Luxembourg has called on its EU neighbours to relax their drug laws as its health minister confirmed plans to become the first European country to legalise cannabis production and consumption.
“This drug policy we had over the last 50 years did not work,” Etienne Schneider told Politico. “Forbidding everything made it just more interesting to young people … I’m hoping all of us will get a more open-minded attitude toward drugs.”
Residents over the age of 18 are expected to be able to buy the drug for recreational use legally within two years. The state will regulate production and distribution through a cannabis agency.
Draft legislation is expected to be unveiled later this year providing further detail on the types of cannabis that will be on sale and the level of tax that will be imposed.
Schneider said the legislation was likely to include a ban on non-residents buying cannabis in order to dissuade drug-tourism. Home-growing is also likely to be prohibited.
[...] In the Netherlands, possibly the European country most associated with a relaxed attitude toward the use of cannabis, its recreational use, possession and trade is technically illegal. It has a ‘tolerance policy’, or gedoogbeleid, under which recreational use is largely accepted within bounds.
Cannabis remains illegal to possess, grow, distribute, sell or grow in the UK. Those caught with the drug face a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. Several police forces have said they will no longer target recreational users and those with less than an ounce (28 grams) can be given a warning or on-the-spot fine.
Under the Netherlands’ gedoogbeleid, prosecutors turn a blind eye to the breaking of certain laws. Technically the possession, use and trade of the drug is illegal, but the authorities allow licensed coffee shops to sell cannabis from their premises, and to keep 500g on site at any time. The police turn a blind eye to those in possession of 5g or less. Because production remains illegal, however, cafes are often forced to do business with criminal gangs to source the drug.
The UK outlawed cannabis in 1928. Possession comes with a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. Those who are successfully prosecuted for producing and supplying the class-B drug face up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. Police can issue an on-the-spot fine or a warning for those caught with less than an ounce if it is deemed for personal use, but several forces have said they will not target recreational users.
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Luxembourg expands its space resources vision
Étienne Schneider, deputy prime minister of Luxembourg, frequently tells the story of how he got interested in building a space resources industry in the country. His efforts to diversify the country's economy several years ago led to a meeting with Pete Worden, at the time the director of NASA's Ames Research Center and a proponent of many far-reaching space concepts. During an Oct. 22 panel discussion at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington, he recalled Worden advocating for commercial space: "Why shouldn't you go for space mining activities?"
"When he explained all this to me, I thought two things," Schneider said. "First of all, what did the guy smoke before coming into the office? And second, how do I get him out of here?"
He eventually bought into Worden's vision, starting a space resources initiative that attracted companies to the country while enacting a space resources law like that in the United States. By the beginning of 2019, though, it looked like it might all be a bad trip. The two major startups in that industry, Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources, had been acquired by other companies with no interest in space resources. Worse, the Planetary Resources deal wiped out an investment of 12 million euros Luxembourg made in the startup.
Schneider is undaunted by those setbacks as he continues work to make Luxembourg a hotbed of entrepreneurial space, a scope that has expanded beyond, but has not abandoned, space resources. During the IAC, the country's year-old space agency signed an agreement with NASA to explore potential cooperation, building on an agreement Luxembourg signed with the U.S. Commerce Department in May. Just before the conference, Luxembourg announced it would partner with the European Space Agency on a space resources center in the country.
The article includes an interview with Schneider.
Previously: Luxembourg Announces Investment in Asteroid Mining
Related:
NASA Asteroid Mission -- Metals "Worth" Ten Thousand Quadrillion Dollars
Asteroid Mining Could Begin in 10-20 Years
"Mission Success" for Arkyd-6 Asteroid Prospecting Demonstration Spacecraft
Chinese Researchers Propose Asteroid Mining Plan, Including a Heat Shield
The U.S. Geological Survey is Beginning to Take a Serious Look at Asteroid Mining
Robotic Asteroid Mining Spacecraft Wins a Grant From NASA
Luxembourg To Be First European Country To Legalise Cannabis
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday August 10 2019, @12:33PM (1 child)
Imagine working at an asteroid mining company [cnbc.com] in Luxembourg, then relaxing at your villa with legal cannabis.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 10 2019, @04:54PM
Hmm, actually I'm imagining the space smoking rooms from Planetes [wikipedia.org]. Even if cannabis vape, second hand exposure must be controlled on board the asteroid mining ship. Hmm.... or... there is Fee Carmichael's method. We must build an EVA suit with a 4:20 setting.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday August 10 2019, @12:40PM (3 children)
Interesting, in many African countries police do this as well. In fact it's par for the course, particularly for traffic police. That's why you always drive with a certain amount of cash hidden in your car, to cover any "on-the-spot fines" that may arise.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by RamiK on Saturday August 10 2019, @02:35PM
In Asia and the Middle-East charity is an indistinguishable euphemism to bribing city inspectors and police officers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baksheesh [wikipedia.org]
Back in Lyndon Johnson's days the practice of meeting senators and congressmen with cash-stuffed enveloped was noted by multiple sources. It persisted in the form of contemporary lobbyists only getting heard over $200 bottles of wine and fine cigars being served in high-priced restaurants with an on-the-ready pre-signed check for campaign funds. In a not-so runabout way, the American judicial system is a bribery extortion racket. And lets not look too deeply into the people who go donating to the policemen gala...
If I had to guess, corruption in the forms of nepotism and bribery were always standard practice right up until to modern recording devices when it was necessary to fabricate legal frameworks to whitewash it.
compiling...
(Score: 2) by legont on Saturday August 10 2019, @10:53PM
In certain places one is supposed to stop at a police checkout point voluntarily and pay fines he believes reasonable for the speed limit and other violations he committed earlier in the day. Police check randomly and might be unhappy if the fine is not within acceptable limits for the violations.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Informative) by TheRaven on Sunday August 11 2019, @10:20AM
sudo mod me up
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(Score: 5, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Saturday August 10 2019, @02:34PM (5 children)
I'm unwilling to research laws about cannabis around the world in the very early 1900, or even before then. But we seem to have forgotten that the entire world was coerced into the US' "war on drugs" and all that crazy shit. Foreign aid, military aid, trade relations, and more were tied to those nation's posture on drugs. It may not be accurate to say that almost every nation with laws against pot, passed those laws due to pressure from the US. But, I'd bet one of Aristarchus' testicles that it wouldn't be far wrong to make that claim.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 10 2019, @03:00PM (1 child)
No bet, because aristarchus has no balls.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 10 2019, @05:43PM
Yet are fuzzy dice necessary to be a man?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Saturday August 10 2019, @03:28PM
Well, that's just the way empires operate. Great Britain did exactly the opposite to China way back in the day. Prohibition is just another form of market manipulation. The law is designed to maximize profit. Standard operating procedure.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 10 2019, @09:45PM
And now doing the same thing with abortion. Idiots.
(Score: 3, Informative) by dry on Sunday August 11 2019, @02:14AM
Canada actually illegalized pot before America, 1923 IIRC. Starting in the late 19th century there was quite a push for prohibition of all types that wasn't just limited to the States. I think a lot of it was by women who were sick of being abused by drunken husbands. Of interest is that even chocolate almost got prohibited in the 1890's.
The difference with America was that marijuana was prohibited for business reasons, Hearst had invested heavily in pulp paper and suddenly hemp paper was cheap to produce and Hearst owned a large media empire. Other companies were happy as well, DuPont not to have to compete with hemp and hemp oil for example. The government was happy to give all those G-men something to do after prohibition ended and the racists were happy to blame Mexicans for all kinds of shit.
(Score: 2) by quietus on Sunday August 11 2019, @01:08PM (6 children)
It is already legal to produce, possess and use marihuana in Belgium, as long as it is for personal use (you're limited to 3 or 4 plants, I believe). The new thing -- in a European/Low Countries context -- is that government is going to be involved in the production of the stuff. That could be a solution to a problem we're facing with the weed you get from dealers: that stuff is far, far, far more addictive than your own produce, so much so that it's nearly comparable to heroin (in its addictive nature).
Ofcourse, if you're into the whole 'spiritual experience' thing -- or better said, if that's your excuse -- you're better off buying a guide to the local fungi: there's plenty of Psilocybe out there, for free.
(Score: 2) by dry on Monday August 12 2019, @02:56AM (4 children)
What are they cutting it with to make it so addictive?
(Score: 2) by quietus on Monday August 12 2019, @08:02AM (3 children)
Not cutting -- genetic engineering. The region I live in is known for illegal plantations of the drug, together with XTC and derivatives production. The topic came up during a casual chat with a member of the police force -- I've got no more details, the main topic was the local spread of dope and her frustration with the postponement of a trial against a gang they'd taken out -- or thought they'd taken out -- 2 years ago.
(Score: 2) by dry on Monday August 12 2019, @02:48PM (2 children)
Marijuana isn't physically addicting, it is psychologically addicting like video games or the internet is addicting. Unless they're genetically engineering it to have MMDA in it or such, something I've never heard of.
The police have usually been exposed to various propaganda about pot, which is likely why she said what she said.
(Score: 2) by quietus on Monday August 12 2019, @04:50PM (1 child)
MDMA is a synthetic drug, while heroin originates from plants (which happen to be native in the region -- in Flanders Fields, the poppies grow,...) and can be smoked, so a more likely candidate. As to propaganda -- they also see, and know, a lot more than ordinary citizens.
(Score: 2) by dry on Monday August 12 2019, @05:13PM
Yea, my first thought was poppies, second was nutmeg (MDA). Used to get hash that had opium in it, I'm sure that could have become addicting.
The problem with cops is they see the negative side too much as it is their job to deal with negative shit and whether they'd differentiate between physically addicting and psychologically addicting is doubtful as they both seem equal in so many ways.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 12 2019, @03:01AM
Grow 'em. It's cheap and easy.