A new report claims the UK government should legalise marijuana because it's “the only solution to crime and addiction problems”.

The strongly-worded study - titled The Tide Effect: How the World is Changing its Mind on Cannabis - was produced by the nonpartisan Adam Smith Institute and has the backing of several cross-party MPs including former deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg.

Although the United Nations international drug treaties have upheld an official prohibition against marijuana, the marijuana industry has spread across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

AusCann has entered into an agreement to form a joint-venture with Chilean group Fundación Daya.

TW Holdings Ltd (ASX:TWH) is in the process of re-listing on the Australian Securities Exchange as AusCann Group Holdings Limited.

AusCann has entered into an agreement to form a joint-venture with Chilean group Fundación Daya – the only group to have held a medical cannabis production licence in Chile.

The first medical cannabis club in Chile, Botánica Orgánica Cannabis Internacional (BOCI), opened in the northern city of Arica in early September.

BOCI provides access to premium quality cannabis for people who are prescribed cannabis-based medicines but unable to self-cultivate. Such patients may be unable to do so because of lack of knowledge about the cultivation process, limited access to growing space, or simply the debilitating nature of their illness. The club currently has around 20 members.

The creation of BOCI is the latest step in Chile’s journey away from strict prohibition of cannabis. The country, once renowned for its conservatism, is now leading the way on medicinal cannabis in Latin America.

Bolivia Police seized about 1.5 tons of marijuana, one of the biggest this year, that was destined for Chile and held that the drug was valued in international markets at $ 2.2 million, reported the government on Friday.

"Staff of the departmental head of Potosi (southwest) carried out the hijacking of 1,485 kilos 600 grams of marijuana," said Minister of Government (Interior), Carlos Romero, showing hundreds of packages in the form of bricks.

He added, according to the government news agency ABI- that "illegal goods in foreign markets have a cost of $ 2,227,500, taking into account that one kilo outside Bolivia is worth $1,500."

The seizure is one of the biggest this year.

The world has had a long and complicated relationship with hemp.

It wasn’t until the twentieth century that hemp fell out of favor as one of the most important crops in the history of mankind. In 2016, however, anything is possible it seems.

So, it could be very soon where a variety of applications using hemp become economical, and hemp grows into a boon for society.

What was once a widespread plant became a taboo within decades. Its history shows it is useful for tens of thousands of applications and counting. 

Thousands of people protested in Santiago de Chile under the slogan 'cultivate your rights' to demand the decriminalization of marijuana and a new drug policy in the country.

The demonstration on Sunday, called by various social organizations, took place in a festive and family atmosphere in the center of the Chilean capital.

Nicolas Espinoza, president of Movimental, one of the organizers of the event, explained that the main objective of the protest is to demand legalization of marijuana in Chile where private consumption is allowed but cultivation and sale are still prohibited.

Since 1996, two dozen states have approved medical marijuana laws in the U.S. The most recent was Pennsylvania, which passed medical marijuana legislation just last month. We've also witnessed four states legalize the sale of recreational marijuana.

For medical marijuana patients, approval of the drug at the state level means possible new pathways to treatment. Though each state typically differs on what diseases and disorders qualify, glaucoma, epilepsy, and most terminal cancers are ailments that commonly fit the bill. For the states themselves, legalization is primarily motivated by the additional revenue-generating potential. Since marijuana is taxed, medical marijuana provides a way for states to funnel extra money to schools or law enforcement.

While a 1986 law allowed for the manufacture, export, sale and medical and scientific use of marijuana, the practice was, until Tuesday, never formally regulated.Current law already allows possession of up to 20 grams of marijuana or cultivation of up to 20 marijuana plants for personal use.

Colombia joins countries from Mexico to Chile for legalization on marijuana

With the new rules, Colombia joins countries from Mexico to Chile that have experimented with legalization or decriminalization as part of a wave of changing attitudes toward drug use and policies to combat it in Latin America.The proponents of medical marijuana claim that up to 400,000 Colombian citizens can use cannabis products to treat symptoms of epilepsy and other illnesses.

Santiago, March 22 (IANS) Authorities have started harvesting the largest legal marijuana field in Latin America in a rural area in southern Chile, the media reported on Tuesday.

The initiative, which has been authorised by the Chilean government, will transform the buds of 6,000 marijuana plants growing near the city of Colbun into different phytopharmaceuticals for 4,000 patients free of charge.

"It is an important day. We want it to be the first harvest of many more to come in Latin American countries," Ana Maria Gazmuri, president of the Daya Foundation, an organisation for the promotion and research of alternative therapies, which fosters the initiative, told Efe on Monday.