Science crowdfunding startup Walacea is helping Madrid’s MedicalCannabis Bike Tour to raise the final €85,000 it needs to conduct an independent clinical trial into the effect of cannabinoids on brain tumours.

The scientists behind the tour have been working for the past 10 years to find ways to use cannabinoids, a substance found in cannabis, to treat breast cancer, skin cancer and brain tumours.

They have been fundraising since 2012 to get the cash they need for the trial in Spanish hospitals and have so far raised  €200,000.

A recent opinion poll in Holland showed a staggering 70% of people are now firmly in favour of a complete overhaul of Dutch cannabis laws and want to see a regulated system for the supply of cannabis.  Currently possession of small amounts of cannabis are tolerated, and the famous Dutch Coffee shops allow people to buy small amounts of cannabis for personal medical or recreational use.  But the supply of cannabis to coffee shops remains completely illegal.  The survey by Motivaction also showed that 61% want to see a system of permits introduced for controlled production of cannabis.

Almost three million Germans regularly smoke marijuana, making its legalisation an issue of widespread interest. Activists, expert lawyers in Criminal Law and some politicians are beginning to demand its regulation.

In Germany some three million citizens recognise smoking cannabis regularly, almost five times more than those who report only having tried it. It is still illegal to consume it in the country, so one of marijuana lovers' struggles in the coming years is going to be its regulation.

European non-for-profit organisation Medical Cannabis Bike Tour (MCBT) is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Walacea to finance an independent trial that investigates the effectiveness of cannabinoids (the active compounds in cannabis, CBD and THC) as a treatment for patients diagnosed with brain tumours.

By hosting an annual bike ride through Europe, MCBT has raised €200,000 since 2012 to help fund an independent clinical trial on 30 to 40 brain cancer patients in Spanish hospitals. From June 11th to 13th, 80 people will ride 420 kilometres through Belgium, Germany and Holland, with hopes to raise a further €280,000.

This week a delegation from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality travelled to Portugal to learn about its drugs policy, and to assess the impact of the changes that were implemented over a decade ago.

The delegation also visited the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) which this week launched its 2015 report

The following politicians makeup the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality:

Portugal decriminalized the use of all drugs in 2001. Weed, cocaine, heroin, you name it -- Portugal decided to treat possession and use of small quantities of these drugs as a public health issue, not a criminal one. The drugs were still illegal, of course. But now getting caught with them meant a small fine and maybe a referral to a treatment program -- not jail time and a criminal record.

Drugs. The report by the European Agency Cannabis is still the most consumed. In 2014, 101 new drugs introduced to the market, and an increasing power and purity of drugs.

The EMCDDA report shows a general stagnation of demand for heroin. Approximately 19.3 million adults (aged 15-64) reported use of cannabis in the last year. About 3.4 million adults (15-64 years) have used cocaine in the last year, of which 2.3 million are young adults (15-34 years). Social media and apps play an increasing role in drug markets.

The purity and potency of illegal drugs is Europe is on the rise, according to a new report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). In its annual analysis of European drug trends, the EMCDDA also found that heroin use was in decline, that London's sewers had the highest concentration of cocaine among all European capitals, and that two new psychoactive substances hit the market every week.