When there is talk of mafia-like structures on European soil, some people may tend to think more of Italy rather than Germany. The fact is, however, that we have a large, highly active black market for illegal drugs here in Germany, one with the closest of ties to organised crime. And we have not succeeded in combatting this effectively with bans. The reason is that it is not possible to ban a black market. A black market is the consequence of a ban. Our ban on the possession and purchase of cannabis – in other words, the demand – thus has more of a proxy effect than a supplementary one, and the stamp of illegal behaviour, with the risks this entails, is transferred to the consumers. This appears to be a form of displacement activity – as consumption itself is allowed in principle.

The idea of legalizing cannabis is gaining momentum in Germany. It's getting surprising support from parts of the political spectrum that have historically been hostile to the idea. Yet the measure, if adopted, could make it harder for Germans to get marijuana.

Could cannabis be the next big beauty trend? Well, it’s now being used in a range of produces available at the UK’s first pharmacy.

Carun Pharmacy’s offering includes everything hemp from mouthwash to pasta – but they won’t get you high as they are all made from non-psychotropic ingredients.

Cannabis sativa extract, also known as hemp seed oil, is the magic ingredient used in the products. It contains a compound called cannabinoids, the most well known of which is Tetrahydrocannabinol (responsible for the psychoactive effects of the drug) but Carun’s hemp products only contain 0.3% of this, while marijuana apparently contains 20-38%.

Boys who smoke cannabis before reaching puberty may grow less than those who don’t, according to research.

Scientists from Pakistan studied the hormones in the blood of 437 boys, including 217 who regularly smoked cannabis before puberty.

The researchers found puberty-related hormones such as testosterone were higher in the drug users and growth hormones were reduced.

By the age of 20, non-cannabis smokers were on average 4kg (8.8lbs) heavier and 4.6 inches (11.6cm) taller than smokers.

Scientists also found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol were significantly higher in saliva samples from boys taking cannabis.

The legalization of marijuana in some States of the US has reopened also in Europe the debate about a potential similar move in the Member States of the European Union. Besides the ethical considerations that the issue of drugs inevitably brings to the fore, there is a number of economic aspects that should also inform this debate.

A 10 (or 60) billion Euros market

Considering that up until about 85 years ago, cannabis oil was used around the world to treat a variety of diseases, including cancer, it is not surprising that the phasing out of cannabis to treat illness coincided with the rise of pharmaceutical companies.

Rick Simpson, a medical marijuana activist, is on a crusade to help others heal. He regards cannabis as the most medicinally active plant on the face of the earth, and shared this apparent miracle with others — completely free of charge. He now has thousands of testimonials from those who were healed from ‘incurable’ disease to back up his claims ~ that cannabis annihilates cancer.

Around three weeks ago the news broke that Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who is a Labour TD for Dublin North-Central, had been appointed the new Minister for Drugs Strategy

The role of Minister for Drugs Strategy had been vacant for 10 months following the July 2014 cabinet reshuffle. It appeared that Minister for Health Leo Varadkar was set to oversee drug policy however the government has decided to give the position to Ó Ríordáin.

Cannabis News Network reports on the sudden launch of a crackdown on Barcelona Cannabis Social Clubs, initiated by the mayor of the Catalan capital Xavier Trias, seems to have backfired on him.

Global patterns of cannabis cultivation have followed a fascinating development, from highly concentrated production in certain developing countries to decentralized production in almost every country around the world (UNODC, 2014). Historically, the spread of cannabis cultivation across the globe reflected the industrial utility of hemp; the widespread use of cannabis as a recreational drug did not appear until much later (Abel, 1980, Booth, 2003). It is with the emergence of modern patterns of cannabis use in the developed world that we have seen major changes in patterns of cannabis production. As demand for cannabis increased globally, fuelled by the developments of the “counter-culture” of the 1960s and 1970s, so cultivation in the developing world began to take on new dimensions.