The proxy war in Ukraine is heading to a denouement with the US and Russia dividing the spoils while the European powers stand bewildered by events they have been wilfully blind to, says KEVIN OVENDEN
European cannabis reform: still lost between the black market and the free market
Germany has scaled back its recreational cannabis plans to avoid falling foul of EU laws. That means full marketisation is on hold for now — but that is not a bad thing, argues ISAAC KNEEBONE-HOPKINS
One can only imagine what would happen if 2.2 million Palestinian refugees were pushed into Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries, per Trump’s proposal, writes RAMZY BAROUD
This is the most anti-migrant government in decades, argues RAVISHAAN RAHEL MUTHIAH
VICTOR GROSSMAN reports, with a little chuckle, on how US readiness to work with Russia, not just on peace for Ukraine, has thrown a spanner into the German electoral machine
SOLOMON HUGHES probes the finances of a phoney ‘charity’ pushing the free schools and academies agenda
Freedom now for former PM Mir-Hossein Mousavi and other political prisoners
VIJAY PRASHAD examines why in 2018 Washington started to take an increasingly belligerent stance towards ‘near peer rivals’ – Russa and China – with far-reaching geopolitical effects
ON April 12 2023 German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced the proposed plan for Germany’s cannabis legalisation. A two-stage process was laid out with immediate plans for the decriminalisation of cannabis for recreational use and the rollout of state-regulated not-for-profit cannabis social clubs where members will be able to buy cannabis for personal use. The law is currently still in its draft form and may be altered before it is voted through.
Germany’s club system would be like fellow EU member Malta, which passed legislation to decriminalise cannabis in 2021 and started accepting license applications for the clubs earlier this year.
The second stage of Germany’s plan is short on details but will involve a limited five-year pilot exploring the possibilities for a recreational consumer market in an EU country. However, at this time little information has been released to say how and where this will happen.
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In a bittersweet farewell to the heights of the Corbyn era, ISAAC KNEEBONE-HOPKINS celebrates the festival's success in blending serious debate with hedonistic energy while acknowledging the need for deeper grassroots engagement
As the movement for legal cannabis gains momentum worldwide, the left must reject libertarian logic and think seriously about how it can best be integrated into social life safely, writes ISAAC KNEEBONE-HOPKINS
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