Police in Italy’s San Severo found 400 kg of marijuana worth over EUR 1.5 M in a van with a Bulgarian registration plate.

The Ford Transit van, where the drugs were found, had stopped by the side of a road near San Severo when a police patrol approached it, according to reports of Italy’s Corriere del Mezzogiorno daily, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio.

A man jumped out of the van and ran away into the field.

The marijuana found in the van could be used to make 280 000 single doses.

"Promoting access to medicines appropriate for the treatment of pain and symptom of some serious diseases such as multiple sclerosis is a commitment that for pharmacists continues on the field, in the everyday dispensation of and in the preparation of galenic drugs based on cannabinoids" . So said the president of the Order of Pharmacists Bari and Bat during a conference on the topic held yesterday in Andria.

When Pope Francis visits the United States next week, he is expected to meet with prisoners in Philadelphia and to address the criminal justice system in a speech to members of Congress.

Unfortunately, Francis’s past comments in support of the drug war suggest that he will refuse to acknowledge one of the biggest contributors to Americaninjustice and a primary reason why so many people end up in American prisons in the first place: drug prohibition.

Hemp, what a wonderful thing on a sunny day, or any other day for that matter. It’s not out of the ordinary for hemp to be utilized to re-invent or even add an extra health kick to some of our most beloved and popular foods. As a matter of fact, from hemp butter to hemp oil and evenhemp hearts used for salads – we are increasingly seeing hemp as a healthy staple in our kitchens. So it’s not surprising to learn that farmers from Southern Italy presented a twist on Italy’s most famous export, pasta, by introducing hemp spaghetti at a food festival in London recently.

On 18 September 2014, the Ministers of Defence and of Health signed a memorandum for a pilot project of "domestic production of substances and herbal preparations made from cannabis' for medical and scientific purposes. For the cultivation of plants a military pharmaceutical factory in Florence was chosen for the "skills of military and civilian personnel" and "manufacturing capabilities and quality control of its pharmaceutical industry," combined with the "security level of an army".

The Experience of Colorado teaches that we should legalize the herb. Reports of a year and a half from the opening of coffee shops. Health spending is unchanged, crimes decreased and tax revenues increased. An example to follow, it also says it is anti-mafia.

This is a windfall for the state, at least potentially. If Italy liberalizes soft drugs, the public purse could earn up to 8.5 billion euro a year, a huge figure. Almost equivalent, so to speak, what would be needed today for the government of Matteo Renzi to avoid the VAT increase planned starting next year.

In a heavily-guarded lab in Florence, many hundreds of a new type of marijuana plant are being grown. It’s part of the Italian army’s latest mission, to grow medical grade cannabis for the nation.

General Giocondo Santoni directs the business unit at the military pharmaceutical facility in Florence.

“We expect to make this drug available by the end of this year in a quantity of about 100 kilos (220 lbs), which is double the amount that we are currently importing from the Netherlands.”

Italy legalised the use of medical marijuana in 2007, meaning patients suffering from cancer, sclerosis and chronic pain have relied on the plant for relief.

Pharmacist, Marco Ternelli has been selling Dutch marijuana since 2013.

Cannabis is going global fast – Italy’s Parliament just voted for a legalized, regulated cannabis market, Denmark’s youth is consuming cannabis in droves but it’s no gateway, and the United Kingdom just reached a record high number of supporters for legalization in the isles. On this side of the pond, United States lawmakers are thinking ahead and making plans that could change the game completely. We’ve got the latest in cannabis legalization efforts:

U.S. Cannabis Updates

NATIONWIDE

Proposals that would largely decriminalize marijuana in Italy currently have the support of 250 MPs – but does that mean Italy will be legalizing the drug any time soon?

Under the new proposals, people over the age of 18 could cultivate up to five plants at home and growers could set up social clubs involving a maximum of 50 people and 250 plants.

The scope of such social clubs would be to provide spaces for growers to consume and share their product, but would prohibit them from profiting from the sale of cannabis.