coming, as a coalition of major parties of Luxembourg agreed in 2018 to enact legislation allowing “the exemption from punishment or even legalization” of cannabis.
Meanwhile in the U.S., congressional lawmakers are working to advance legalization legislation. A key House committee recently approved a bill to end marijuana prohibition, and Senate leadership is finalizing a separate reform proposal.
In Mexico, a top Senator said this week that lawmakers could advance legislation to regulate marijuana in the coming weeks. The Supreme Court has already ruled that adults cannot be criminalized over possession or cultivation, but there’s currently no program in place to provide access.
New Bipartisan Marijuana Research Bill In Congress Would Let Scientists Study Dispensary Products
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
The post Luxembourg Set To Become First European Country To Legalize Marijuana Following Government Recommendation appeared first on Marijuana Moment.
420GrowLife
via www.KahliBuds.com
Kyle Jaeger, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife
State officials have sealed nearly 200,000 marijuana-related criminal convictions and are in the process of expunging several hundred thousand more, according to data provided by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.
According to an update provided by the agency at its most recent meeting: “Approximately 203,000 marijuana related charges are presently being suppressed from background searches and in process to be sealed or expunged. … This will add to the approximately 198,000 sealing accomplished as part of the first round of marijuana expungements for the 2019 expungement legislation.”
For decades, New York State — and New York City specifically — led the nation in the criminal prosecution of low-level marijuana offenders. In 2019, lawmakers amended marijuana possession penalties and established a system to facilitate the review and expungement of cannabis-specific criminal records. State lawmakers then legalized adult-use cannabis possession and retail sales this year.
New York is among several states in recent months to take steps to either vacate or seal marijuana-specific criminal records. In Illinois, officials have moved to expunge an estimated 500,000 marijuana-related records. California officials have cleared nearly 200,000 records, and New Jersey courts have expunged over 362,000 records. Last week, officials in Virginia announced that they have sealed some 330,000 low-level marijuana possession convictions and another 64,000 misdemeanor distribution convictions.
More than a dozen states have enacted legislation explicitly permitting or facilitating the process of having past marijuana convictions expunged, vacated, otherwise set aside, or sealed from public view.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
420GrowLife
via www.KahliBuds.com
Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife
Trick or treat times are looming in all of their ghostly glory and cannabis companies are rolling out their seasonal offerings to tempt those whose door-to-door candy soliciting days are past. Candy Tracker, launched by data and tech company Numerator (which provides weekly insight into consumer buying behavior) shows that their efforts are paying off, with the pre-Halloween candy buying period capturing a record number of consumers in 2021.
Halloweed
Significantly, Numerator’s analysis shows that consumers are buying more candy despite decreased advertising, reflected in the fact that candy-related ad spending is down 29% from what it was in 2020 and 34% from 2019. This bodes well for cannabis companies rolling out the orange and black carpet for Halloween as they are likely to see a hefty return with a smaller investment of advertising dollars.
This isn’t to say that companies aren’t getting creative during candy’s spookiest season. Michigan cannabis cultivator Fluresh is giving its Fast-Acting Drink Enhancer (THC-infused) a promotional boost with some seasonally-inspired recipes like “Zombie Brain Cannabis-Infused Jell-O Shots” and Insa has launched its limited edition Pumpkin Pie Caramel Crumble THC-infused chocolate bar. With specials on favorite weed varieties and bongs crafted to look like skulls or classic horror villains, there is not shortage of ways to mark October 31st, but the as Numerator’s data suggests, candy is king when it comes to Halloween.
Increased Candy Sales
This Halloween uptick is a continuation of an overall positive trend in candy consumption, which is up from both 2019 and 2020. Sales of seasonal candy are up 29% in the second half of 2021 compared to a year ago and 43% from figures posted two years ago. Non-seasonal candy as an everyday purchase is up 19% against 2020 numbers and 24% from sales in 2019. Numerator’s data shows that consumer trips to purchase their daily fix of the sweet stuff is up 12% from a year ago. According to Phil Stanley, Global Chief Sales Officer for The Hershey Company (which has experienced sales increases commensurate with this trend) higher sales figures include early and mid-season activities like decorating, baking and movie nights, with a likely increase in activities like parades, parties and trick or treating now that vaccines are easing some Covid anxiety.
The post Cannabis Companies Getting Into The Halloween Spirit appeared first on Green Market Report.
420GrowLife
via www.KahliBuds.com
Julie Aitcheson, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife