In 1976, the government of the Netherlands formally adopted a written policy allowing for the sale, possession and consumption of personal amounts of cannabis to the general public. Since then, the nation’s world-famous coffeeshops have supplied cannabis to millions of customers from destinations all over the world. Cannabis remains technically illegal, but it is tolerated for customers to purchase up to five grams per day.

This year marks the 40th anniversary since the Netherlands adopted their landmark change in legislation. What has changed in that time? Has the approach generally been seen as a success or a failure, and is the country now moving closer to, or further away from, full legalization of cannabis? PRØHBTD aimed to find out.

I’ve been quite hard on President Barack Obama for his abuse of executive power—and will soon file another brief in the 26-state challenge to his immigration action—but there are certainly things that he or any president can do to protect and secure our liberty without violating the Constitution.

The global tide concerning marijuana legalization is slowly turning. Amsterdam, with its famous coffeeshops where smoking cannabis is OK, was once the international city most associated with legally smoking marijuana. But more countries are passing legislation either decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana in some form. In fact, almost half the states in the United States have legalized marijuana somehow — with more likely to follow suit. 

In April, the United Nations is meeting to discuss the worldwide policy on drugs. Junior health minister Martin van Rijn must be urged to forge a different approach, write Dutch MPs Vera Bergkamp (D66) and Marith Volp (Labour). A war on drugs is no longer compatible with modern times. Big words and repression should be replaced with measures focusing on limiting health risks. Prevention, information and care are the areas international drug policy should be concentrating on. Now that the Netherlands holds the presidency of the EU and junior health minister Martin van Rijn will soon attend a special meeting of the United nations, it is time to promote a different approach to drugs.

Polish MP Piotr Liroy-Marzec's bill supports the legalisation of marijuana for medicinal use, such as this cannabis-made product for therapeutic use

Warsaw (AFP) - A Polish rapper-turned-politician on Monday presented a draft bill on legalising medical marijuana in an EU nation where two-thirds of people back the idea. 

"This draft crowns everything I've said over the years, especially during the election campaign," said MP Piotr Liroy-Marzec, better known by his stage name Liroy, who pioneered Poland's rap scene in the 1990s.

Big Pharma’s attempts to synthesise cannabis into an artificial pill form are not only failing, but killing people in the process. 

Medical research shows that our bodies are able to synthesise endocannabinoids naturally. Endocannabinoids are the chemical compounds that activate the same receptors as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component of marijuana. 

Big Pharma have attempted to patent this natural herb via a chemical alternative pill in order to cash in on the market. 

One of the top cage fighters in Britain has been jailed for a year for running a series of cannabis farms with his in-laws. Karel "Karlos" Vemola, a title-holding mixed martial artist originally from the Czech Republic, was convicted alongside his former partner Sarah Sharp and her elderly parents at St Albans crown court.

The 30-year-old had convinced Linda Sharp, 70, and her partner Terrance Byman, 72, to invest in a business running at least three cannabis farms in Potters Bar and Bushey in Hertfordshire, the court heard. They had seen the venture as "an ideal way to top up their pensions".

Vemola, whose nickname in the ring is "the Terminator", had started using the drug to help with the pain he sustained from his fighting injuries, the court was told.

The Czech Republic took a bold step back in 2013 when lawmakers agreed to legalise the sale of medicinal cannabis or marihuana. But the development of this market, which can conceivably challenge that of the established pharmaceutical companies across a wide range of pain killers and treatments, is showing some local and global growing pains.

One of those seeking to develop the market for medical cannabis in the Czech Republic and Europe is Prague-based Sean Carney, actually a former business journalist. He is now working as the director of business development and government for Europe for the Canadian cannabis company Tilray. It has a license to produce, process, and manufacture medicinal cannabis products from the Canadian federal government. 

Researchers from the U.K. make an interesting find when it comes to the correlation between adolescent marijuana use and IQ score

The year may have only just begun, but 2016 is shaping up to arguably be the most important in marijuana's history.