The topic of cannabis is not nearly as hush-hush as it was in the past. In fact, more and more governments around the world are hopping on board and showing their support for the leafy green stuff. For instance, anyone who follows weed-related news knows that Canada has legalized recreational weed and has allowed for medical use through the ACMPR program.
But Canada is not the only progressively-thinking country when it comes to cannabis. Tons of countries are following suit, so keep an eye out for these front runners in cannabis policy reform.
Colombia
Drug trafficking has always been a major problem for the Colombian government, but as it turns out, one of the best ways to combat this is through marijuana legalization. One of the main goals of Colombia is to be one of the leading forces in cannabis exports for the world – and they’re not far off from that goal.
Although recreational cannabis is still illegal here, medical cannabis production for personal and domestic use was legalized in 2015. Similar to the ACMPR in Canada, patients need to receive an official prescription from a doctor before using or growing weed medically.
Before that happened, the government decriminalized recreational cannabis in a few ways. If someone is found with 20 grams or less or growing 20 plants or less for personal use, that person won’t get in any legal trouble.
Even more recently, public cannabis consumption was made legal. “In another big step for a country blessed with the ideal conditions to grow marijuana, the legal framework and labor costs needed to make it profitable,” says Forbes, “and an export quota second to none – which represents more than 25 percent of the world’s total cannabis that can be traded worldwide, Colombia’s Constitutional Court overruled a ban on the public consumption of cannabis.”
Uruguay
Canada often gets the reputation of being the first country to legalized marijuana nationwide, but Uruguay was actually a few steps ahead of the Great White North. It was in December 2013 that the president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, signed the legislation to officially make weed legal.
This doesn’t mean that the country hasn’t seen struggles with marijuana, though. Uruguayans are constantly facing supply shortages and distribution problems, which is a major reason why so many of them are still turning to the black market.
Canada
Medical cannabis has been legal in Canada for over 2 decades, and the government’s medical program – the ACMPR – has gained more support than ever. This is why companies like Cannabis Growing Canada who help citizens get through the ACMPR application process for receiving a legal medical grow license are thriving.
Canada has been a leader in medical marijuana since the dawn of time, but it wasn’t until late 2018 that the government passed legislation to legalize recreational weed. Canada may not have been the first country to legalize weed on a federal level, but it’s the first G7 member to do so. You can order bulk weed in Canada and have it sent to your door.
USA
Colorado was the first American state to legalize recreational weed in 2012, and more states began to follow suit rather quickly. Legalization is a state-by-state process – it’s unlikely to happen on a federal level as it did in Canada anytime soon, but the US as a whole is still considered to be fairly progressive when it comes to cannabis policy.
Every year, the list of states that have legalized cannabis recreationally continues to grow, and at this point, the majority of states have passed medical marijuana laws as well. The support for marijuana among Americans has yet to see its peak, so we can expect the US to legalize cannabis on a federal level at some point in the future.
Iceland
Technically cannabis is still very much illegal in Iceland, but reports show that this small island country boasts the highest percentage of adult cannabis users in the world. Nearly 20% of adults have reported being regular weed users, so it’s not far off to think that Iceland is on the road to officially legalizing it.
Chile
Out of all the world’s nations, Chile has the highest rate of cannabis consumption rates per capita. In 2013, the Chilean government made it obvious that it fully supports medical marijuana by allowing citizens to grow up to 6 plants for personal medical use with a doctor’s prescription.
This medical program isn’t quite as progressive as Canada’s ACMPR, where license holders can potentially grow hundreds of plants, but it still shows that Chile is forward-thinking when it comes to weed.
