A police representative said there has been a 71% increase in police files involving the illegal growing of cannabis.

The Israel Antidrug Authority surprised the Knesset’s Special Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse on Monday by saying it “favors and adopts the Portugal model” decriminalizing the use of marijuana and allocating funds to treat drug addiction.

The position was initially presented before an internal committee of the Public Security Ministry. On Monday, the chairman of the Knesset’s special committee, Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg, expressed support. “Israel is advancing toward a new era, and it seems that legalization of marijuana is just a matter of time,” she said.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has moved to assure members of the Rastafarian faith that their requests to transport ganja to be smoked as a religious sacrament will be granted expeditiously.

This follows a demonstration late last month by irate Rastafarians in front of the Barnett Street Police Station in the wake of the seizure by police of 10 pounds of the weed from a member of the faith.

“Where, unfortunately, a lot of you (Rastas) are getting into trouble is to get it (ganja) from where you buy it, or where you grow it, to the temple or to your home. You need an exemption. If you are going to transport it at all, just write me to get the exemption. I will approve it within hours,” the justice minister guaranteed.

While recreational marijuana will become legal in Massachusetts next week, it may be hard for the state’s pot smokers to get their supply. And it may also be hard to deal with the long list of don’ts, in comparison to the short list of dos with regards to the state’s new marijuana laws.

According to WBUR, the ballot question Massachusetts voters approved last month will take effect on Thursday, December 15. This will allow adults in the state to have “limited quantities” of recreational marijuana, and grow pot plants at home.

Uncertainty about the city's proposed commercial medical marijuana ordinance has created an uneasy situation for Jeff Nemeth.

Nemeth is CEO of a cannabis testing facility called ACT Laboratories Inc. Nearly $200,000 has been invested in his business that's been located in a light industrial corridor between Cedar Street and Pennsylvania Avenue for over a year and a half. It generates a loyal following with state-registered caregivers and patients. It hosts monthly support group meetings of up to 50 people that are aimed to educate patients, family members and organizations.

And it could soon be on its way to Jackson.

Statewide efforts to legalize marijuana in Ohio failed at the ballot box last year, but several cities pressed ahead, voting to decriminalize cannabis within their city limits. This takes a solid first step toward effectively nullifying prohibition in practice.

Voters in the Ohio cities of Bellaire, Logan, Newark and Roseville all approved marijuana decriminalization measures in the November election.

Zambia is suffering a severe hangover from its decade long commodity boom, as mounting debt and energy shortages are crippling the once vibrant economy.

Zambia has seen a decrease in GDP growth from an average of 7.4% from 2004-2014 to barely 3% for 2016. This figure is only slightly above population growth. When annual inflation is added – which despite having decreased from 22.9% in January to only 8.8% in November – it reveals that the livelihoods of Zambians are actually regressing. This slowdown has affected the government’s bottom line, as Zambia’s national debt continues to pile up.

The growth prospects for the U.S. marijuana industry are phenomenal. Investment company Cowen & Co. anticipates that today's $6 billion in legal sales could turn into $50 billion in legal sales by 2026, while cannabis research ArcView has suggested that compound annual growth for the industry could average about 30% through 2020.

The impetus behind this rapid growth is the dramatic shift in public opinion toward marijuana. National pollster Gallup has shown that in roughly two decades, support for nationwide legalization has jumped from just 25% to an all-time high of 60%.

When researchers asked Australian young adults whether governments should mandate a warning on cannabis packages, many of them agreed that such warnings are necessary. A percentage of youth in Australia consider cannabis as harmful and some of their recommended warnings matched with that of the health experts.

Similarly, some of the suggested warnings were not typically recommended by experts. However, the need for warnings on cannabis packages was evident. Medical marijuana legalisation and cannabis legalisation for leisure use are growing in the US and numerous health experts and marijuana users agree on the fact that package warnings stating the health risks are absolutely necessary.

Düsseldorf City Council on Wednesday took the next step in its plan to legalize the regulated sale of recreational cannabis to over 18-year-olds, taking advice from experts in psychology, crime and economics during a consultation at City Hall.

Representatives from other city councils interested in pursuing similar schemes, including Cologne and Münster, were also present at the meeting.

Dr Armin Claus, a child psychologist specializing in youth addiction, voiced concerns that legalization could reduce young people's awareness of the dangers involved in taking this drug.

"The more people who take the drug, the more socially acceptable it becomes, and the less it is seen as a possible danger," Claus said.

MILegalize, the group attempting to bring a vote on recreational marijuana use in Michigan, has filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to put the issue on the 2018 ballot.

The group is arguing the 345,000 petition signatures they turned in this year are valid, and they were unfairly stymied from putting the issue on the November 2016 ballot. 

They are asking the U.S. Supreme Court "to remand the case with an order to fairly canvass and qualify MILegalize's petitions for inclusion at the next regular election -- the 2018 gubernatorial race," according to a press release.