Although the Koran does not specifically outlaw cannabis, and it was apparently never mentioned by Mohammed himself, the plant and products made from it are still considered haraam (forbidden). However, cannabis grows and is processed into hashish in many Muslim-majority countries around the world, and it has been an undeniable part of the culture for centuries in many of these countries.  

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.

The most comprehensive framework for how a regulated cannabis market could work in the UK has been published today by an independent panel of experts set up by the Liberal Democrats.

This groundbreaking report sets out how the legal production and supply of cannabis could work in the UK. It was established in the autumn by Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Norman Lamb MP. The expert panel was chaired by Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst from Transform Drug Policy Foundation.

Click here to download a full copy of the report

The report proposes

March 8 is International Women's Day, celebrated in today's Google Doodle with a video asking women all over the world to finish the sentence, "One day I will..."

The answers run the gamut from personal dreams like "play in the Major Leagues" to more global aspirations like Malala Yousafzai's wish to "see every girl in school." And like International Women's Day itself, the video is both a celebration of women's lives and achievements, and a call to action to make their lives better.

What is International Women's Day?

These days, it's a corporate-sponsored global campaign to raise awareness of women's issues worldwide.

Ladies, to celebrate International Women’s Day we wanted to explore how independent women, and the characters they’ve inspired, have been celebrated on the silver screen. Below are our top picks for some great flicks to get you in the mood for IWD. 

The Accused (1988)

When Sarah (Jodie Foster) fights back against the men who brutally gang-raped her, she must not only face the men she accuses, she must defend herself against society’s deeply embedded view that ‘she was asking for it.’

Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the chemical components found in marijuana, may have fast-acting antidepressant effects, according to a study published in Neuropharmacology.

Marijuana has long been valued in many cultures for its mood-altering effects. Neuroscientists have identified several ways CBD influences neurochemical processes, especially by affecting production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and glutamate. Because the same brain systems are known to be related to depression, it has been suggested that CBD has the potential to impact depression through these pathways.

Chapter 9. Conclusions

Rabat – The 2015 report by the International Narcotics Control Board reported that Morocco remains one of the world’s largest producers of cannabis and is Europe’s leading supplier of cannabis resin.

The UN-affiliated board noted that since its visit to the Moroccan government in 2009, the kingdom has demonstrated a “high” level of cooperation in anti-narcotics efforts, especially in the fields of preventing citizens from using cannabis, reducing the area of lands cultivating the plant, and treating narcotics addiction.

The US State Department has published today its report on the fight against narcotic substances and states that Albania is a major source country for the production of marijuana and a transit point for shipments of cocaine and heroin destined to the European markets.

During 2015, the report says, Albanian authorities carried out several arrests and seized a significant amount of narcotic substances by producers and drug rings that operate in the country, continuing the 2014 tendency. This success is mainly attributed to the ongoing cooperation with Italian authorities and the growing efforts of the political leadership and police.

There is a sense of fear we feel when we hear people using the word ‘Addict’.

As children we are taught to mind our own behaviour and stay away from those that don’t. If we are caught doing something ‘naughty’ at school, we are scolded or punished until we learn not to do it. As we grow older we worry less about our own bad behaviour, however what remains the same is a firmly rooted sense that there is right and wrong behaviour and those who act out should still be met with a consequence as we did in our childhoods.

There is a sympathy we feel when we hear people using the word ‘illness’.