Many people are proud of their drug use. For many it can define who they are in their own mind for a period of their life. This is perhaps more true for cannabis users that for any other drug.

Not only does it have the oldest established media empire of any illicit drug (think High Times) but seeing as it is regarded and one of the safest drugs is common use many people, including the mass media regard it use a less of a mortal sin than the use of cocaine or heroin for example.

For hundreds of years, the tiny village of Malana was just a speck lost amid the grandiose mountains of the Indian Himalayas.

Nestled high in the higher reaches of the lush Kullu Valley, Malana used to be a four-day hike from the nearest road. Its laws, tradition says, were laid down by the village god Jamlu. People elected their own parliament and disputes were settled in their own court. Villagers would run in terror if an outsider showed up. 

But Malana is hidden no more. For centuries, the villagers have been growing the plant that has made Malana one of the world's top stoner destinations, and a battleground —at least symbolically — for India's haphazard fight against "charas," the black and sticky hashish that has made the village famous. 

FOLLOWING THE PACK: No country in Asia allows cannabis or cannabis products for medicinal use, and neither should Taiwan, Ministry of Health and Welfare officials said.

The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday dismissed an e-petition that urged that cannabis be downgraded to a Category 3 drug and its use in medical treatment be legalized, sparking a vigorous debate among netizens yesterday.

The e-petition was on the Public Policy Network Participation Platform of the National Development Council’s Web site and garnered more than 5,000 signatures since July, exceeding the threshold needed for the proposal to receive consideration by the government.

With Cambodia’s traditional cash crops struggling to compete in global supply chains, the Kingdom could carve out a lucrative niche in commercial cannabis harvesting and exports – provided it acts fast to take advantage of the falling legal barriers, a Cambodia-based American innovator has argued.

Jim Plamondon, a former technical evangelist for Microsoft, said cannabis, the flowering plant that produces marijuana, was a potential goldmine for the Kingdom’s agricultural sector, which employs two-thirds of the country’s workforce.

He said US elections earlier this month were a tipping point, with more than half of the 50 US states having now legalised marijuana for medical use, such as treatment of glaucoma, and seven states legalising it for recreational use.

In a report released Monday, global leaders denounced harsh responses to drug use, such as the mass killing of drug users in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte, and called for worldwide drug decriminalization.

The report, Advancing Drug Policy Reform: A New Approach to Drug Decriminalization, is a product of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a high-level panel that includes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; former presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Switzerland; and British philanthropist Richard Branson, among others.

Medical marijuana can be defined as the use of cannabis for treatment of certain ailments. It can be utilized for medicinal uses; however, the complete safety and efficacy profiling is till unavailable. Medical marijuana is available in various forms such as flower or concentrates, which is extracted in the form of oils, extracts or edibles. Packaging medical marijuana is a growing business and many companies offer holistic solutions to medical marijuana manufacturers. The key packaging modes available in the market include,

Thailand's Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya aims strongly to remove krathom* and marijuana from the narcotic drugs list sand trat them as medicinal herbs as he sees the government has failed to curb them.

According to the local media, Bangkok Post, Mr Paiboon said that the strict law against consuming krathom and marijuana has been proven to be unsuccessful, and therefore, thinks that it is time to rewrite the law and make them as herbs.

Mr Paiboon reiterated his stance on Friday (18 November) during a meeting, which was called because crackdowns in Thailand are believed to have forced people to buy the plants from Malaysia. He held the meeting with officials and civic groups from 14 southern provinces in Songkhla.

Billionaire and tech entrepreneur tells New West summit attendees marijuana should be decriminalized worldwide.

Renowned billionaire and tech entrepreneur Richard Branson told a room full of cannabis advocates he was simply in the mood to "take a spliff or two," and much of the world is ready to legally take some tokes, too.

"Why not?" the Virgin Group founder asked a crowd of about 1,000 people Saturday during the second annual New West Summit conference, "The Future of Cannabis, Now," in downtown San Francisco. 

Cannabis Ancestor There’s a lot we don’t know about the evolution of cannabis, and we’re still not sure exactly what’s going on with cannabis as it exists today – it is one species or several? What does “sativa” and “indica” mean in real terms? We’re still finding the answers to those questions, and a deeper understanding of the past could help our efforts enormously.

The early evolution of cannabis is mostly unknown, and scientists still haven’t reached firm conclusions on exactly what’s going on with cannabis as it exists today – it is one species or several? What does “sativa” and “indica” mean in real terms? We’re still finding the answers to those questions, and a deeper understanding of the past could help our efforts enormously.

Undated handout of ecstasy pills, which contain MDMA as their main chemical Thomson Reuters

The market for online sales of illegal drugs has greatly increased in the last three years, according to an in-depth study carried out by RAND Europe.

The study (which we first saw on NBC News) analysed popular "deep web" drug websites that operate on a hidden version of the internet accessible through the Tor web browser.

RAND Europe's study found that the number of transactions on illegal drug sites has tripled since 2013, and revenues have almost doubled.