Cannabis Regulation

"El peor de todos los narcóticos, peor incluso que la morfina o la cocaína. Bajo su influencia los hombres se han vuelto bestias. La Marihuana les ha destruido sus vidas. No tengo ninguna simpatía por aquellos que venden esta cizaña" (Juez J. Symes, Denver 1937). Esta vez, he viajado en el tiempo, a un momento muy concreto en la historia. Allí pude observar unos hechos macabros de los que se culpó injustamente a la marijuana. Viajamos en nuestra nave del tiempo…

Impending regulation of California's marijuana industry demands a quantifiable understanding of the extent of cultivation and adequacy of water storage on private lands long devoted to a dispersed, but commercial-scale, unregulated marijuana industry. Water storage is a critical factor, given both California's droughts and its climate: indoor plants are grown under lights year-round, and outdoor plants are grown during the dry months. This research aimed to quantify marijuana cultivation and water storage in the Redwood Creek watershed of southern Humboldt County, where major land use changes have taken place since the late 1960s. Using Google Earth imagery and geospatial analysis, an inspection of 369 assessor's parcels located within or partly within the watershed yielded 303 greenhouses, 100 outdoor cultivation scenes, 164 water tanks, and 51 installed ponds. Estimating the number of water-storage tanks was much more challenging than estimating the number of cultivation sites; it is virtually certain that numerous tanks are under the forest canopy and not visible. The only way to verify their number and holding capacity would be through either ground truthing or GIS analysis using point-cloud data. The latter is costly to collect and process; therefore, given that many landowners who have engaged in unregulated marijuana cultivation are loath to grant access to outside parties, at this juncture it may be difficult for academic researchers, state and county regulators, environmental inspectors, and other interested parties to measure some of the industry's existing environmental impacts.

Como bien sabemos todos el cannabis no es originario de África. Proviene de Asia. Pero la difusión de ésta en el África subsahariana se debe a las comunidades de inmigrantes musulmanes del norte y a comerciantes árabes que viajaban a través de la costa de África occidental.
Las evidencias más tempranas del cannabis en territorio africano son de Etiopía donde se descubrieron cuencos con restos de cannabis en una excavación arqueológica en la zona de Lalibela (Van der Merwe, 1975: 77-80). La planta aparece desde el norte de África hasta el sur; era cultivada a lo largo de Kafaria por la tribu de los Kafirs, cerca del Cabo de Buena Esperanza, y era llamado bangue.

This comment is a response to Al-Hamdani et al. (forthcoming) in this issue. The authors of that paper advocate plain packaging and warning label regulation for cannabis drawing on research from Canadian tobacco labelling and based on the public health dangers of cannabis. While we acknowledge the harmful

¿Por qué algunos países castigan con severidad a quienes, con distintos propósitos, deciden usar cannabis, mientras que otros lo permiten? El artículo presenta un abordaje exploratorio de este interrogante para América Latina. Se propone un análisis comparativo de las variaciones internacionales existentes entre las normativas que regulan las conductas de los usuarios de cannabis. En base a la elaboración de un índice que busca medir los distintos tratamientos que las leyes de cada país prevén para estas conductas, el trabajo indaga acerca del modo en que la sanción de normas despenalizantes se ha distribuido en la región en función de diferentes condiciones económicas, políticas y culturales. Los resultados indican que –en términos generales– el nivel de despenalización alcanzado por las normas nacionales tiende a aumentar en asociación con: el ingreso de los países, el grado de libertad individual que aseguran sus sistemas democráticos y la extensión de la preferencia por la ciencia frente a la religión. Con sus hallazgos, el estudio pretende proveer coordenadas conceptuales y empíricas que alienten futuras indagaciones sobre un interrogante poco abordado en el conocimiento existente.

Este trabajo es un estudio de la historia universal sobre el consumo de cannabis. Vemos como el cannabis es una sustancia que se encontraba restringida a un determinado ámbito geográfico, se introdujo progresivamente en el comercio mundial, en diferentes épocas y lugares. La expansión del consumo de cannabis se produjo gracias a soldados, marineros, mercaderes, diplomáticos, estudiantes, inmigrantes, trabajadores extranjeros, refugiados y por último turistas que a lo largo de la historia han llevado su consumo desde Asia central a cualquier punto de nuestro planeta. El transporte del cannabis por diferentes fines ha sido una variable crucial para el éxito de la mundialización de esta planta.

This book is a study of the universal history of cannabis use. We see how cannabis is a substance that was restricted to a specific geographical area, was introduced progressively in world trade, at different times and places. The expansion of cannabis use came from soldiers, sailors, merchants, diplomats, students, immigrants, foreign workers, refugees and lastly tourists throughout history have taken their consumption from Central Asia to any point on our planet . The transport of cannabis for different purposes has been a crucial variable for the success of the globalization of this plant.

El presente artículo desarrolla un objetivo general: realizar una primera aproximación muestral (de caracter nacional, estadística y descriptiva) sobre las organizaciones cannábicas y emprendimientos económicos alrededor de los conflictos polítcos que forman parte del último momento regulatorio -24 de diciembre de 2019 en adelante- sobre el cáñamo industrial y el cannabis no psicoativo en Ecuador. Para cumplir dicho objetivo, se ejecutan dos objetivos secundarios: a) considerar criterios operativos, legales y económicos para acceder y participar en esta naciente industria legal y b) caracterizar tensiones que convergen dentro de este mercado emergente en torno a la producción y comercialización de derivados medicinales, cosméticos, alimenticios y agroindustriales del cannabis.
Despliega una metodología cuantitativa para aproximarse a la problemática del cannabisconceptualziada como un problema sociológico que responde a un marco analítico previamente diseñado desde la sociología de la acción colectiva y de los problemas públicos. Principlamente, las organizaciones cannábicas ecuatorianas promueven demandas (postergadas hasta el cierre de esta investigación) alrededor de los Acuerdos Ministeriales -Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería y Ministerio de Salud Pública- , de las regormas al Código Integral Penal -COIP- y de la Ley Orgánica contra el Consumo y Microtráfico de Drogas.

En cuanto al conocimiento sobre el cannabis los romanos recogen el testigo de los avances médicos y botánicos de los griegos. De esta forma los romanos tienen un dominio en su uso, las dosis y las aplicaciones terapéuticas. Sherratt (1987) sitúa la introducción del cannabis en toda la zona del Mediterráneo durante el periodo romano. Pero sabemos que desde el tercer mileno o incluso antes han aparecido restos de cannabis por toda esta zona.

This report compiles presentations from a variety of speakers including: Baroness Molly Meacher, Professor Val Curran, Sir Robin Murray, Dr Marta Di Forti, Peter Moyes, Peter Reynolds, John Churchhill, Pat Mungroo and myself discussing alternative ways to regulate cannabis at the House of Lords in July 2014.

According to data from the Colorado Department of Revenue, the state has managed to amass ~$75 million dollars in marijuana tax revenue in 2015, while Uruguay has yet to produce any financial gains from its regulation of marijuana. This thesis places a specific interest in pointing out the origins of each regulatory framework and the implementation procedures entailed by them, in order to determine their overall efficiency. In order to conduct the research, data sets were acquired via internet and data was also collected from studies already conducted on the matter. The variety of sources from which the data was collected is wide-ranging, from institutions such as The World Bank, UNICEF, The UNODC, the Colorado Department of Revenue, Junta Nacional des Drogas, the IRCCA and many others. The thesis proves that a more liberal regulation framework in case of regulating marijuana tends to give the best results, when implemented in a more developed state.

El documento es el resultado de un estudio exploratorio que tenía como objetivo comparar tres escenarios en los que se ha regulado el cannabis con criterios diferentes al modelo prohibicionista vigente o en los que existe cierta tolerancia a determinados aspectos de la cadena producción-distribución de dicha sustancia: los coffeeshops holandeses, la regulación del cannabis recreativo en Colorado y la ley que regula el cannabis en Uruguay. En el informe encontrará: - un capítulo dedicado al contexto internacional actual, relacionado con la política sobre el cannabis, - un capítulo dedicado a cada país analizado (Países Bajos, Colorado y Uruguay), - un capítulo con la comparativa entre las tres experiencias de regulación y una tabla analizando las debilidades, fortalezas, oportunidades y amenazas de cada modelo, - y un último capítulo con las conclusiones a las que se ha llegado tras el análisis.

Introduction
Despite humanity’s lengthy relationship with psychoactive substances, their consumption in contemporary societies is perceived as highly problematic. Cannabis, the most commonly imbibed illicit psychotropic, has come to embody these concerns. Medical and scientific research informs notions of use and user, with these being further constructed in the public realm by law, the media and policy against a backdrop of health deficits and other harms including risk taking, criminality and deviance.
With many studies drawing on clinical populations, e.g. high intensity users or those in treatment, a pathologized view of the user predominates. Where general population studies incorporate user data, these typically concentrate on the epidemiology of use: frequency, intensity, duration, and symptoms of abuse and dependence. This, however, tells us little about the meaning of use for users or why use continues despite universal official disapprobation. A lack of studies incorporating user perspectives thus ensures the limited focus of much present research and a policy accent on supply reduction at the expense of harm minimisation and safe use education. Those choosing to continue use are stigmatised as deviant or dependant. This has the effect of further bolstering enforcement, a strategy showing little evidence of efficacy.
The present study sought a comparison between this dominant discourse on cannabis use and the perspectives of users, with a range of exploratory hypotheses being identified.
Method
Eighty cannabis-using respondents participated in open-ended face-to-face interviews, of which seventy-six successfully completed a follow-up questionnaire. Participants were secured through local newspaper advertisements and snowballing. Twelve government officials from three drug policy committees completed face-to-face interviews.
A formal mixed method sequenced design was adopted, whereby the qualitative (interview) component preceded the quantitative (questionnaire) by a minimum of one week, for each
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user-participant. Quantitative data including demographics, use patterns, levels of abuse and dependence, and styles of use were compared with discursive data derived from a thematic analysis of interviews.
A sub-sample of twenty user-narratives was selected on the basis of twelve criteria (ten quantitative and two qualitative) for a more detailed secondary discursive analysis. Themes from the initial analysis of the total sample were more fully explored, and where appropriate quantitative data were incorporated.
Results
Quantitative data indicated participants were generally representative of the Dunedin population, and New Zealand cannabis users. These data also described a range of rules, practices and beliefs held in common by the sample, which mediated use and limited the harms to users and their affiliates.
The qualitative data substantiated notions of rule-governed behaviour, and rules’ mediation of harms and appropriate use. Users claimed awareness of the costs of use but recognized net benefits. Users’ preference for a controlled drug experience was a major theme, with cannabis compared positively against alcohol. Relaxation, stress relief and medicinal use were also commonly reported explanations of use. While acknowledging their ‘technical’ criminality users universally denied any moral transgression.
Conclusions
Many New Zealanders perceive cannabis use as an unremarkable behaviour, compatible with the typical responsibilities of the general population and unattended by significant harm. Users in this study considered their choice rational as it offered net benefits over costs.
Current policy was seen to have very limited effect on the decision to use, though it had significant bearing on patterns of use. Enforcement had negligible impact on curtailing use, while education was perceived as lacking credibility and as an extension of enforcement. In general, policy was seen as stigmatising users, promoting negative use patterns and
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behaviours, and as representing an imposed, ideological position on cannabis use uninformed by knowledge and experience of use.
Results suggest future research would benefit from greater incorporation of user perspectives with the potential for offering users a sense of inclusion in resulting policy.

Grecia es el lugar del nacimiento de la democracia. Donde todas las artes y las ciencias tuvieron su desarrollo, como la literatura, el teatro, la política, los eventos deportivos, los descubrimientos científicos y médicos, etc…Pero, ¿qué sabemos de su conocimiento en el cannabis y otras sustancias?
En Grecia no existía el consumo de “drogas” como podemos entenderlo hoy en día. Ni tan siquiera existe una palabra en griego para identificar a los “drogadictos”; ni un concepto griego que se identifique con drogodependencia. Sin embargo el idioma griego tiene una palabra griega para identificar “medicamento” y “veneno” en el mismo término. Pharmakon es un producto medicinal, muy relacionado con la magia, pero la misma palabra se utiliza para designar a un mago o un tipo de encanto mágico. El concepto pharmakon tiene dos vertientes, la positiva, como medicina, y la negativa, como veneno.
Para el profesor Antonio Escohotado (1999), así como los investigadores como Blunner (1977) o Dörfler (1990) afirman que los griegos clásicos desconocían los efectos psicológicos y “colocadores” del cannabis. Lo que sí es curioso es que estos mismos autores han reconocido su utilidad médica y como fuente de fibra para la producción de ropas y cuerdas por su durabilidad y resistencia. La construcción de los grandes templos griegos fue gracias a la dureza de las cuerdas de cáñamo utilizadas. Existía todo un comercio en torno al transporte de fibra de cannabis, los barcos utilizaban cáñamo para sus cuerdas y velamen y la ropa de la época era de este producto. En el libro VII de Heródoto (484 al 425 a.C.) en el capítulo "Construcción de puentes sobre el Helesponto” (lo que es hoy el Bósforo) aparece el cáñamo implicado en el desastre militar al cruzar las tropas de Jerjes. Los cabos para enfilar las barcazas para hacer de puente eran de cáñamo, según Valerio Máximo, experto filólogo en griego. Esquilo informó que las mujeres tracias hacían tejidos de cáñamo.

Siempre que pensamos en la India y en nuestra planta favorita nos viene a la mente viejos shadus o ascetas hindúes consumiendo en grandes shillum o pipas marihuana. Y es que estamos en los más antiguos orígenes de la marihuana. Aquí encontramos las más antiguas variedades y los usos más ancestrales. 
Los usos enteógenos del cannabis se desarrollaron, al parecer, en la India. La religión védica arcaica (1500 a.C.-1000 a.C.) veneró la planta denominándola "fuente de felicidad y de vida". Así como las tradiciones brahmánicas posteriores consideran que su uso agiliza la mente, otorga salud y concede valor, así como potencial sexual. Desde el siglo XV a. C. se celebra y conoce el cáñamo en diversas preparaciones. A base de cáñamo era la amrita, bebida de la inmortalidad que en la mitología hindú corresponde grosso modo a la ambrosía de los dioses olímpicos. Antiguas fuentes sánscritas hablan de las píldoras de la felicidad, un compuesto a partir de cáñamo y azúcar.

El 10 de agosto de 2015, el Ministerio del Interior aprobó el "Protocolo de Actuación Policial sobre Ley  de  Marihuana  y  sus  derivados",  "el  protocolo  de  actuación de  todo  el  personal  policial", elaborado por ese Ministerio con la colaboración de  Proderechos, el Instituto de Estudios Legales y  Sociales  del  Uruguay,  Movida  Cannabica  (Florida  Uruguay),  la  Federación  de  Estudiantes Universitarios del Uruguay, el Abrupto y la Red de Usuarios de Drogas y Cultivadores de Cannabis del Uruguay. La base legal del Protocolo es  tanto la Ley Nro. 19.172 y su Decreto Reglamentario 120/014 de 6 de mayo de 2014.

Objective: Identify a coherent nomenclature for Cannabis sativa L. derived products and their analogues.

Design: Research undertaken in parallel to the three-year assessment of Cannabis derivatives by the World Health Organisation. The scope is limited to Cannabis products intended for human incorporation (internal and topical consumption). Primarily embedded in pharmacognosy, the study incorporates a wide range of scholarly and grey literature, folk knowledge, archives, pharmacopoeias, international law, field pharmacy, clinical and herbal medicine data, under a philosophical scrutiny. Generic and Cannabis-specific nomenclatural frames are compared to determine the extent to which they coincide or conflict.

Results: All lexica reviewed use weak, ambiguous, or inconsistent terms. There is insufficient scientific basis for terms and concepts related to Cannabis at all levels. No sound classification exists: current models conflict by adopting idiosyncratic, partial, outdated, or utilitarian schemes to arrange the extraordinarily numerous and diverse derivatives of the C. sativa plant. In law and policy, no clear or unequivocal boundary between herbal and non-herbal drugs, nor natural and synthetic cannabinoids was found; current nomenclatures need updates. In science, the botanical Cannabis lexicon overlooks parthenocarpy, and wide disagreement remains as to the taxonomy and systematics of the plant; chemical research should address differences in kinds between synthetic cannabinoids; pharmacopoeias include little information related to Cannabis, and disagree on broader classes of herbal medicines, virtually failing to embrace many known Cannabis medicines. Since existing products and compounds fail to be categorised in an evidence-based manner, confusions will likely increase as novel cannabinoid compounds, genetic and biotechnological modifications surge.

Conclusions: The lack of clarity is comprehensive: for patients, physicians, and regulators. This study proposes an update of terms at several levels. It points at gaps in morphological descriptions in botany and pharmacognosy and a need for a metaphysical address of cannabinoids. Methods of obtention are identified as a common criterion to distinguish products; the way forward suggests a mutually exclusive nomenclatural pattern based on the smallest common denominator of obtention methods. In the context of a swelling number of Cannabis products being consumed (be it via medical prescription, adult-use, 'hemp' foodstuff and cosmetics, or other purposes), this study can assist research, contribute to transparent labelling of products, consumer safety and awareness, pharmacovigilance, medical standards of care, and an update of prevention and harm reduction approaches. It can also better inform regulatory policies surrounding C. sativa, its derivatives, and other cannabinoid-containing products.

La actual coyuntura política y legislativa del Ecuador se muestra como un momento histórico para la participación y deliberación de las organizaciones cannábicas. Los protagonistas de este movimiento de acción colectiva movilizan y relocalizan sus demandas, creencias y objetivos, tanto hacia los antagonistas como hacia los múltiples observadores dentro de la sociedad ecuatoriana. El éxito y derrumbe de los movimientos cannábicos marca la expansión y la contradicción de las oportunidades políticas dentro de cada Estado (y su respectivo momento regulatorio).

An increasing number of U.S. states are developing legal cannabis markets, but there is stark racial inequity in ownership of legal cannabis businesses. While the past harms of cannabis prohibition have fallen largely on low income Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities, it is White higher-income persons who reap most of the profits from the industry. Governments in legalized states are attempting to address this injustice, but the effectiveness of these efforts is largely unknown. In Massachusetts, a key component of social equity efforts is providing opportunities for persons from communities classified by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) as Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs) that previously experienced a high burden of negative consequences from cannabis prohibition. This study compared DIA to non-DIA communities regarding drug arrest rates and cannabis business licenses. Arrest rates were examined from 1999 through 2018 in three time periods reflecting different cannabis policy statuses: before decriminalization, between decriminalization and legalization, and after legalization. Business licenses were examined from March 2019 through February 2021. Data came from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s arrest data and the CCC’s business license information. Analysis of the UCR data showed that arrest rates for both cannabis and non-cannabis sale and possession were significantly higher in DIA communities compared to non-DIA communities for all time periods. The level of cannabis establishments in DIA communities was found to be roughly proportional to the percentage of MA communities classified as DIAs. Seventeen designated DIA municipalities represent 18.7% of the population of Massachusetts and 21.6% of MA cannabis businesses are located within their jurisdiction. Residents of DIA communities experience significantly higher rates of arrest for cannabis and non-cannabis related offenses, thus increasing vulnerability to the numerous negative health implications associated with having a past drug arrest. But, the CCC’s effort to prioritize business license approval in these DIA communities appears to be an effective method of promoting equitable engagement in the legal cannabis industry. Future efforts are needed to understand whether the economic benefits from legal cannabis business in DIAs can help bolster employment, increase community resources, and thereby reduce drug-related arrests.

El presente memorando resume las conclusiones de un análisis en profundidad anterior, titulado “Análisis de Proyecto de Ley: La conveniencia de regular el mercado de cannabis en Uruguay” (Sanjurjo, 2013)1. El mismo hace uso de la información y evidencia científica disponible para proyectar las posibles resultados y consecuencias de la propuesta regulatoria en el corto, mediano y largo plazo. La comparación con la evolución esperada de los daños del problema bajo el antiguo régimen semi-prohibicionista permite concluir que la implementación de un régimen regulatorio del mercado de cannabis puede suponer, a mediano y largo plazo, una respuesta más adecuada a los daños, perjuicios y pérdidas que componen el problema. No obstante, esta conclusión principal está firmemente supeditada a la efectiva implementación de políticas de educación e información, que ayuden a aumentar la percepción de riesgo de consumo de la sustancia.

RESUMO O presente trabalho aborda a restrição do uso medicinal da Cannabis sativa no Brasil, contrapondo aos aspectos teóricos e legais do princípio da autonomia da vontade na perspectiva da Bioética. Por meio de metodologia exploratória de natureza qualitativa, mediante utilização de investigação bibliográfica, faz-se uma revisão das literaturas acadêmicas e dos dados fornecidos pelos órgãos estatais e meios de comunicação, pesquisando como a legislação brasileira tem tratado o assunto e quais seriam os possíveis benefícios terapêuticos que os medicamentos derivados da planta podem trazer para determinadas enfermidades. A seguir, aborda-se as perspectivas nacionais e internacionais sobre o uso medicinal da Cannabis para se inferir, à luz do princípio da autonomia da vontade, os impactos gerados pelo impedimento dos tratamentos à base das propriedades terapêuticas da maconha.

Este articulo documenta y analiza las leyes que en Mexico habilitaron el espacio sobre el cual se construyo el paradigma prohibicionista en materia de drogas. Esa posicion gubernamental de indole punitiva se consolido durante el periodo comprendido entre 1917 y 1947, es decir, entre la promulgacion de la Constitucion Politica y una serie de reformas realizadas al Codigo Penal Federal. La exploracion y analisis de esas leyes requirio documentar la discusion cientifica en torno a los procesos legislativos: una discusion  que en ciertos momentos respaldo, y en otros critico, la posicion gubernamental. En funcion de este trabajo de documentacion historica —y en el marco de las primeras prohibiciones nacionales e internacionales sobre el cannabis— se articulan opiniones medicas y juridicas, y se exploran los puntos donde la ciencia y las leyes coincidieron, y aquellos donde se contrapusieron. Abstract This article documents and analyzes the drug laws that enabled and created the space fo...

The study occurred during the spring run off period in 2019. To assess potential pesticide contamination, a team of Karuk tribal water managers and university researchers tested for active pesticide ingredients and degradation products in both surface water and sediments at four different tributary sites along the Klamath River (i.e., Red Cap, Crawford, Dillon, and Elk creeks). These four sites were selected because of their importance as community drinking water sources and as cultural use areas for tribal members. They were also selected due to the presence of suspected or known cannabis operations in upstream areas. We used passive sampling methods for surface water testing, and active sampling methods for soil and sediment testing.
We analysed 184 chemicals in surface water including active pesticide ingredients and their potential degradation products. In total, we detected 12 different compounds at levels above their analytical reporting limits (1 ng/sampler): 4 insecticides, 3 herbicides, and 5 metabolites. Results gathered from passive sampling methods only indicated the presence or absence of the selected target compounds, and did not provide concentration ranges. For this reason, we cannot draw conclusions about the toxicity levels of the detected chemicals from surface water measurements. Among the four tributaries sites tested in our pilot study, we detected the highest number of compounds at Crawford Creek, which provides the water supply for about thirty homes (with eight compounds detected in surface water and four compounds detected in sediment samples).
From the 84 pesticide related compounds analyzed in sediment samples, we detected 5 different pesticides and metabolites at levels above quantification limits (i.e, deltamethrin, fenpropathrin, fipronil sulfone, pentachloronitrobenzene, and propiconazole). Some toxicity value comparisons were possible from sediment samples, which we compared to known references for (a) lethal concentrations (LC50), and (b) lowest observed effect concentrations (LOEC). Low levels below LC50 were detected for the three compounds for which LC50 reference values were available in the published literature (deltamethrin, fenpropathrinm and fipronil sulfone).
The pesticide found at the highest levels in sediment was deltamethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide. We observed deltamethrin concentrations of 3.2, 6.5, and 1.7 ng/g at Red Cap Creek, Crawford Creek, and Dillon Creek, respectively. Toxicity levels for deltamethrin were consistently below LC50 levels (0.6 - 1.02 µg/gOC). Toxicity levels for deltamethrin at Crawford and Dillon Creek were also below LOEC levels for the aquatic organism H. Azteca (0.2 µg/gOC). However, deltamethrin toxicity levels in Red Cap were in the range of LOEC. This suggests that deltamethrin may negatively impact populations of amphipods and disrupt ecosystem balance at the Red Cap location. However, it is important to note that toxicity levels observed for deltamethrin do not currently raise concerns for human health impacts.
In summary, we detected the presence of 15 distinct pesticides and pesticide-related compounds that can be primarily linked to agricultural uses in key drinking water sources (Crawford and Elk creeks) for the Karuk Tribe and all local residents. At the same time, the compounds detected represent a small fraction of the pesticides that were tested for, and sediment concentrations were generally low compared to known toxicity reference values. The Karuk Department of Natural Resources is currently conducting follow-up monitoring at the four sites investigated in this initial pilot study.
Considering broader implications for research and policy, our findings suggest the need for expanding the array of pesticides being tested for in Karuk Territory. This should include rodenticides that have been previously identified in animal tissue samples in nearby Klamath Basin areas. Study outcomes further suggest the importance of establishing a meaningful baseline for pesticide loads in Karuk waters, before additional changes to land use and water quality occur. Finally, additional access to locational information regarding known cannabis cultivation sites would significantly aid current water quality monitoring and research efforts.

¿Cuánto tiempo lleva el movimiento cannábico entre nosotros? Parece que fue ayer, pero el año que viene se va a producir el 30 aniversario del nacimiento de la primera asociación. Conoceremos las fases por las que ha pasado dicho movimiento.

A más de cuatro años del establecimiento del nuevo marco regulatorio del cannabis y a uno de las próximas elecciones nacionales, la ley uruguaya más controvertida del último quinquenio sigue promoviendo debates a nivel nacional e internacional.
La Ley N° 19.172, Marihuana y sus derivados.Control y Regulación del Estado de la producción, adquisición, almacenamiento, comercialización y distribución, fue promulgada en diciembre de 2013 luego de un prolongado proceso de discusión, con una opinión pública mayoritariamente contraria a la misma (Draper & Müller, 2017; Lissidini & Pousadela, 2018; Repetto, 2014) aunque con el visto bueno de numerosos profesionales, técnicos y actores institucionales implicados en los distintos tipos de abordaje de usos problemáticos de drogas.

With the legalization of recreational uses of cannabis, Canadian local governments will need to regulate some cannabis-related activities. Statutory enhancements of municipalities’ powers and greater judicial respect for municipal authority have generally resulted in local governments with broad powers that allow them to regulate the location and other aspects of cannabis-related activities, including consumption in public places and licensing cannabis-related businesses. Local governments can also ban some or all cannabis-related activities, either by taking advantage of local option clauses included in some provincial and territorial legislation, or by grounding bans on purely local powers. Local bans of activities, such as home cultivation, cannabis lounges, or retail sales, will be valid if they are narrow in scope, enacted for a municipal purpose, and do not frustrate the purpose of the Cannabis Act. Broader local bans will face greater challenges, and would need to be geographically limited to minimize the impact on national objectives. They would also need to be grounded in a municipal purpose such as health and safety or protecting a unique cultural or religious community character.

Uno no sabe si el Recurso de Amparo 237/2014 presentado por la “Sociedad Mexicana de Autoconsumo Responsable y Tolerante” (SMART) y la resolución constitucional a que dio origen de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN), que legalizó el consumo de “marihuana” a cuatro personas físicas, son argumentaciones jurídicas o capítulos de alguna síntesis sobre doctrina liberal. De acuerdo a SMART y así lo acogió la SCJN, el consumo personal y el autocultivo no pueden ser prohibidos porque esa decisión no corresponde a la sociedad/estado.

Resumen:
En julio de 2013 el Congreso uruguayo aprobó un proyecto de ley para legalizar y regular la producción, distribución y tenencia, así como el consumo recreacional, médico y científico del cannabis y sus derivados. Se prevé que el Proyecto de Ley pase a votación en el Senado a finales de 2013, donde probablemente sea aprobado. La implementación de la nueva Ley se llevaría a cabo durante el año 2014 y convertiría a Uruguay en el primer país en establecer a nivel nacional una regulación de estas características. Con el fin de ayudar a esclarecer los dilemas que afrontan los decisores públicos, la presente investigación analiza el problema social que representa el cannabis para la sociedad uruguaya y, haciendo uso de la evidencia científica e información disponible, proyecta las posibles consecuencias de la propuesta regulatoria en el corto, mediano y largo plazo. La comparación con la evolución esperada de los daños del problema bajo el actual status quo, permite concluir que la implementación de un régimen regulatorio puede suponer, a mediano y largo plazo, una respuesta más adecuada a los daños, perjuicios y pérdidas que componen el problema. Esta conclusión principal, sin embargo, está firmemente supeditada a la efectiva implementación de políticas de educación e información, que ayuden a aumentar la percepción de riesgo de consumo de la sustancia.
Palabras clave: Políticas de drogas; regulación; cannabis; legalización; Uruguay.

Abstract
In July 2013, the Uruguayan Congress approved a bill to legalize and regulate the production, distribution and possession of cannabis and its derivatives, as well as its recreational, medical and scientific use. The bill will be voted on the Senate at the end of 2013, where it will most probably be passed. The implementation of the new Law would take place in 2014 and would make Uruguay the first country to establish such a regulation on a national level. With the purpose of helping public decision-makers, this report analyses the social problem that cannabis represents for the Uruguayan society and, using the available evidence and information, projects the consequences of implementing the proposal in the short, medium and long term. The comparison of these results with the expected evolution of the status quo, allows us to conclude that a regulatory regime could represent a better response to the harms and losses that compose the problem. Nonetheless, this main conclusion is heavily dependent on the effective implementation of educational and informational policies that help raise the substance’s perception of harm.
Keywords: Drug policy; regulation; cannabis; legalization; Uruguay.

Resumen Hablar de normalización y regulación del consumo supone revisar obligato-riamente conceptos relacionados con la salud como el de adicción, corporalidad/ placer y autoatención/automedicación. Es recurrente al referirnos a los diferentes usos del cannabis u otras sustancias hablar de uso medicinal, autoatención o auto-medicación en salud, todos ellos procesos estructurales en toda sociedad. El uso de sustancias psicoactivas responde a ambos conceptos (autoatención y automedi-cación) ya sea como «remedios empíricos o como elementos simbólicos (en el contexto de múltiples rituales sociales), o como ambas cosas a la vez». En este artículo veremos cómo estos conceptos nos brindan una interesante oportunidad de análisis para describir diferentes formas de consumo. Abstract Speaking of normalization and regulation of consumption necessarily involves reviewing health related concepts such as addiction, corporeality/pleasure and self-care/self-medication. It is recurrent when referring to the different uses of cannabis or other substances, to discuss medicinal use, self-care and self-medication healthcare, all structural processes in every society. The use of psychoacti-ve substances responds to both concepts (self-care and self-medication) either as «empirical remedies or as symbolic elements (in the context of multiple social rituals), or as both at once». In this article, we will see how these concepts give us an interesting opportunity for analysis to describe different forms of consumption.

Un estudio detallado sobre los actores involucrados en el proceso de regulación de la cannabis, realizado en el trabajo “Evaluación y Monitoreo de la Regulación del Mercado de Cannabis en Uruguay: una propuesta  conceptual y metodológica” , mostró la existencia de al menos 75 de ellos, entre organismos gubernamentales, organizaciones de la sociedad civil, entidades académicas y empresas, a diciembre de 2014....Licencias y contratos tienen que ver con un área aun no explorada como lo es la aparición de nuevos agentes económicos y conglomerado de intereses en un mercado regulado por el Estado, del cual se carece de antecedente en América Latina y que, conforme el estudio ya citado, al menos, a diciembre de 2014, ya involucraba a 18 empresas. Se trata de pequeños productores alrededor del consumo personal o para los clubes de membrecía, sean propios, autoproducidos o adquiridos a través de farmacias pero también de productores agrícolas y agroindustriales para proveer materia prima y productos de valor agregado para investigación o productos  farmacéuticos que, a su vez, impactará en la aparición de nuevos agentes en la cadena de almacenamiento y comercialización, posiblemente involucrando relaciones transnacionales, comercio exterior, todo ello aún no descrito ni caracterizado, ni cualitativa ni cuantitativamente.  El estudio de FESUR reconoció  que “no busca hacer un análisis exhaustivo de este tipo de actor”. Ayudar a cubrir ese vacío sería el propósito final del trabajo de investigación.

We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for specific effects of cannabis on impulsivity, disinhibition and motor control. The review had a specific focus on neuroimaging findings associated with acute and chronic use of the drug and covers literature published up until May 2012. Seventeen studies were identified, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria; three studies investigated acute effects of cannabis (1 fMRI, 2 PET), while six studies investigated non-acute functional effects (4 fMRI, 2 PET), and four studies investigated structural alterations. Functional imaging studies of impulsivity studies suggest that prefrontal blood flow is lower in chronic cannabis users than in controls. Studies of acute administration of THC or marijuana report increased brain metabolism in several brain regions during impulsivity tasks. Structural imaging studies of cannabis users found differences in reduced prefrontal volumes and white matter integrity that might mediate the abnormal impulsivity and mood observed in marijuana users. To address the question whether impulsivity as a trait precedes cannabis consumption or whether cannabis aggravates impulsivity and discontinuation of usage more longitudinal study designs are warranted.