In fields across Italy, the seeds of fundamental change are being sown—and they quite literally are seeds, hemp seeds.

Individually, a hemp grower has little power, but as part of a local hemp-growing collective, that power increases exponentially. Similarly, a sole collective has little influence, but a network of communities working together can garner power on a much greater and more meaningful level.

Poland Poland is an eastern European country on the Baltic Sea, with a population of almost forty million, a strong economy, and (in recent years) a generally progressive approach to drug legislation. However, despite legislative successes over the last decade, the drug laws remain relatively strict by modern European standards.

Protesters blew up noise grenades and smoke bombs, as well as painted police cars.

In the Georgian town of Samtredia near police building takes place the rally of the youth organization "White movement" (the second name is "White Noise"), advocating for the decriminalization of soft drugs. It is reported by "Radio Liberty".

The reason for the rally was the recent suicide of 22 year old Demur Sturua, who spoke in a suicide note that one of the policemen demanded from him to become an informant for law enforcement, threatening otherwise to initiate a criminal case and arrest on charges of possession and consumption of drugs.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin to advocate for the legalization of cannabis on Saturday.

More than 4,000 people participated in what is known locally as the Hanfparade (hemp parade), according to local police.

Demonstrators are pushing for the legalization of the illicit drug as a natural resource, medicine and recreational drug.

Cannabis is currently illegal in Germany, except in rare instances for medical use.

Green Party politician Hans-Christian Stroebele was in attendance and tweeted: "Make hemp free."

The protest started at the capital's main train station and made its way towards Berlin's iconic town hall via the Health Ministry and the Reichstag.

Undated handout of ecstasy pills, which contain MDMA as their main chemical Thomson Reuters

The market for online sales of illegal drugs has greatly increased in the last three years, according to an in-depth study carried out by RAND Europe.

The study (which we first saw on NBC News) analysed popular "deep web" drug websites that operate on a hidden version of the internet accessible through the Tor web browser.

RAND Europe's study found that the number of transactions on illegal drug sites has tripled since 2013, and revenues have almost doubled.

Medicinal Cannabis Sativex and Bedrocan are now available in many European countries, and several have infrastructure in place to supply patients with medicinal cannabis. So which countries are moving with the times, and which are dragging their heels? Where are medicinal and recreational users most (and least) free to utilize their drug of choice? Let’s take a look at the facts.

In the three years since Silk Road 1.0 was closed – and Ross Ulbricht given a life sentence – drug sales have tripled.

Drug sales on the dark web have tripled since the closure of the high-profile Silk Road marketplace in 2013 and life imprisonment of its owner, Ross Ulbricht.

Revenues have doubled in the same period, as the threat of FBI arrest and a lifetime in prison has done little to stop the sale of drugs like cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy online. Dark web marketplaces are hidden from search engines like Google and can only be visited through anonymising browsers like The Onion Router (Tor).

OSLO: Norwegian customs agents have reported a three-fold increase in the amount of cannabis confiscated at the nation’s borders.

Through the first six months of 2016, the Directorate of Norwegian Customs has seized 1,600 kg of cannabis, while just 550 kg was seized in the first half of last year. The agency director general, Bjørn Røse, said the increase may indicate that cannabis use is on the rise both in Norway and elsewhere in Europe. “Cannabis use has remained stable in Norway for several years, but the new figures give cause for concern,” he said. Røse said that major seizures had been made in trailer transports, vans and campers.

Michal Otipka one of the Czech Republic’s most influential cannabis entrepreneurs. He’s also a self-defense instructor. But when it comes to taking on the country’s court system, he’s powerless.

Otipka runs Czechia’s largest grow stores, which offer an array of wares such as cultivation media, nutrients, and lighting systems. The goods are legal, but perhaps due to Otipka’s success he’s become the fall guy in the country’s war on drugs — or, more specifically, the nation’s war on indoor gardening shops.