A member of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. George Boateng, has declared his intention to contest against President John Dramani Mahama in the party’s primary to enable him lead the party in the December 2016 elections, with a promise to legalise the cultivation and sale of cannabis in Ghana.
Speaking on Okay FM programme, a local radio station in Accra, Boateng said he would ensure that the legislation was put in place to ensure that Ghanaians can venture into cultivation of cannabis to enable them to export them without being arrested.

“It would be a great source of income for the nation. Countries such as Holland and Suriname for instance need these herbs for the production of drugs and Ghana can be their source of supply,” he said.

Global Internet firms operating in Russia wake up on Tuesday to a new era in Kremlin regulation. 

A law now forces tech firms with Russian customers to operate local servers to handle Russian personal data. It’s the latest in a string of about 20 laws tightening government control of the Internet, all put into place since President Vladimir Putin’s re-election in 2012.

On 18 September 2014, the Ministers of Defence and of Health signed a memorandum for a pilot project of "domestic production of substances and herbal preparations made from cannabis' for medical and scientific purposes. For the cultivation of plants a military pharmaceutical factory in Florence was chosen for the "skills of military and civilian personnel" and "manufacturing capabilities and quality control of its pharmaceutical industry," combined with the "security level of an army".

A proposed medical marijuana ballot initiative is headed to the Florida Supreme Court for review.

By the end of the day Monday, the state had verified 73,713 petitions -- about 5,400 more than needed to qualify for review by the court.

The verified signatures come after United for Care, the organization pushing for a medical marijuana amendment, submitted more than 100,000 signatures for review on July 22. The signatures were then checked to determine there were no duplicates and that the signees were on Florida voter rolls.

Of those, 73,713 signatures passed that test.

ROCKINGHAM — When Perry Parks flipped through the pages of a Time magazine special edition, he found himself on page 31 — opposite comedian and marijuana advocate Tommy Chong.

On that page is a photo of Parks using a grinder next to a bong, along with a quote from the Richmond County native.

“I didn’t know about this,” he said, holding up the magazine in his home outside Rockingham. “I was really honored to be apart from him.”

Parks, a retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot, has been an outspoken supporter of the medical benefits of cannabis for several years, using it himself to treat PTSD and chronic pain.

A constitutional amendment to allow medical marijuana in Florida has reached a key milestone in its petition drive, triggering required reviews by Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Supreme Court.

The proposal has gotten 73,713 signatures, according to Florida Division of Elections data. Bondi has 30 days to review the ballot language and send it to the Supreme Court, which will determine if it's constitutional.

The amendment would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes and allow the state Department of Health to regulate marijuana growth and sale. In the 2014 election, it fell just short of the 60 percent required to amend the state constitution.

By Romain Bonilla

A NORTH-EAST pensioner dying from liver cancer is begging the authorities to legalise cannabis.

Days after the Government issued a damning response to campaigners, a terminally ill woman has backed growing calls to decriminalise the class-B drug.

In response to a pro-legalisation petition with more than 200,000 signatures, the government issued a statement earlier this week outlining the alleged dangers of cannabis use, saying legalisation would “send the wrong message”.

The pensioner, who does not wish to be identified, has criticised the Government’s stance, saying the opposition is hypocritical given the fact they allow pharmaceutical companies in the UK to harvest the plants.

While the Florida state legislature continues to talk in circles around the issue of pot reform, a legion of cannabis activists have come forward with a ballot initiative aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana in 2016.  Regulate Florida, an organization seeking to repeal prohibition in the Sunshine State, received word last week from state election officials that their master plan to put the issue of legal weed on the ballot in the next presidential election had been approved. 

Steamboat Springs — Dressed in full tactical gear, a squad of Routt County Sheriff's Office deputies quietly headed into the Routt National Forest before sunrise Friday morning to secure and dismantle an illegal pot-growing site authorities had learned about on Buffalo Pass.

The squad of six was joined on the mission by a dozen federal officers.

Carrying 40 to 60 pounds of gear on their backs, they all walked three miles over rugged terrain with the help of a nearly full moon.

"I've been here a long time, and this is the first time I've had to participate in a mission like this," Routt County Undersheriff Ray Birch said.