From Here To Timbuktu: Marijuana Regulatory News In Colombia, Denmark, Zimbabwe & Beyond

Colombia Legalization Bill Heading To Senate Following Chamber Of Reps' Approval

A measure to legalize the recreational cannabis passed the Chamber of Representatives on Tuesday in a 98-57 vote in the sixth of eight required debates and is now headed to the Senate, reported Marijuana Moment.

The bill was previously approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. After making a few minor changes, the Chamber and Senate reconciled their versions of the measure.

Gang Violence Could Put An End To Open Cannabis Trade In Copenhagen's Christiania Neighborhood

After 40 years, the open cannabis trade on the famously-named "Pusher Street" in the Christiania neighborhood of Copenhagen could be coming to an end as the mayor is thinking of closing it all down due to gang violence, reported The Guardian.

Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen said in an interview with Ekstra Bladet that she offered to shut down the cannabis trade on Pusher Street if the commune agrees.

"The level of criminal activity and violence around Pusher Street has reached an intolerable stage," Hæstorp Andersen said. "We must take action now."

Convicts In The Netherlands Are Smuggling Synthetic Cannabinoids

Meanwhile, prisons in the Netherlands are seeing widespread use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCRAs) among convicts, reported NL Times, citing an investigation by Trimbos Institute and C-EHRN.

The synthetic drug is impregnated on paper and then smuggled into prison in the post, being undetectable on urine tests. "The effects of SCRAs are similar to those of THC, making the user feel relaxed and intoxicated," Trimbos said. 

Hemp As An Economically Sustainable Alternative To Tobacco In Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean government declared that it would boost its research to generate homegrown hemp strains as part of the nation's attempts to bolster income from a decreasing tobacco industry, reported Hemp Today.

The Tobacco Research Board (TRB) plans to back Zimbabwe's government-owned tobacco enterprises to adopt hemp as an economically sustainable alternative crop to tobacco.

"We have plans to produce industrial hemp seed in the long term after our Plant Breeding Division completes current projects on developing varieties suited to the Zimbabwean environment," Frank Magama, CEO of the country's TRB told The Sunday Mail.

Cannabis Seizures In Cyprus

Cyprus authorities have identified cannabis as the number one substance of choice on the island in 2022 even though the country legalized the cultivation, import, export and use of medicinal marijuana in February 2019. The recreational use of marijuana is still considered illegal, according to Cyprus Profile.

Stelios Serghides, Ykan deputy director of operations, said that they seized a total of 48kg of cannabis last year and significantly less cocaine and methamphetamine, 38kg and 1.5kg, respectively, reported Cyprus Mail.

Guam Bill To Remove Marijuana Testing Requirement For Certain Government Jobs

Representative Diego Vincent F. Camacho plans to introduce a measure that would allow applicant for government jobs to avoid pre-employment marijuana testing, reported Marianas Variety.

House Bill 23-50 "does not preempt any federal laws requiring an applicant to be tested for controlled substances, including federal laws governing CNMI employees subject to federal funding, federal benefits or federal contact."

The bill stipulates that marijuana "should not be included in the pre-employment testing for prospective employees, except for certain employees including enforcement officers, firefighters, first responders, employees in safety-sensitive positions, and federally funded employees." 

New Zealand MMJ Patients' Access To Locally Grown Cannabis Via NUBU

NUBU, New Zealand's medicinal cannabis distribution company, has partnered with Kalyx to bring the first New Zealand-grown dried cannabis flower with the Medicinal Cannabis Agency, the Auckland-based company said on Tuesday.

The move allows New Zealand MMJ patients to legally access locally grown products.

"We have the most stringent regulations in the world for products deemed safe for inhalation, so bringing a local flower to market is no small feat," Mark Dye, co-founder and CEO of NUBU told mg Magazine. "More importantly, this wonderful news means access to more affordable and fresher products for patients."

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