Recreational marijuana is becoming legal in more jurisdictions throughout the US and is being used medically at an even greater rate. 

The push has driven Vicente Sederberg LLC to create the International Cannabis Practice Group for the potential onslaught of weed related legal issues to arise from the regulatory adoption.

“Public perception of marijuana is rapidly shifting around the world, and the cannabis industry is poised to become a large, mature marketplace with a host of legal needs,” Brian Vicente, partner and founding member of Vicente Sederberg said.

Vicente Sederberg also announced its partnership with Spain’s top cannabis law firm Soriano Fernández Abogados (S&F Abogados) to launch a Spanish language website providing legal advice.

New Era Following the Supreme Court's judgements against cannabis clubs in 2015, ordinary courts have started interpreting them. Spain's major clubs, above all in Barcelona, appear to have their days numbered. However, increasingly more judges understand that small clubs fit in with the Law. A new era is dawning.

Legal access to cannabis in Spain, where the plant remains in a legal gray zone, is still a ways over the horizon, but medical patients in country are hopeful change is underway. Developments such as a new national observatory centered on medical applications of cannabinoids and initiatives like the CannabMed conference in Barcelona are adding to the country’s cannabis knowledge base, empowering patients and health care professionals, and highlighting the need for reform of medical cannabis legislation.

On the 30th of November, politicians from the European Parliament gathered with a range of patients, activists, campaigners, entrepreneurs and scientists from the European cannabis community to discuss the future of the industry at the inaugural International Conference on Medical Cannabis.

The event was organised by the European United Left/Nordic Green Left European Parliamentary Group, led by German MEP Stefan Eck and Greek MEP Stelios Kouloglou. 

The aim of the Conference was to share knowledge about the state of legislation around the world today, and to educate regulators present about the importance of building legal, regulated cannabis markets in Europe.

The country with the biggest weed habit? That might surprise you.

A new report claims the UK government should legalise marijuana because it's “the only solution to crime and addiction problems”.

The strongly-worded study - titled The Tide Effect: How the World is Changing its Mind on Cannabis - was produced by the nonpartisan Adam Smith Institute and has the backing of several cross-party MPs including former deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg.

A new report claims the UK government should legalise marijuana because it's “the only solution to crime and addiction problems”.

The strongly-worded study - titled The Tide Effect: How the World is Changing its Mind on Cannabis - was produced by the nonpartisan Adam Smith Institute and has the backing of several cross-party MPs including former deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg.

Although the United Nations international drug treaties have upheld an official prohibition against marijuana, the marijuana industry has spread across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Cannibis clubs fall into legal limbo in Spain.

Authorities in Spain closed down a cannabis club in Barcelona that sold marijuana candy and other similar products to more than 16,000 people, many of them tourists, police said on Tuesday.

They arrested five managers of the club, which opened in 2013 in the centre of the popular Mediterranean seaside city, the Guardia Civil police force said in a statement.

These types of clubs often fall into legal limbo in Spain, where trafficking marijuana is illegal but consuming it is not.

In the legal grey area users have created clubs to grow cannabis plants to share, which are accepted by Spanish authorities as long as the marijuana is only for use among members and not for profit.

Recreational marijuana use is not permitted in public in Barcelona, but that hasn’t stopped non-profit cannabis clubs and discrete smoker lounges from popping up all over the Catalan region.

There are over 800 smokers clubs in Spain now compared to the mere 40 in the country in 2010. Despite the influx of clubs, patrolling public smoking isn’t at the top of the Spanish police’s to-do list.