Marijuana legalization has been a political issue in the United States for some time, and while it remains illegal in most states, others have softened their stance in recent years. Colorado and Washington both passed initiatives by popular vote to decriminalize and legalize cannabis in 2012. In 2014, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., followed suit. Many states including Massachusetts, California, Missouri, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Ohio have flirted with legalization for a few election cycles, with buzz growing.

The United States isn't the only country where people use marijuana legally or illicitly. In fact, it isn’t even the country with the highest reported marijuana use.

Housing firm Eigen Haard gave Amsterdam HIV patient Rudolf Hillebrand an ultimatum – either stop cultivating his own cannabis, or leave his apartment. This is despite the fact that the court ruled that Hillebrand can continue growing his own cannabis.

Last week the court in Amsterdam ruled that Hillebrand may continue growing his own medicinal marijuana.He uses the cannabis to fight nausea after taking his HIV medication. The Netherlands does have a designated firm that cultivates medicinal marijuana, but the available varieties does not work for him.

The city of Haarlem will not be experimenting with regulated cannabis cultivation with its own cannabis garden, Mayor Bernt Schneiders wrote to the city council. According to him, there is no room for such experimentation in the political climate in The Hague, AD reports.

Schneiders, like many other mayors in the Netherlands, supports regulated cannabis cultivation, believing that it will be a good weapon against drug crime in the city. He thinks a system of permits for the sale and production of marijuana, license holders also providing information on soft drugs, is a good idea.

Acquittal On Wednesday 10th February 2016, the Amsterdam court acquitted Dutch medicinal cannabis grower Rudolf Hillebrand of the charge of illegally growing cannabis.  The court agreed with the defence that Hillebrand cultivated cannabis as an essential supplement to his HIV medication and definitely not for financial gain. A historic verdict!

Terpenes are the essential oils found in cannabis that create the fragrances and mental effects of different strains. What is that strong eucalyptus smell in some strains? That would be the terpene caryophyllene oxide. What about those black-peppery spice notes? Chances are the strain has traceable levels of ß-caryophyllene, a terpene also found in cloves and black pepper that has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties.

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.

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. 

February 3, 2016 - How has new legislation affected marijuana use in the United States? The best available data suggest that marijuana use is increasing in adults but not teens, with a decrease in marijuana-related arrests but an increase in treatment admissions, according to an update in the January/February Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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.

When it comes to legalizing marijuana, Canada isn’t sailing entirely into the unknown. A number of countries and U.S. states have experimented with loose pot policies (if not outright decriminalization), and these places offer potential models and lessons for Canada.

Toronto-based law firm O’Neill Moon Quedado LLP has put together an infographic comparing three countries known for their experimentation with drug decriminalization: The Netherlands, Portugal, and, most recently, the U.S.