MP: The legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use could be an agricultural opportunity for struggling communities

Denmark’s small islands are struggling for survival but could find a new lease of life as cannabis-farming communities should Parliament adopt a proposal to legalise cannabis for medicinal use, Alternativet MP Nicolaj Amstrup has told DR.

There is currently a slim parliamentary majority in favour of legalising medical cannabis.

“If we pass a law about medicinal cannabis, then it would be smart if it supported a new agricultural opportunity, and the islands would be perfect for that,” Amstrup told DR Fyn.

LEGO is looking for a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastic. Hemp might be the answer.

LEGO wants to switch the material it uses to make its trademark toy bricks beloved by children around the world. The company currently uses plastic resin (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), but by 2030 it wants to be using a more environmentally conscious and cost-effective material, according to a Plastics News report.

LEGO senior project manager Allan Rasmussen told Plastics News that the new material must be able to form bricks that are indistinguishable from current plastic-made bricks.

Marijuana legalization has been a political issue in the United States for some time, and while it remains illegal in most states, others have softened their stance in recent years. Colorado and Washington both passed initiatives by popular vote to decriminalize and legalize cannabis in 2012. In 2014, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., followed suit. Many states including Massachusetts, California, Missouri, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Ohio have flirted with legalization for a few election cycles, with buzz growing.

The United States isn't the only country where people use marijuana legally or illicitly. In fact, it isn’t even the country with the highest reported marijuana use.

Finn Ove Nielsen says he is sorry, but thinks the punishment is too harsh

Klaus Riskær Pedersen eyes potential in Uruguay to produce the plant for the pharmaceutical industry

Danish businessman and entrepreneur Klaus Riskær Pedersen is involved in a new business venture in Uruguay in the area of medical cannabis.

Pedersen, along with six partners, has invested in Nube Serena, a company that cultivates the plants for medical purposes.

“Medical cannabis in 2016 is like 1995 and the internet,” Pedersen told DR Nyheder. “This is a breakthrough year.”

New laws opening doors 
Pedersen said the relaxation of laws around the world to make medical cannabis legal is opening the door for his latest enterprise.

Drug dealers are using flyers and text messages to target young people

Young people at educational institutions in Odense are increasingly being contacted by drug dealers trying to sell them cannabis, sometimes via flyers and text messages, DR reports.

Pupils at Tietgen Handelsgymnasium have been offered cannabis for sale via these ‘marketing’ techniques, and Torben Vangsted, the head of the drug treatment centre Behandlingscenter Odense, sees drug dealing specifically targeting young people at schools as a general problem in the city.

Difficult to police
According to Kim Dyhr Laursen, a policeman regularly on patrol on Funen, officers encounter many difficulties stopping the dealers.

Christiania is a hippie idyll in the heart of Denmark’s prim and proper capital

A strong whiff of marijuana hits us as we walk by the lake shore on a sunny afternoon. We are strictly told not to talk on our mobile phones, to hide our cameras and to not run as we enter the locality. The intimidating instructions are the least of my concerns when I see people in black masks selling cannabis on Pusher Street.

In 2001, Portugal decriminalized heroin, cocaine and cannabis. It remains a crime to profit from the sale or distribution of illegal drugs, but the user was not criminalized for possession. If a person is found with less than a 10-day supply, they must meet a three-person Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction, usually made up of a lawyer, a doctor and a social worker. The commission will recommend treatment, a minor fine or, as in most cases, no penalty at all.  

In 1990, one per cent of the Portuguese population was addicted to heroin. Portugal now has the lowest addiction rate of illegal drugs in all of Europe. After 14 decriminalized years, overall rates of drug use, drug addiction, drug overdose, HIV and accidental death have all gone down.

Early Alzheimer’s disease patients who engage in light or moderate drinking have been shown to have fewer chances of dying in a new study. The research was conducted at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Moderate Drinking Can Have A Protective Effect on Cardiovascular Disease

The team, lead by Dr. Sine Bernsten, took data from a previous 12-month study that looked into a psychosocial counseling and support program for people with Alzheimer’s in early stages. This study had 321 participants, with details of lifestyle habits. 10% of the people didn’t drink at all, and 70% had about 10ml of pure alcohol per day. This would be about 1/3 of a pint of beer or half a glass of wine per day.

Don’t light up and drive near Christiania

Last year record numbers of drivers were convicted of driving around under the influence of narcotic substances.

The number of drivers caught using narcotics like marijuana and cocaine while operating a motor vehicle has exploded from five in 2011 to 3,281 last year, according to a report from the national police, Rigspolitiet.

During the same period of time, the number of people being convicted for drink driving decreased from 9,818 to 7,611.

New detection methods
In 2011, police started using a new narco-meter that uses saliva to test whether a driver is under the influence of drugs.