A Little History About Our Happy Friend Named Mary Jane

Cannabis has been in use for thousands of years. In India and Nepal, cannabis has long been used in religious rituals. Under the name cannabis, nineteenth century medical practitioners sold the drug (usually as a tincture), popularizing the word among English-speakers. In 1894, the Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, commissioned by the UK Secretary of State and the government of India, was instrumental in a decision not to criminalize the drug in those countries. From the year 1860, different states in the US started to implement regulations for sales of Cannabis sativa. A 1905 Bulletin from the US Department of Agriculture lists twenty-nine states with laws mentioning cannabis. In 1925, a change of the International Opium Convention banned exportation of Indian hemp to countries that have prohibited its use. Importing countries were required to issue certificates approving the importation, stating that the shipment was to be used "exclusively for medical or scientific purposes".

Around 1840, doctors had realized that marijuana had a medical value, therefore it was freely sold for over a century in pharmacies. Marijuana used to be freely grown, sold, bought, and smoked in the United States up until it was criminalized in 1937.

The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was the first US national law making cannabis possession illegal, with the exception of industrial or medical purposes. Growers of hemp products were required to purchase an annual tax stamp, priced at $24, and retailers were required to purchase stamps priced at $1 per annum.

The name marijuana (Mexican Spanish marihuana, mariguana) is associated almost exclusively with the plant's psychoactive use. The term is now well known in English largely due to the efforts of American drug prohibitionists during the 1920s and 1930s. Mexico officially adopted prohibition in 1925, following the International Opium Convention.

The use of cannabis became widespread in the Western world due to the rise and influence of the counterculture that began in the late 1960s. In the late 1990s in California, Dennis Peron started a movement to legalize medical cannabis by opening the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club in 1992. The club became the headquarters for an activist movement that drafted the Compassionate Use Act, which was transformed into Proposition 215—the coalition managed to secure the passage of Proposition 215 with the support of billionaire and philanthropist George Soros in November 1996.

A BBC article, published in October 2011, reported on the actions of local authorities in the border town of Maastricht in the Netherlands. According to the article, the authorities were primarily concerned with those cannabis customers who had traveled from other European countries, such as Belgium and Germany. At the time, broader restrictions, which would apply to the entire nation, were being discussed in the Dutch parliament. From October 1, 2011, only Dutch, Belgian and German residents would be prohibited from purchasing cannabis from venues in Maastricht.

On November 6, 2012, Colorado Amendment 64 and Washington Initiative 502 were passed by popular initiative, thereby becoming the first American states to legalize the recreational use of cannabis under state law. However cannabis is still classified as a schedule I controlled substance under Federal law and is subject to Federal prosecution under the Doctrine of Dual Sovereignty and Supremacy Clause.

On January 1, 2013, an amendment to the Netherlands' cannabis policy was introduced to "combat drug-related crime and nuisance." The new rule requires cannabis coffee shop owners to monitor the identities of their customers to ensure that only residents of the Netherlands purchase cannabis. Owners are expected to maintain adherence through procedures such as asking customers to produce valid documents to prove their status.

In a historical event with global significance, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed two bills on May 28, 2013 that made Colorado the world's first fully regulated recreational cannabis market for adults. Hickenlooper said to the media: "Certainly, this industry will create jobs. Whether it’s good for the brand of our state is still up in the air. But the voters passed Amendment 64 by a clear majority. That’s why we’re going to implement it as effectively as we possibly can." In its independent analysis, the Colorado Center on Law and Policy found that the state could expect a to see "$60 million in total combined savings and additional revenue for Colorado’s budget with a potential for this number to double after 2017."

Uruguay then became the world's first nation to legalize the production, sale, and consumption of cannabis in December 2013 after a 16–13 vote in the Senate. Julio Calzada, Secretary-General of Uruguay’s National Drug Council, said in a December 2013 interview that the government will be responsible for regulating the production side of the process: "Companies can get a license to cultivate if they meet all the criteria. However, this won’t be a free market. The government will control the entire production and determine the price, quality, and maximum production volume."

Under the new law, people are allowed to buy up to 40 grams (1.4 oz) of cannabis from the Uruguayan government each month. Users have to be 18 or older and be registered in a national database to track their consumption. Cultivators are allowed to grow up to 6 crops at their homes each year and shall not surpass 480 grams (17 oz). Registered smoking clubs are allowed to grow 99 plants annually. Buying cannabis is prohibited to foreigners and it is illegal to move it across international borders.

In July 2014, President Calzada announced that the implementation of the law is postponed to 2015, as "there are practical difficulties," and explained that authorities will grow all the cannabis that can be sold legally. The concentration of THC shall be 15% or lower. An opposition presidential candidate claimed that the new law is never going to be applied, because of a perception that it is not practicable.

As of October 2014, the Government of Netherlands website explains that coffee shops are permitted to sell cannabis under certain strict conditions: venues cannot sell alcoholic drinks; the consumption of alcohol on the premises is not permitted; the venues must not create any form of public nuisance; "hard drugs" cannot be sold; cannabis cannot be sold to minors; drugs cannot be advertised; and "large quantities" of cannabis (more than five grams) cannot be sold in a single transaction. Individual municipalities are responsible for permitting the establishment of cannabis coffee shops within their boundaries, and are also allowed to introduce additional rules.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service does not prosecute members of the public for "possession of small quantities of soft drugs," which are defined as: "no more than 5 grams of cannabis (marijuana or hash); no more than 5 cannabis plants." It is illegal to grow cannabis plants in the Netherlands, but in cases in which a maximum of five plants is grown for "personal consumption," the authorities will most likely seize the people, without taking any further action. If more than five plants are seized, the police may also seek prosecution.

Law Students Debate On Legalizing Medical Marijuana In The Philippines

The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Bill is still pending with the House committee on health, more than a year after it was filed in 2014

MANILA, Philippines – Is it time to legalize the medical use of marijuana in the Philippines?

Debaters from the Ateneo de Manila University Law School and the University of Sto Tomas (UST) Law School discussed the issue at "The Law and Policy Debate: An Inter-university Dialogue" held at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, June 9.

It has been more than a year since Isabela 1st District Representative Rodolfo Albano III filed House Bill 4477 or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Bill, and it already has 69 co-authors to date.

The two debate teams argued on the necessity to passs HB 4477, with Ateneo on the affirmative side, and UST on the negative side. (READ: PH doctors say no to medical marijuana bill)

While no team was declared a winner, Ateneo's second affirmative speaker Pearl Simbulan was chosen as both Best Speaker and Best Interpellator.

Simbulan argued that legalizing medical marijuana will provide more options to patients who need it. It will also allow research and development on the "better uses" of marijuana to continue.

The adjudicators were former Philippine Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization Manuel Teehankee, Likhaan director and co-founder Junice Melgar, and Malou Tiquia, host of CNN Philippines' current affairs program Agenda.

Debate arguments

Below are the arguments of each speaker:

ATENEO LAW SCHOOL

LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA. Patrick Vincent Cocabo (L), Pearl Simbulan (C) and John Michael Villanueva (R) from Ateneo Law School argue that legalizing medical marijuana is a necessity in the Philippines. Photo by Kristine Pauline Ongtengco
LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA. Patrick Vincent Cocabo (L), Pearl Simbulan (C) and John Michael Villanueva (R) from Ateneo Law School argue that legalizing medical marijuana is a necessity in the Philippines. Photo by Kristine Pauline Ongtengco

1st affirmative speaker: John Michael Villanueva

There is a necessity to pass this bill in order to comply with the constitutional mandates and international obligations of promoting the right to health.
There is a need to distinguish between the ill and the criminals, which can only be done by this bill.
2nd affirmative speaker: Pearl Simbulan

Legalizing medical marijuana is the only and the best comprehensive approach to health. What we think in legalizing medical marijuana is that we provide the optimal care: [providing] a range of options that a physician who is in the best position to make these decisions can do for the patient.
Because we illegalized blanketly marijuana, research on these kinds of things stopped, and it has become harder for us to discover even better uses of marijuana.
3rd affirmative speaker: Patrick Vincent Cocabo

"The question should not be whether marijuana is good or bad, but rather, how can we control it? What is the best strategy to save lives?"

Government regulation is important.
The bill provides an important mechanism of checks and balances of citizen accountability.
UST LAW SCHOOL

NO TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA. Marie Sybil Tropicales (L), John Paul Fabella (C) and Jackielyn Bana (R) from UST Law School argue against legalizing medical marijuana in the Philippines. Photo by Kristine Pauline Ongtengco
NO TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA. Marie Sybil Tropicales (L), John Paul Fabella (C) and Jackielyn Bana (R) from UST Law School argue against legalizing medical marijuana in the Philippines. Photo by Kristine Pauline Ongtengco

1st negative speaker: Marie Sybil Tropicales

Medical marijuana should not be legalized because at present, its detriments outweigh its benefits. Medical marijuana is not necessary for legislation because essentially, it is not a cure in itself.
2nd negative speaker: John Paul Fabella

"The contentious documented benefits of medical marijuana cannot outweigh its adverse effects to the government and society."

On a socio-political level: Legalization sends a wrong message to public, especially to the youth, that marijuana is medically benevolent and not a harmful drug. The state cannot afford to risk our society to the dangers of increased marijuana use by implying a stance that it is not harmful.
Legalizing medical marijuana is not advantageous to the government.
Documented benefits are highly contentious at the moment and inconclusive.
It undermines law enforcement by forcing officers to distinguish medical users and recreational users.
3rd negative speaker: Jackielyn Bana

Is government ready for this? There are too much gray areas in the policy implementation at present, that no matter how noble the objective of the law is, that no matter how flawless its features are, it all go to waste because of the corrupt implementation of the laws.
Example: Regulating tobacco, alocohol, sleeping pills, and prescription drugs
This country has a problem with strict and faithful implementation of government policies and regulations.
What guarantee do we have that a seriously addictive drug could be regulated when simple regulations on tobacco and alcohol products prove to be impossible to impose?
Once marijuana is legalized, there is no possibility of regulating it.
Adjudicators comment

The adjudicators welcomed the law students' interest in discussing the advantages and disadvantages of legalizing medical marijuana in the Philippines. (READ: Solon: Let's start talking about medical marijuana)

"I'm happy that the youth are taking positions especially on an issue which is very, very real in your sector," Tiquia said after all interpellations were done. She lauded the bill for being "very rigid," and disagreed with UST's Fabella that regulating marijuana means legitimizing it.

Melgar noted how "selective" the bill is on legalizing marijuana only for medical use. (READ: When medicines fail, marijuana is moms' last hope)

"All the public knows about marijuana is the stereotype, that it's all for getting high, and nobody shines a light on the few instances where it is the most compassionate for children who have epilepsy, for patients who have cancer," Melgar added.

HB 4477 is still pending with the House committee on health. Albano said it is possible to enact the bill during the 16th Congress, but admitted the probability is "iffy" and will depend "on how fast they will settle the issue on the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law)."

Albano said Congress is "focused" on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which reached the House plenary on June 1.

Tuesday's debate was organized by the Teehankee Center for the Rule of Law and Ateneo's St Thomas More Debate and Advocacy Society, in partnership with the Office of Representative Albano and the Office of Ang Nars party-list Representative Leah Paquiz.

Is The Philippines Ready For The Medical Marijuana Bill?

When Rep. Rodolfo Albano III filed House Bill 4477, or “The Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana,” in May 2014, some people heaved a high of relief. Could the Philippines finally be opening its mind, and moving forward, along with the rest of the world?
HB 4477 recognizes the plant's many medicinal benefits and aims to “provide accessible, affordable, safe medical cannabis to qualifying patients with debilitating medical condition as certified by medical doctors and approved by the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority. This bill also provides for the control measures and regulation on the medical use of Cannabis to ensure patient’s safety and for effective and efficient implementation of this Act.”
Filed in May 2014, HB 4477 now enjoys 66 supporters in Congress, including House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora.
It is expected to have a second reading when Congress resumes next month. Some of the bill’s lobbyists, like Representative Leah Paquiz of Ang Nars Partylist, are hopeful that this is just a zygote step toward legalizing cannabis for medical use.
But it requires more than just a majority’s signature for the bill to get passed. “We’re going to need a paradigm shift,” says her daughter and chief of staff Atty Faye Pacquiz.
Should HB 4477 get passed into law, it will certainly shake up the 2002 Dangerous Drugs Act, which files marijuana in the same group as shabu, cocaine, and other chemical substances that pro-doobie people point out are way more harmful than the precious organic plant they are advocating.
This early there is already strong opposition from 10 medical organizations — the Philippine Medical Association, Philippine College of Physicians, Pain Society of the Philippines, the Philippine Psychiatric Association, the Philippine League for Epilepsy, Child Neurology Society of the Philippines, Group of Addiciton Psychiatry of the Philippines, Philippine Society of Clinical and Occupational Toxicology, and the UP-PGH National Poison Management and Control Center.
“The bill is tricky,” says Undersecretary Benjamin Reyes of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB). “What they say in the newspapers is that it’s for the medical use of marijuana. But if you read the bill, it stipulates there that you can use it, but not it public. That’s recreational use already, that’s not medical. That’s [one of its many] problems.”
Under HB 4477, "cannabis refers to every kind, class, genus, specie of the Cannibis Sativa L., Cannabis Americana, hashish, bhang, guaza, churrus, ganjab and embraces every kind, class and character of marijuana, whether dried or fresh and flowering, flowering or fruiting tops, or any part or portion of the plant and seeds thereof, and all its geographic varieties, whether as a reefer, resin, extract, tincture or in any form whatsoever.”
Therein lies the problem, says Undersecretary Reyes. “They are advocating for the raw form of plant to be smoked, so the problem there is dosage. You don’t know how many active components are inside the leaf. They need to synthesize the plant first,” he says.
He also fears that this could be a gateway bill to legalize other drugs. “Why stop at marijuana,” he asks.

He adds that if the bill is passed, it will require putting in place a system for a regulatory board. “Ngayong illegal siya, hirap na hirap na tayo, what more if you legalize it? Sure, if you legalize, you can now monitor. But it doesn’t end there. You will now have to provide services for all those users. I personally feel like our regulatory and support systems are not mature enough yet.”
If it's just compassionate use of marijuana it’s already in place in the 2002 Dangerous Drugs Act. “Compassionate, medical use has been there since Flavier’s time, and it is still enforced up to now,” he says. “All they need to do is write the board and we’ll help facilitate in bringing the medicines from abroad. We’ve told advocates this already, many times we told them. But not one has written to us.”
The pro-HB 4477 camp argues, however, that while compassionate use is already in place, it assumes the patient has the time and money to spend. “There’s no medicine here, and kung meron man, it’s so expensive. Ano, pupunta pa ako ng US just to buy the medicines I need,” says Rep Paquiz.
“The rate of cancer now, it strikes 20 and 30 year olds. They still don’t have money [that cancer treatments require]. And it strikes them at advanced levels already. So we also have to move according to the times,” says Atty Paquiz.
HB 4477 lists the debilitating medical conditions that are qualified for medical marijuana, which includes cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, HIV+, hepaptics C, Crohn's and Alzeihemer's disease and multiple sceloris, to mention a few.
Patients and doctors will be required to register for an ID, which still needs to be verified. Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers and Safety Compliance Facilities will be set up. “Everything will be regulated, even farming,” says Atty Paquiz.
The bill, she says, aims to regulate the use of marijuana, which currently ranks as the second-most used drug in the country according to DDB and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“It’s a fact that we should face. It’s readily available, not hard to find. It’s natural, and people know where to get it. The problem is already here, so we should bring in the solution. If you’ll read the bill without judgment, you will see very stiff regulations are still in place. It doesn’t decriminalize marijuana because if you are caught with illegal possession, or with a fake ID, you should and will be penalized."
The bill reeks of hard work, most especially for DDB, but Paquiz thinks “we need to start somewhere. Kung regulation lang naman ang po-problemahin, eh di ayusin nila. Paano na lang yung mga batang may sakit at nangangailangan? Bantayan nila.”
HB 4477 supporters agree the bill is not without fault, including overlooking DDB's role. But the group is also working hard to correct it. “We are having continuous consultations to identify these problems. We are also seeking help from medical practitioners because we aim for the bill to be for the greater good.” They are also inviting experts from abroad to help in the research because locally, none has been made.

Do they expect it to be passed? Well, they’re expecting more minds to be opened. “What this bill is doing now is raising awareness,” says Atty Paquiz. Maybe marijuana isn’t as evil as we think it to be — there are medicinal benefits to this plant and people should start recognizing it. "We have to start somewhere. Information needs to be disseminated. Otherwise, you will never start.”
Is the Philippines ready? “It’s not a question if we are ready,” she says. “It’s more about not knowing until we try. If it doesn’t get passed, then we try again.”

Lawmakers Support Marijuana Legalization Bill

MANILA, Philippines - Six legislators have expressed their support to the proposal to legalize the regulated use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora,  Pasay City Rep. Emi Calixto-Rubiano, OFW partylist Rep. Roy Señeres, Marinduque Rep. Regina Reyes, Masbate Rep. Elisa Olga Kho, and Misamis Occidental Rep. Henry Oaminal all co-authored House Bill 4477.

Under the bill, or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act,  the State is directed  to provide measures to achieve a balance in the national drug control program so that patients with debilitating medical condition may receive adequate amount of treatment and appropriate medications from the regulated use of dangerous drugs.

It provides the  legalization  and regulation of  the medical use of cannabis which has been confirmed to have beneficial and therapeutic uses to treat chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis.

The measure also mandates the establishment, under the Department of Health, of a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority, which shall regulate the medical use of cannabis in the country. It shall be headed by a Director-General who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines from the list of specialist physicians recommended by the Secretary of Health.

The Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority shall issue registered identification cards to qualified patients after a careful review of the documents required by the Authority and included in the implementing rules and regulations of the Act.

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An entity shall operate as a Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center (MCCC) after approval of its application and registration with the Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority.

A MCCC shall guarantee the appropriate dispensation of cannabis and shall not release more than the prescribed dosage for one month to a registered qualified patient or designated caregiver, the bill provides.

The author of the bill, Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, said he recorded use of cannabis as medicine goes back to about 2,500-10,000 years ago in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine.

"Modern research has confirmed the beneficial uses of cannabis in treating and alleviating the pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV-AIDS as found by the National Institute of Medicine of the US in March 1999," he said.

Albano added that cannabis has many currently accepted medical uses in the US, having been recommended by thousands of licensed physicians and more than 500,000 patients in 21 states with medical marijuana laws.

Like the 20 states and the District of Columbia in the United States, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have enacted medical cannabis laws that remove criminal sanctions for the medical use of cannabis, define eligibility for such use, and allow some means of access, in most cases, through a dispensary, he said.

Should Medical Marijuana Be Legalized In The Philippines?

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Should medical marijuana be legalized in the Philippines?

This was the question that several law students from two universities in the country tried to answer on Tuesday (June 9) during a Law and Policy Debate at the House of Representatives.

Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, a medical and law expert, recognized the need for public discussions on the legalization of marijuana.

He noted that debating on a topic is a healthy method of testing ideas and proposal, and "a good way by which the legislative process can be vetted with various ideas being exchanged."

Dr. Junice L.D. Melgar, executive director of the Likhaan Center for Women's Health, agreed with Teehankee and explained that marijuana has several medical uses.

According to Melgar, marijuana can stop epileptic seizures and can help treat neuropathic diseases such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis. It can also treat loss of appetite after chemotherapy or following treatment for HIV or AIDS.

She also mentioned that marijuana has side effects like the alteration of moods. In fact, among psychotropic drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, marijuana is the most potent, Melgar added.

The doctor said that there are no reports of any deaths caused by toxicity or the intake of cannabis.

Melgar also stressed the importance of being informed about marijuana and its uses.

"Even for small part, if we don’t give them space for public discussion — for people to be enlightened about it — we will forever be ignorant."

Opposed by PDEA
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), on the other hand, has continued to oppose the legalization of marijuana.

Director General Arturo Cacdac, PDEA chief, said that there is a need to first resolve the issue of how the government would be able to regulate marijuana plantations to ensure that it would not be abused.

Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, meanwhile, acknowledged Cacdac's concern — saying that there really is a need to ensure that the country is capable of regulating marijuana production and distribution.

"Kailangan talaga mapakita from our med prac margining opinion ng mga magulang, pero para sa akin, kaya ba natin iimplmeneta ang batas na ito na di maaabuso," Poe said.

[Translation: "Medical practitioners should show us the margining opinions of parents on the matter, but for me, the question is: 'Can we really implement this law without any abuse?'"]

Pending bill
Amid debates on the matter, there is actually pending bill at the lower chamber, which aims to legalize the compassionate use of marijuana.

But since it was filed in May 2014, no committee hearing has been held on the bill at the lower chamber.

Bill co-author Rep. Leah Paquiz appealed to her colleagues to take a look at the draft bill.

"We are at this stage, we have Filipinos who need care, we should give them compassionate care — this  medical cannabis. There are a lot of medicines, but they are expensive," Paquiz said.

According to Paquiz, around 70 lawmakers already signed the bill as co-authors. But as the 16th Congress nears its end, the fate of the bill has turned grim.

Where Is Marijuana Legal?

The legality of cannabis varies from country to country. Possession of cannabis is illegal in most countries and has been since the beginning of widespread cannabis prohibition in the late 1930s. However, possession of the drug in small quantities had been decriminalized in many countries and sub-national entities in several parts of the world. Furthermore, possession is legal or effectively legal in the Netherlands, Uruguay, and in the U.S. states of Colorado (Colorado Amendment 64), Oregon (Oregon Ballot Measure 91 in 2014), Alaska and Washington (Washington Initiative 502) as the federal government has indicated that it will not attempt to block enactment of legalization in those states. The Federal district of Washington D.C. legalized cannabis for possession and use in 2015, but was blocked by a Congressional rider from instituting commercial sales and taxation. Cannabis is also legal in some U.S. cities such as Portland and South Portland, both of which are in Maine. And the U.S. Department of Justice is allowing all recognized Indian Reservations to regulate the legalization of cannabis, and the laws are allowed to be different from Federal and state law. On 10 December 2013, Uruguay became the first nation in the world to legalize the sale, cultivation, and distribution of cannabis.

The medicinal use of cannabis is legal in a number of countries, including Canada, the Czech Republic and Israel. The federal law in the United States no longer has a ban on the use of medical marijuana. States that allow medical marijuana and the sale of it can now do so without having to deal with the federal government getting involved.

Some countries have laws that are not as vigorously prosecuted as others, but apart from the countries that offer access to medical marijuana, most countries have various penalties ranging from lenient to very severe. Some infractions are taken more seriously in some countries than others in regard to the cultivation, use, possession or transfer of cannabis for recreational use. A few jurisdictions have lessened penalties for possession of small quantities of cannabis, making it punishable by confiscation and a fine, rather than imprisonment. Some jurisdictions/drug courts use mandatory treatment programs for young or frequent users, with freedom from narcotic drugs as the goal and a few jurisdictions permit cannabis use for medicinal purposes. Drug tests to detect cannabis are increasingly common in many countries and have resulted in jail sentences and loss of employment. However, simple possession can carry long jail sentences in some countries, particularly in parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia, where the sale of cannabis may lead to life imprisonment or even execution.

As of 2015, Bangladesh, North Korea, Czech Republic, Portugal, Uruguay, the Netherlands, and the United States (Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, Washington, D.C., and the cities of Portland, and South Portland) have the least restrictive cannabis laws while China, Indonesia, Japan, Sweden, Turkey, France, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines and the United Arab Emirates have the strictest cannabis laws.

According to the first ever global study of illicit drug use, published in August 2013 by the Lancet journal, marijuana is the most popularly used illegal drug worldwide.