Calabria is considered Italy’s wildest region. Besides being home to one of the most secretive and ruthless mafia organizations, the 'ndrangheta, it also gave name to the Italy’s only psychoactive cannabis landrace strains. 

Located in the southernmost part of the sunny, hilly countryside, Calabria forms the “toe” of the Italian peninsula. To foreign visitors, Calabria might sometimes be overwhelming. The food is a bit coarse and very spicy — peperoncino, the local chili peppers, are sold not by the gram but by the kilo.

In July, Italy's parliament will begin debating historic changes to cannabis laws that could see the drug legalized.

On July 25th, the draft legislation will be presented in Italy's lower house for the first time. The following day, politicians will begin voting on whether or not to send the bill through to the upper house for final approval.

If new laws are passed, how will things change?

Obviously, the proposals being debated will probably undergo some amendments if they are to make it into law. However, in their current form proposals would allow:

Possession: Citizens will be able to hold up to 15 grams of herb at home and take up to five grams with them when they go out and about.

Full-fledged cannabis legalization: is it only a matter of time? Before we get to the odds on the topic de jure, a little context.

Cannabis was a part of America’s consciousness long before Harry Chapin’s song “Taxi” was on the airwaves in the early 1970s, and even before grass enthusiasts endured days of rain at Woodstock a few years earlier.

A majority of Danes support legalizing cannabis at the same time the government is preparing new hardline initatives. 

Amidst a new debate on cannabis, spurred by a massive police action at Christiania, a majority of Danes are in favour of legalization. 

Toronto begins to look at dispensary regulations, US FDA learns about the MMPR, Canadian researchers in Poland, a possible task force announcement and more.

It’s a big week for those focussed on cannabis and cannabis policy in Canada. Several meetings and expected announcements, as well as one possible discussion are lined up for this last week in June.

The ancient Romanesque village of Groznjan, Croatia, witnessed a truly historic moment on June 10: the announcement of the first-ever legal shipment of cannabis extract containing psychoactive THC (and non-psychoactive CBD) across the pond from North America to Europe.

Most European countries, as well as many American states that have legalized medical cannabis in some form in recent years, have struggled to create functioning systems, and some areas around Europe don’t provide access to herbal cannabis or specific cannabinoid preparations. 

More questions than answers from a new study out of The Netherlands.

Recent studies suggest that there could be differences in brain thickness between children who are exposed to cannabis and those who aren’t — but do these studies tell the whole story?

Across the pond, an hour south from Amsterdam, Dr. Hanan El Marroun, of Erasmus University Medical Center in The Netherlands has dedicated his work to researching one of the most overlooked aspects of cannabis use: consuming while pregnant. 

Cannabis Liberation Rick Simpson, the godfather of cannabis oil, was one of the main guest speakers during the 8th annual Cannabis Liberation Day in Amsterdam. The Canadian cannabis oil producer is responsible for putting the medicinal value of cannabis oil on the worldwide map. Check out this Cannabis News Network report.

Liberal drug policies have spread across Europe. But some early adopters are slipping behind.

On a cobbled street lined with tourist shops in central Prague, a darkened storefront advertises cannabis-flavoured beer and absinthe ice cream. Inside, chocolate bars featuring Bob Marley’s face are for sale alongside “mushroom cookies” and glass bongs. Nothing stronger is on offer. But in a country where the possession of drugs is mostly tolerated, it is not hard to find the real stuff elsewhere: dealers loiter in the city’s main square, and barmen sell cannabis under the counter.

Last month’s annual report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has revealed that Danish cannabis is Europe’s strongest by far.

However, Metroxpress reports that according to figures it has obtained from Giftlinjen, Denmark’s poison control hotline, the use of marijuana has resulted in the number of Danes calling poison control centres to skyrocket in recent months.

Puff, puff, pass (out)

The figures revealed that last year, Giftlinjen received a total of 203 calls concerning cannabis overuse. The number of Danes seeking help at hospitals for the same reason has also increased.