European Cannabis News Roundup
European Marijuana Business News from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
Greece Turns To Cannabis To Solve Unemployment
Greece has been facing persistent economic issues over the last few years, and naturally the employment sector has been affected. They’ve suffered through a decade of financial crises, and unemployment has worsened by 20% each year since 2012.
The government now sees that cannabis may just be the solution they’ve been hoping for, reports Bloomberg. Projects are underway in Veroia, a fertile area north of Greece that shares a climate similar to California, to grow, process, and export medical cannabis. According to George Zafeiris, CEO at Golden Greece Holdings, the project may generate up to 2,000 jobs over the next 2-3 years. Golden Greece Holdings is the group responsible for overseeing the project and coordinating its 10 investors from Poland, Israel, Canada, and Kazakhstan. The initial investment for the project is valued at $488 million which can grow much more and award 80% of jobs in the area to Greeks.
“In Greece, we’re not looking at bringing people in from other areas that have cannabis experience,” says Michael Blady, one of Veroia’s investors. “We’re going to train as many people as we need and we’re going to start our own culture here,” he told an interview.
The initial plans in Veroia are focused on various aspects of medical use – extraction, processing, and packaging. However, investors also see the possibility of opening a recreational market later on, as long as the government legalizes it, says Blady. Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s Prime Minister, is of the left wing government which supports cannabis projects such as these. The government is expected to propose regulations for cultivation projects by the end of the month, and the bill will be included on the government website so that the public can be informed about the different facets involved on legalizing the growth and export of cannabis.
“There’s significant interest by the investor community to exploit the possibilities of the new legal framework for medicinal cannabis in Greece,” says Agriculture Minister Evangelos Apostolou.
The current economic crisis has pounded salaries in Greece as well. The average monthly salaries of Greek workers, which is around $720, are among the lowest in the entire continent, so the government is supportive of any initiatives that can offer better packages. Blady says that the top performers in the cannabis industry can expect to take home as much as $80,000-$100,000 a year.
Swiss Police Develop Rapid CBD Test For Cannabis
The Swiss police have introduced a rapid CBD test to check if the cannabis being consumed publicly in the canton, as well as in the cities of Zurich and Winterthur, is legal. Strains high in CBD have been approved as a tobacco substitute, but both CBD and THC products are being used on the street like cigarettes.
However, the difficulty telling them apart is causing problems for the Swiss police since it’s still illegal to consume high THC strains. Getting caught with a strain that’s over 1% THC results in a fine of 100 francs. To solve this problem, they developed a product that would quickly test the type of cigarette being consumed if the police think that it contains THC.
The test is made up of two ampules stored in a small zipper bag. The police simply put some of the substance into the bag, close it, then shake the bag. The liquid will turn red if the pot is made from industrial hemp, and if it turns blue that means it’s classified as “drug hemp” according to Swiss standards. The rapid CBD test is meant to only be used as a policing tool, and not to be used as evidence in court. If test results are disputed, a lab analysis will be required for the case.
France Looks To Soften Cannabis Laws
The irony is that France has the harshest cannabis laws in Europe, but more people consume it compared to almost any other European nation. But a new report from the government suggests fixed fines may be the solution.
The parliamentary reports recommend a fixed fine of 150 to 200 euros instead of the current consequences which include a fine of 3,750 euros and prison time for up to a year. “The fixed fine of 150-200 euros that I propose would enable police officers in the field to stop the legal procedure there and then with the person who has been caught,” says MP Robin Reda, who authored the parliamentary report. “The advantage of this is that the punishment is immediate and systematic.”
Even if reducing the penalties are on the horizon, it’s unlikely that France will legalize cannabis anytime soon. The finance minister Bruno LeMaire told a French radio, “This is my personal conviction: cannabis must not be legalized. On the other hand, we must take a good hard look at where we have gone wrong… we have the harshest laws in Europe, yet the highest consumption rates.” Around 40% of the population in France uses cannabis, compared with 25% in the Netherlands, 35% in Denmark, and 30% in Spain.
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