In a draft bill, the health ministry recommends regulating the drug's cultivation and distribution by the state, German media reports

On Friday the 16^th of October 2015 Sensi Seeds’ daughter company HempFlax opened a brand new factory in the Alba region of Romania. A new and very special chapter for the company that aimed to relaunch the hemp industry 20 years ago, and is successfully doing so.

GardaÍ seized more than €1.1 million worth of drugs in two separate seizures in Dublin yesterday.

Four people are currently in custody.

The first seizure took place on the N2 in the Finglas area, where two cars were searched.

A total of €300,000 worth of cannabis was seized and two men, aged 40 and 49, were arrested at the scene.

They are being held at Finglas Garda Station.

Later that day in an unconnected operation, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau raided a property in the Irishtown area of Dublin 2 at around 4pm.

The search yielded €880,000 worth of heroin, cocaine, and cannabis.

A man and a woman, both 29, were arrested.

Eight out of 10 families, directly affected by drug addiction favour decriminalisation of drug possession, a survey indicates.

Oireachtas committee on justice may recommend that Ireland follow the example of Portugal which 14 years ago decriminalised all drugs

Almost a thousand plants were confiscated from chalets in Benifato and La Nucía

A UK national and a Belgian have been arrested by the Policía Nacional following the confiscation of almost a thousand marijuana plants from two chalets in Benifato and La Nucía, in the Marina Baja area of the province of Alicante, along with sophisticated watering, ventilation and heating systems. 

The British woman, aged 44, and the Belgian man (61) have both been released on bail: neither has a previous record of any similar offences. 

The appeal in the case against Doede De Jong on October 15 has the potential to achieve a sensible government policy on the 'paradox of the backdoor'.

he appeal in the case against Doede De Jong on October 15 will be submitted to the court of Leeuwarden (Netherlands) and has the potential to achieve a sensible government policy on the ‘paradox of the backdoor’, according to Dutch legalization NGO VOC Nederland.

UPDATE 29th of October, 2015: In the verdict against Doede de Jong the court ruled guilty, but no punishment. Case not finished. For more (in Dutch), visit the VOC Nederland website.

A material made by mixing hemp with lime and water forms a new layer of insulation around this house in Belgium, as part of a renovation by Ghent studio Martens Van Caimere Architecten.

Known as hempcrete, the hemp-based render was applied in thick layers to all four walls of the small house to help it retain heat and make the structure more weather-resistant. The result is a textured surface with a similar appearance to rammed earth.

According to architect Nikolaas Martens, one of the two co-founders of Martens Van Caimere Architecten, the material offers a similar but more sustainable and economical solution than concrete.