Earlier this month, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called for cannabis legalisation in the UK. The party is proposing to table a motion at their annual conference to legalise and regulate medicinal and recreational cannabis. 

Gary Malcolm, Liberal Democrat Councillor in Ealing, gave VolteFace his personal case for drug reform.

Many people ask why I think that cannabis should be legalised, given that I have never smoked a cigarette in my life.

As a graduate in Genetics, my biological and scientific background leads me to form policies based on evidence, while my guiding liberal philosophy leads me to want people to have the chance to make their own decisions.

The flavor is named after Bob Marley. Probably not because the reggae legend loved gelato.

What's Italian for munchies? 

A town on Italy's Riviera coast has begun selling a weed-infused gelato that campaigners hope could change the country's attitude to cannabis.

Perleco, a gelato parlor in Alassio, recently launched the gelato -- named Marley after reggae legend Bob. 

But while it sounds like a weed fiend's dream, its makers say the frozen treat isn't going to get anyone high.

Pot. Cannabis. Mary Jane. The plant with psychotropic properties has a long pop culture presence — and an even longer record of use.

1. Pot. Weed. Mary Jane. Sticky-icky. Nicknames aside, much of the world calls the psychotropic plant by its scientific name, cannabis, and — until the early 20th century — so did Americans.

2. About a hundred years ago, however, the term marijuana became common in the United States, the result of anti-cannabis, anti-immigrant advocates trying to link recreational use of the plant to migrant workers from Mexico.

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.

International attention was raised yesterday in the conference held inside the European Parliament in Brussels on hemp and medical cannabis hosted by SYRIZA MEP, Stelios Kouloglou. 

Prominent figures from the world of politics, international organizations and civil society and many participants from all over Europe to the US participated in a rich and constructive debate on the therapeutic value of cannabis and the multiple uses resulting from the cultivation of this plant helping thus to boost the employment and the economy.

The European magazine Politico announced the conference with a special report entitled “is growing hemp the way to save the Greek economy?”

Housing firm Eigen Haard gave Amsterdam HIV patient Rudolf Hillebrand an ultimatum – either stop cultivating his own cannabis, or leave his apartment. This is despite the fact that the court ruled that Hillebrand can continue growing his own cannabis.

Last week the court in Amsterdam ruled that Hillebrand may continue growing his own medicinal marijuana.He uses the cannabis to fight nausea after taking his HIV medication. The Netherlands does have a designated firm that cultivates medicinal marijuana, but the available varieties does not work for him.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is pushing for the legalization of cannabis and other personal drugs.

However, he said regulations must be put in place by governments to curtail abuse.

“And therefore, the fourth and final step is to recognize that drugs must be regulated precisely because they are risky. It is time to acknowledge that drugs are infinitely more dangerous if they are left solely in the hands of criminals who have no concerns about health and safety.

It's nearly that time of year. The annual occasion that brings together 16,000 laboratory scientists from industry, academia and government to discuss the latest trends in laboratory science. We're talking about Pittcon of course, the world’s largest annual premier conference and exposition on laboratory science. Pittcon never fails to deliver quality information and education that is used by the industry year-round. Let's see what some of the 2016 trends are:

The uncertain fate of cannabis clubs in "the Amsterdam of southern Europe"

It was 7 p.m. on July 10, 2014. Albert Centellas was smoking a joint in the spacious lounge of Club Kali, a quasi-legal cannabis club an hour's drive south of Barcelona. He heard a loud bang, like a thunderclap, and then another. The police were breaking down the door.