News and Events

In 2012, Colorado and Washington made headlines when they became the first two US states to legalise cannabis for recreational use. Since then, 18 more states, as well as the District of Columbia, have followed suit by passing laws for distribution and recreational consumption.

Classified as a Schedule I drug by the Controlled Substances Act, just like methamphetamine or cocaine, cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. However, as more state legislators pass legislation to legalise recreational use, federal cannabis trafficking cases and charges have steadily declined year over year.

According to the US Sentencing Commission's 2021 Sourcebook, in 2012, the same year that Colorado and Washington first passed their legislation, federal prosecutors charged approximately 7,000 people with marijuana trafficking. Cannabis accounted for 27.6% of all drug trafficking charges that year, the most of any substance category.

Read more

Seeking: Company with the ability to dismantle and destroy large cannabis plantations. Budget: 163,000 euros. More info: Ministry of the Interior (ask for Fernando Grande-Marlaska).

This announcement, which could well have been published on any employment search website, corresponds to a tender issued by Spain's Ministry of the Interior, enlisting the help of private companies to dismantle large cannabis plantations, specifically those with more than 10,000 plants, which are on the increase, according to police statistics.

This measure was proposed in the National Plan of Action against organised crime associated with marijuana production and trafficking, presented last December, where the ministry placed the third objective as, precisely, "to facilitate the destruction of marijuana plantations”, with the aim of solving one of the main logistical problems that the Spanish security forces are currently facing, which is none other than the exponential increase in seizures of cannabis plants in a country that leads cannabis production in Europe and where, in 2021, more than three million plants were intervened, representing an increase of almost 100% compared to the previous year.

“In the case of small plantations, the agents themselves take charge of dismantling them, but in the case of large plantations they are unable to carry out said activity” due to the lack of preparation and machinery, indicates the hiring file to which the newspaper El Paísit has had access. For this reason, it is essential to contract this work to private sector companies that have the knowledge and technical means to carry out this task.

Read more

With the advances gained in cannabis legalisation over the last decade, more and more new therapeutic applications of this famous multipurpose plant are being discovered and applied. In 2013, to go any further, the sex therapist Ashley Manta coined the term "cannasexual" to describe the practice that is applied in her sex education and therapy clinic in California, where she helps her patients to improve their sex life thanks to cannabis.

However, before Ashley, there were other visionaries. In ancient India, cannabis was used as an aphrodisiac within the Brahmanical tradition. Here, we will look at its benefits and see why its consumption can improve sexual practice.

Benefits of cannabis with sex

• Relaxing effect: the relaxing properties of cannabis can help improve the sexual experience, contributing to the lowering of inhibitions and the flow of emotions.
• Sensory effect: the hedonic experience of cannabis contributes to an increase in awareness and the physical pleasure of contact with the other person.
• Reduction of anxiety: for those people for whom sex may cause anxiety, cannabis can help inhibit this feeling, reducing worries and adding pleasure to the experience.
• Increase in sexual libido: some studies have linked cannabis to an increase in sexual desire, especially in women.
• Increased quality and duration of the female orgasm: some studies have linked cannabis use to longer, better-quality orgasms in women.

Read more

April 1st is almost here and with it comes April Fools' Day and all the anticipation of playing a hilarious yet harmless prank on somebody while trying to avoid falling victim to anybody else's joke. We all know of the classic tricks played between family members and friends, such as swapping sugar for salt or changing the yoghurt with mayonnaise, but for many years now, companies and corporations have joined in with the fun on a larger scale, turning the day into something of a marketing opportunity and a chance to show that they have a sense of humour, a quality valued by many consumers.

The spread of legalisation around the world has led to an increase in social acceptance and destigmatisation of cannabis users and its use. And as it seeps into mainstream culture, our favourite plant has found itself the focus of a surprising number of these corporate April Fools' Day pranks, with varying degrees of success, as we will see in this article where we look at some of our favourites from the last few years...

Read more

Long before cannabis became a popularly consumed substance, you probably knew cannabis in its most iconic form: rolled into a joint. And, although today we have a wide range of methods and all kinds of accessories to consume cannabis, it's always good to remember the basics. Whether you're a cannabis newbie or a seasoned veteran looking to brush up on his skills, there are a number of factors you need to consider when putting together a good joint, so it never hurts to work on your technique. Grab yourself some papers and get ready to take notes.

Materials and preparation to roll a joint

To begin rolling a joint, we need to have the right materials available to work with, since they are more or less essential to the task:

• Rolling paper.
• Cannabis: flowers/buds of your choice.
• Grinder (You could also use scissors or fingers).
• Filter/roach of paper, card or a tip made of glass, ceramic or hemp.
• Lighter or matches.

Read more

It has been almost 25 years since Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear in the 1997 WBA Heavyweight Championship fight, causing Tyson to lose his boxing license and be fined 3 million dollars for an act he claimed was retaliation for a head butt. Without a doubt, this is an unforgettable moment that lives on in the history of sports and popular culture, something that the ex-boxer's cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, has taken advantage of to launch cannabis edibles inspired by that famous moment.

'Mike Bites' ears have a bite mark on the top of the gummy, in the exact place where Tyson chewed a chunk of cartilage from Holyfield's ear. The company launched the product on Twitter last Tuesday with a simple photo, announcing that the gummies will be sold in dispensaries in California, Massachusetts and Nevada.

Read more

Ketamine has been available since the 1970s as an anesthetic considered "dissociative" due to its hallucinogenic effects, which, moreover, have helped to make this substance a drug associated with recreational contexts related to rave culture.

Currently, in both the U.S. and Europe, ketamine is the only psychedelic substance that has been approved by the relevant drug agencies (FDA, EMEA, AEMPS) for use in mental health treatment, though psilocybin was recently legalized for therapy in Oregon. It is legal for physicians to administer ketamine, while some other psychedelics receiving renewed attention in mental health, such as LSD or MDMA, are still classified as having no medical utility and posing a high risk of abuse.

Read more

A study by researchers at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), which was published in the Science Advances journal in 2021, analyses the cannabis genome in an attempt to uncover the history of the domestication of the plant for cultivation purposes.

Cannabis sativa L. is one of the first domesticated plants and one of the most controversial, with genetics that have fluctuated over the centuries with the social, economic, and cultural development of different human societies.

Even though it was originally a great source of food, textiles, and hemp seed oil, this type of crop experienced a steep decline in the 20th century in favour of the expansion of recreational marihuana.

Read more

In the heart of the city of St. Petersburg, just behind Saint Isaac's Cathedral, there is a building whose tsarist-era ministerial façade belies the importance of the collection housed behind its walls. Within, stacked under vaulted ceilings and in long hallways, wooden cabinets hold the seeds of hundreds of thousands of plant varieties, many of which have disappeared from their original habitat or growing areas. This is the Vavílov Institute, an institution already hailed as "the guardian of lost plants", a nickname that perfectly illustrates the role it plays as a defence against the new threats to global biodiversity posed by climate change, industrial agriculture, and globalisation.

More formally known as the Vavílov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR), this institution was founded in 1924 by botanist and geneticist Nikolai Vavílov, one of the first scientists to recognise the importance of conserving plant genetic resources. The institute is the oldest seed bank in the world and houses a priceless collection of more than 400,000 samples of different plant species. It is arguably the largest (and oldest) collection of plant genetics in existence, primarily in the form of meticulously catalogued seeds from all parts of our planet.

Read more

This week, the Republic of Malta has officially become the first country in Europe to legalise cannabis for recreational use, in a move that has caught the international community somewhat by surprise and at the same time taken the wind out of the sails of Luxembourg, the country that was initially set to take this "first in Europe" title but whose parliament has yet to formally approve any new legislation.

In a historic session that took place on Tuesday, December 14th, the Maltese parliament voted to approve the new legislation, with 36 votes in favour of the initiative and 27 votes against it. These legal changes mean that residents of the Maltese archipelago will now be able to legally grow their own cannabis at home and possess small amounts of cannabis without fear of arrest or prosecution. The measure also provides for the establishment of cannabis social clubs to supply users, similar to the Spanish model of associations.

Read more

Over recent years, the onset of legalisation in different countries has helped the cannabis industry take off, producing an explosion of weed-related companies, some of which have even gone public on the stock market.

The cannabis stocks being traded on these exchanges bear a striking resemblance to cryptocurrencies, as both are part of new and emerging industries that are still working towards normative regulation at all levels. And like cryptocurrencies, these stocks are experiencing high volatility as a result of the market still not understanding how to value these assets.

But at the same time, they hold a special attraction for small investors due to their ease of use and access. However, beyond cryptocurrencies, the true potential for the cannabis sector lies in blockchain, which is the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies and a concept That could truly elevate the cannabis industry to a new high. a new level of transparency and security like never before seen.

Read more

When we think back to the early days of computers and the internet, we often imagine very primitive machines and systems that took hours to send a simple email. But it turns out that, from the very moment of genesis of the network of networks, there was one thing that people made sure could be bought and sold: cannabis.

Read more

As we have already seen in earlier articles such as our post on the history of cannabis cultivation, the relationship between humans and this plant dates back millennia. Since time immemorial, this relationship has been characterised by humanity's exploitation of the various facets of cannabis use, from the social or recreational to the medicinal, not forgetting the textile and industrial, religious or spiritual uses.

However, since ancient times, this relationship has also been marked by the desire of some to prohibit its use, often as a simple tool to increase the control that the ruling classes hold over other, less favoured, classes of society. Today we invite you to delve into the history of cannabis prohibition and learn in more detail how it came to be established, practically on a global level, during the 20th century.

Read more

Luxembourg is on its way to becoming a pioneer country in Europe in terms of cannabis legislation. Its coalition government had already announced its intention to carry out major reforms including, among other things, the legalisation of cannabis for recreational purposes, but also a raft of other important changes for society, such as free public transport, an increase of €100 on the minimum monthly wage, and also 2 more days of leave per year.

To this end, on October 22, 2021, the ministers of Internal Security, Justice, Health, National Education, Children & Youth and Foreign & European Affairs held a joint press conference to present the coordinated package of proposed measures to address the problem of drug-related crime.

Read more

Today we want to pay tribute to one of the most passionate lovers of cannabis - and, of course, hashish - that we've had the pleasure of meeting in this business, the legendary hashishin Frenchy Cannoli, who sadly passed away due to complications during a surgical operation on July 18, 2021.

Born on December 13, 1956, this young man raised in Nice (France) soon felt the need to travel the world and visit the principal hashish-producing countries, an adventure that began as soon as possible and that led him to a life of constant travels for more than two decades, in which he learned all kinds of production techniques for this cannabis derivative. A life full of excitement and adventure that, unfortunately, has ended all too abruptly.

Read more

In today's article, we want to discuss one of the cornerstones of cannabis culture, the American magazine High Times, a publication born in the 70s, of which you probably have heard of. The success of this magazine has changed the way the general public sees marijuana, normalizing cannabis use and cultivation, and relating these aspects to celebrities from many different backgrounds.

Indeed, since 1970, High Times readers have been able to admire stunning double-page photos of cannabis plants, while dreaming of seeing this plant legalized and accepted by society. However, those were different times, and all that seemed a mere utopia, something very difficult to achieve in a society that hardly had any information about weed.

Today, in 2021, and after more than 40 years of High Times history, things have changed a lot, although the spirit of the publication remains the same; the cannabis reference magazine for several generations of the plant enthusiasts.

Read more