Germany to become second E.U. nation to legalize recreational cannabis
The plan has yet to be formally approved in parliament, but is expected to become law as soon as 2024 after the nation’s coalition government recently agreed to it.
Mental health & addiction
San Francisco decriminalizes psychedelics
City lawmakers have unanimously approved a measure calling for the decriminalization of psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca.
Many U.S. states now allow mental health absences for students
At least nine states now allow students to take mental health days. Other states using less expensive solutions like in-class mediation, mindfulness exercises, and social-emotional training.
Thailand officially removes cannabis from narcotics list and decriminalizes growing plants at home
Some 4,000 prisoners serving jail time for cannabis-related crimes will soon be released and their criminal records for those offenses will be deleted.
British Columbia becomes first Canadian province to remove criminal penalties for possession of some hard drugs
“By decriminalizing people who use drugs, we will break down the stigma that stops people from accessing life-saving support and services.”
Marijuana legalization linked to fall in alcohol, tobacco, and pain medication consumption in new study
“Implementation of legalized non-medical cannabis coincided with decreases in alcohol and cigarette use and pain reliever misuse,” the University of Washington researchers reported.
Opium production down as one thousand families in Mexico’s Golden Triangle turn to agroforestry
The project has helped lift the Tamazula municipality, where the four communities are located, off the state’s poverty list, raise their income above the minimum wage and contain narcotrafficking.
British Columbia doctors can now prescribe a year-long pass to Canada’s national parks
Parks Canada says it’s backing a nature prescription program so doctors and nurses can prescribe a Parks Canada Discovery Pass to patients suffering mental and physical health problems.
Toronto’s first-ever mental health crisis response teams to launch in March
The teams will dispatch nurses and mental health support workers instead of police officers to respond to 911 calls about people in crisis.
France passes sweeping conversion therapy ban
Conversion therapy practitioners can face prison time and fines because “homosexuality and trans identity aren’t sicknesses that can be cured.”