Letterkenny, Ireland
A routine stop at a check point revealed €50 worth of cannabis in a mug. The owner of the vehicle was 22 year old Ciaran Borgan who appeared in court this month with his parents regarding the charge. The court was informed that this was Borgan’s first offense and asked him if they would be seeing him again in the future on related charges. He assured them he would not, so the judge agreed to strike the charge from Borgan’s record so long as he made a donation of €150 to Donegal Youth Services.
Israel
The central body in Israel that regulates drug enforcement has started an advertising campaign praising the use of cannabis for medical purposes. The ads call for legislative reform to relax restrictions and ease license requirements for marijuana. Israel already has one of the highest per-capita rates of legal cannabis use. Even though there are 21,000 people licensed to use the drug, the government wants to see those numbers rise and launched an initiative to increase the number of medical professionals allowed to prescribe the drug. Vice-president of the Israel Anti-Drug Authority, Eitan Gurney, said, “Anybody who needs cannabis for medicinal purposes should be able to get it as soon as possible.”
Hounslow, Britain
John Wright, 66, of Hounslow was jailed this month for what is believed to be one of Britain’s biggest cannabis smuggling operations. Wright, along with his partner Steven McDonald, is believed to have helped import enough marijuana to make two joints for every person in Britain. Over a seven year span Wright, McDonald, and their gang have brought in more than 28 tonnes (UK) or 61,729lbs (US) of cannabis into the country with a potential street value of £80 million. Wright has been sentenced to 9 years and 4 months while McDonald was sentenced to 8 years. Then men were finally caught after Border Force Officers intercepted a 300kg package of marijuana disguised as floor tiles and shipped from the Netherlands. A third man who is believed to have rented the garages where the drugs were stored has yet to be found.
Jakarta, Indonesia
Police in West Jakarta accidentally got their residents high this month when trying to destroy a haul of marijuana in front of their office. The officers wore gas masks in anticipation of the potent smoke but didn’t think to warn residents in the surrounding area. The fire was set to a huge pile of ganja, tipping the scale at more than 7,200 lbs. Many locals complained of headaches and dizziness from the fumes, which some residents described as “too strong” and “overwhelmingly tangy”. In addition to the marijuana, the police were also destroying 1.8 kilograms of crystal meth and 2,538 ecstasy pills which were blended down to be terminated.
British Columbia, Canada
Hundreds of medical marijuana users in British Columbia have been informed that their medical supply has been contaminated with bacteria. Tilray, a Nanaimo supplier, has told its clients to stop using the Sativa House Blend, Hybrid House Blend, and Indica House Blend as they have been contaminated with enterobacter. Though it is not associated with an acute health risk and there have been no reports of adverse reactions the company will be doing a top-to-bottom review of sanitation practices and procedures. By Canadian law, medical cannabis must be manufactured to the same standards as any other medicine, and must be tested for biological contaminants and levels of THC. The company is telling patients to destroy their current product and will give credit for replacement.
This is not the first time that Health Canada has had to recall cannabis. A month ago, an Ontario company had to recall some medical marijuana, as the contents were more potent than the packaging had indicated. Health Canada only grants the right to manufacture medical cannabis to a few companies, who are responsible for supplying the entire nation.
Welshpool, England
On March 23rd, police uncovered more than £50,000 worth of “skunk cannabis” in a Montgomeryshire town. Welshpool Police Sergeant Lovatt said, “In excess of £50,000 worth of skunk cannabis was located and enquiries are ongoing with regard to persons in custody.”
