After receiving a suspended sentence for possession of cannabis last year, Filip Dostovski walked out of the Skopje courthouse and lit a joint outside as cameras rolled. It was an act of “revolt against their sentence and against their policy”, said the 41-year-old cancer survivor, who is pushing for the free use of marijuana in North Macedonia. The Balkan state is eyeing a chance to become a cannabis pioneer in Europe, as the government considers legalizing marijuana in what would be a first on the continent. But many worry about a lack of follow-through, a problem that has dogged the government’s drug policy for the last five years. Home to little over two million people, North Macedonia legalized the cultivation and sale of marijuana-derived medical products in 2016, hoping to get the edge in a fast-growing European market. However, the law is unclear and has left the sector in limbo, with most businesses unable to sell on the international market. At the same time, private individuals seeking to grow and consume marijuana risk criminal prosecution.
420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 03/17/2021 20:00:00