Lack of crackdown helps make marijuana readily available in South Korea

Police take a photo of marijuana plants, found at a house in Seoul earlier this year. A simple online search can connect potential buyers from Korea with sellers of illegal drugs, which is increasingly becoming a problem. (Korea Times file)

Marijuana sellers advertise their goods online, not only for those who can use it legally in their home countries. As a result, in Korea home delivery of “top quality weed” is just a few clicks away.

By Peter Reynolds

The last British politician to have the courage to follow the evidence on drugs policy and introduce radical reform was Margaret Thatcher.  Now Norman Baker isn't normally in the same category as Thatcher but they have both demonstrated courage in the face of opposition from their colleagues and widespread bigotry and ignorance in parliament and Whitehall.

Tory cabinet members in 1986 must have been spluttering into their claret and very large whiskies when they heard Margaret was insisting on introducing clean needle exchange for injecting drug users. She was absolutely right to do so and her action saved thousands of lives. Many other countries followed her lead and it slowed the spread of HIV dramatically.

The MS Society Cymru says availability of drug is good news for sufferers in Wales

Wales has become the first country in the UK to approve a cannabis-based drug for sufferers of multiple sclerosis.

Health Minister Mark Drakeford has approved the cannabis-based oral spray Sativex to treat Welsh patients experiencing symptoms of muscle spasms and stiffness.

Consultants in rehabilitation medicine have hailed the recommendation as a “significant milestone for the treatment of spasticity”.

Nick Clegg has claimed "we are never going to win the war on drugs" in a powerful call for reform of the UK's "utterly senseless" drug laws.

Drug prevention charities have praised the Lib Dem leader for highlighting the current failure of existing policies after he pledged Friday to abolish prison sentences for the possession of drugs for personal use - even Class A substances like heroin and cocaine.

While Britain currently locks up youngsters and burdens them with criminal records for possessing small quantities of drugs – usually cannabis – the deputy prime minister has pledged to approach the problem as a health issue, rather than a law and order issue - stating that imprisoning someone for drug use "should no longer be an option."

Signaling growing acceptance of cannabis legalization nationally, the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to allow banks to provide traditional banking services to marijuana businesses that are legal under state law.

Sponsored by Reps. Denny Heck (D-Wash.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the amendment to the Financial Services appropriations bill prevents the Treasury Department from spending funds to penalize financial institutions that provide services to state-legal marijuana businesses. The amendment passed with bipartisan support, 231 to 192.

The Green League in its new manifesto demands that the focus of Finnish drug policy be shifted from punishments to reducing the adverse effects of substance abuse.

Adopted in Jämsä last weekend, the new manifesto sets forth the main political objectives of the Greens for the next five years, including addressing health inequity and improving the position of the disadvantaged.

Under these sections, the party states that “the focus of drug policy should be shifted from punishments to reducing adverse effects” and that “the criminal sanctions for the use of cannabis as well as the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use should be abolished”.

With the World Cup's commencement, 32 Nations go to figurative war on the soccer field. None of these country's players or fans will agree about the sport till the tournament comes to an end.

But the one thing we all have in common? The need to free up the weed. The most popular drug in the world is consumed by citizens from all 32 of these countries at varying degrees. Insight into each country’s politics, lifestyle, and overall vibe can be seen through the lens of its cannabis culture.

The below list provides insight into every World Cup qualifying nation's marijuana policy and cannabis culture:

Opponents of marijuana-law reform insist that legalization is dangerous—but the biggest threat is to their own bottom line.

What are you doing this weekend? If the answer is something, cancel those plans! If the answer is nothing, then you definitely have no excuse than to get down to Bristol and enjoy the UK’s biggest cannabis activist group – Norml’s yearly gathering!

Take a deep breath. Because this weekend it’s the NORML UK AGM, UK CSC AGM and NORML UK Women´s Alliance first public meeting. A dense name, for a dense weekend of activities and events to get involved in.

Click here to read the full original article by Jo Martin-Moss, Deputy Director at Norml UK