Archaeologists have uncovered two 2,400-year-old pure gold ‘bongs’ that were used by Aryan tribal chiefs to smoke cannabis during ceremonies. The historic drug paraphernalia was found alongside 7lbs of other gold items when an area of land was dug up in Russia to make way for power lines. They items had been buried in a stone chamber before being concealed by a thick layer of clay. 

Criminologists have since carried out tests which indicate that the thick, black residue found inside the vessels comes from the cannabis and opium which the tribal royal smoked. Experts believe the items belonged to the Scythians, a nomadic warrior race who ruled large swathes of Europe and Asia between the 9th century BC and the 4th century AD.

Hoisting and waving handmade signs reading “Decrim 4 Athens,” “We want decrim,” “We are not criminals” and “Stop the war on a plant,” about two dozen advocates of local marijuana decriminalization stepped up their efforts Tuesday evening in front of City Hall in downtown Athens, holding a demonstration in advance of the regular monthly meeting of the Athens-Clarke County mayor and commission.

A Greek couple were caught with 23 kilos of cannabis in their luggage at Larnaca airport on Friday evening.

According to the police, the Greek 54-year-old man had arrived on a flight from Athens. When customs police search his luggage, they found 12 kilos of the drug in 10 separate packages.

The man had arrived in Cyprus with his 48-year-old wife, also from Greece. The woman had already passed through customs.

The woman, who had already cleared through customs, was located by men of the Anti-drug Squad (YKAN).

Her luggage, abandoned at the airport, was found to contain another seven packages with a total of 11 kilos of cannabis.

The couple were arrested, and following police interrogation admitted their guilt.

On Sunday, the crisis has worsened in Greece after voters reject a referendum of the terms of the country’s international aid bailout, increasing the risk of Greece dropping out of the euro zone. Banks in Greece will remain closed until at least Friday of this week. The country is trying to reopen bailout negotiations with official creditors to save its financial system from a dramatic collapse. Greece issued a ruling last week imposing capital control and demanded banks to close after the European Central Bank (ECB) froze a crucial financial lifeline following the failure of bailout talks between Athens and its international creditors. While Greece looks to fix its economic crisis U.S marijuana stocks in the cannabis sector have been booming.

Life-saving medications could be an import at risk if Greece defaults on its debt and exits the European Union.

Richard Bergstrom, the director general of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), sent a note to the European Union Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis on Monday notifying him that pharmaceutical companies would continue to send drugs to Greece but felt the supply could be in peril if Europe doesn’t take action soon. 

The EFPIA believes the “integrity of the medicines supply chain may be in jeopardy” if Greece reintroduces the drachma, a form of currency whose value will swiftly depreciate, according to Hirschler.

The first cannabis festival in Greece is taking place today at Syntagma Square in Athens with the participation of the organized SYRIZA youth and the human rights department of the party.

The advocates of legalization of cannabis who have organized the festival call it Athens Cannabis Protestival and they ask for legalization of cannabis and soft drugs and the decriminalization of users.

Organized crime in the European Union generates about 110 billion euros a year, corresponding to around 1 percent of the EU’s gross domestic product, a recent report commissioned by the European Commission found, with the bulk of that coming from the “traditional” market of illegal narcotics.

The report, titled “From Illegal Markets to Legitimate Businesses: The Portfolio of Organized Crime in Europe,” compiled by Project OCP – Organized Crime Portfolio, found that in Greece, organized crime generates just under 3.6 billion euros, corresponding to 1.6 percent of GDP (in 2010), significantly more than in Croatia (134 million euros; 0.3 pct/GDP) but also less than in Latvia, where 514 million euros of proceeds account for 2.8 percent of GDP.

Health experts have defended the electronic cigarette during a Friday anti-smoking conference in Abu Dhabi, dismissing concerns that she could promote adolescent addiction to nicotine. Most of these experts, however, agreed that it should regulate the use of e-cigarettes because its effects are still too little known.

A real support tool for weaning?

Konstantinos Farsalinos, researcher at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, AFP quoted a study which nearly 19,500 respondents, mainly the United States and Europe, 81% reported having stopped smoking thanks to the electronic cigarette. "On average, they quit in the first month of using the e-cigarette," he said. "We do not see that with any other method to help stop smoking."

The Global Marijuana March (GMM) is an annual rally held at different locations across the planet. It refers tocannabis-related events that occur on the first Saturday in May, or thereabouts, and may include marches, meetings, rallies, raves, concerts, festivals and information tables.

The first official gathering and pro-cannabis legalization celebration has been organized by collectives and citizens in Greece. The festival called Athens Cannabis Protestival will take place on Saturday, May 9, at Syntagma Square in Athens.