Cannabis in Gibraltar

Last updated

Cannabis in Gibraltar is illegal, but due to its proximity to North Africa and to mainland Europe, the area around Gibraltar in Spain (Campo de Gibraltar) is frequently used for cannabis trafficking. Gibraltar itself is not a usual destination for drug smuggling from Morocco as it only has a small population and customs controls with Spain make it difficult to move the merchandise further on into Europe. Gibraltarian authorities take a hard line on drug smuggling and prohibited the use of fast speed boats in its waters in 1995, a measure introduced by Spain in 2018. [1]

Contents

Trafficking

Prior to 1957, cannabis trafficking in the area around Gibraltar was limited to small personal amounts by tourists, but with the arrival of the Hippie Trail, larger amounts began to be commercially smuggled, leading the Campo de Gibraltar to become one of the main entry points to Europe for Moroccan hashish. [2] in 2018, Spanish authorities confiscated 191 tons of cannabis and 15.5 tons of cocaine in the Spanish Campo de Gibraltar area. [3] The corresponding figures for cannabis seizures in 2017 are 145 tons and for 2016 100 tons. [4]

Medical cannabis

In 2017, Gibraltar legalised Sativex oral spray to treat Multiple Sclerosis. [5] In October 2019, Gibraltar published an amendment to the drugs misuse regulations in order to provide for the supply and possession of certain cannabis-based products for medicinal use in limited circumstances. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legality of cannabis</span> Where cannabis is and is not legal

The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These policies in most countries are regulated by three United Nations treaties: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Since its descheduling in 2020, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Single Convention treaty, meaning that signatories can allow medical use but that it is considered to be an addictive drug with a serious risk of abuse.

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984, Misuse of Drugs Act 2015 and the Criminal Justice Act 2010 are the acts of the Oireachtas regulating drugs in Ireland. The acts define the penalties for unlawful production, possession and supply of drugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misuse of Drugs Act 1975</span> Act of Parliament in New Zealand

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 is a New Zealand drug control law that classifies drugs into three classes, or schedules, purportedly based on their projected risk of serious harm. However, in reality, classification of drugs outside of passing laws, where the restriction has no legal power, is performed by the governor-general in conjunction with the Minister of Health, neither of whom is actually bound by law to obey this restriction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cilia Flores</span> Venezuelan politician and First Lady

Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro is a Venezuelan lawyer and politician. She is married to the President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro, making her the First Lady. Since 2015, she has also been a deputy in the National Assembly of Venezuela, of which she was president from 2006 to 2011, for her home state of Cojedes. In 2017, the Constituent National Assembly was founded, in which she is a member of the Presidential Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis Social Club</span> Non-profit industry model for recreational cannabis

A Cannabis Social Club (CSC), sometimes called Cannabis Club, Cannabis Association, or Teapad, is an industry model for regulated cannabis organised as non-profit cooperatives in which cannabis is cultivated, shared, and enjoyed collectively, usually for the purpose of relaxing or for social communion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in New Zealand</span> Use of cannabis in New Zealand

The use of cannabis in New Zealand is regulated by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, which makes unauthorised possession of any amount of cannabis a crime. Cannabis is the fourth-most widely used recreational drug in New Zealand, after caffeine, alcohol and tobacco, and the most widely used illicit drug. In 2001 a household survey revealed that 13.4% of New Zealanders aged 15–64 used cannabis. This ranked as the ninth-highest cannabis consumption level in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in the United Kingdom</span> Use of cannabis in the United Kingdom

Cannabis in the United Kingdom is illegal for recreational use and is classified as a Class B drug. In 2004, the United Kingdom made cannabis a Class C drug with less severe penalties, but it was moved back to Class B in 2009. Medical use of cannabis, when prescribed by a registered specialist doctor, was legalised in November 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicente Zambada Niebla</span> Former Mexican drug lord

Jesús Vicente Zambada Niebla, also known as "El Vicentillo", is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in Sinaloa. He is the son of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, one of world's most-wanted and powerful drug lords. He was arrested in Mexico City on 19 March 2009 and extradited to the United States in February 2010 to stand trial on narco-trafficking-related charges. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on 30 May 2019. Due to his cooperation in testifying against several members of the Sinaloa Cartel, his conviction term was reduced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Morocco</span> Use of cannabis in Morocco

Cannabis in Morocco had been illegal since the nation's independence in 1956, reaffirmed by a total ban on drugs in 1974, but was partially tolerated in the country. Cannabis has been cultivated in Morocco for centuries and the country is currently among the world's top producers of hashish. As of 2016, Morocco was the world's top supplier of cannabis. On May 26, 2021, the Moroccan parliament voted to legalize the use of cannabis for medical, as well as cosmetic and industrial purposes.

Cannabis in Ireland is illegal for recreational purposes. Use for medical purposes requires case-by-case approval by the Minister for Health. A bill to legalise medical uses of cannabis passed second reading in Dáil Éireann in December 2016, but was rejected by the Oireachtas Health Committee in 2017.

Cannabis in Singapore is currently illegal for recreational purposes, but medicinal purposes has been allowed under extraordinary circumstances in recent years. Possession or consumption can result in a maximum of 10 years in prison, with a possible fine of $20,000, as well as caning, under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Trafficking, import or export of more than 500 grams may result in the death penalty.

The list includes and details significant events that occurred in the global history of national-level implementations of, or changes made to, laws surrounding the use, sale, or production of the psychoactive drug cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlöe Swarbrick</span> New Zealand politician

Chlöe Charlotte Swarbrick is a New Zealand politician. Following a high-profile but unsuccessful run for the 2016 Auckland mayoral election, she became a parliamentary candidate for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, standing in the 2017 New Zealand general election and was elected as a member of the New Zealand Parliament at the age of 23. In the 2020 election, Swarbrick was elected as the Member of Parliament for Auckland Central, becoming the second Green Party MP to win an electorate seat in the history of the party, and the first without a tacit endorsement from a major party leader.

Cannabis in Mauritania is illegal, but the country serves as a major transit point for Moroccan cannabis en route to Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Seychelles</span> Use of cannabis in Seychelles

Cannabis in Seychelles is illegal, with cultivation, possession and sale of the substance banned. Regardless of this, the controlled substance has seen continual use within Seychelles, with statistics indicating that more than a quarter of the nation's population are users of the drug, as well as use evident amongst adolescents. The drug is ingested in a variety of forms for medicinal or recreational use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Brunei</span> Use of Cannabis in Brunei

Cannabis in Brunei is illegal and can be punishable by caning or the death penalty. Brunei Darussalam's legislation is controlled by its sultan and is based on the country's Sharia-Islamic beliefs. In accordance with these laws, Brunei native, Lam Ming Hwa, received the death sentence in 2004 and a Malaysian native, Muhammad Mustaqim Mustofa bin Abdullah, was sentenced to death in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Act 2018</span> Act of Parliament in New Zealand

The Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2018 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand which amends the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to allow terminally-ill people to consume cannabis and to possess a cannabis utensil. The bill passed its third reading on 11 December 2018. It was supported by the centre-left Labour Party and its coalition partners New Zealand First and the Green parties but was opposed by the opposition centre-right National Party. The Act received royal assent on 17 December and came into force on 18 December 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gérard Fauré</span> French essayist and former criminal

Gérard Fauré is a French essayist and a former drug dealer and bank robber. He is the author of several controversial books which claim to reveal the hidden side of a number of public figures in France and Europe.

The Moroccan mafia is a term that describes various criminal organisations that are primarily made up of people of Moroccan descent. These organisations are specialized in trafficking large quantities of cocaine and synthetic drugs through Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium, from where it is distributed to the rest of the European continent, thus being one of the most dominant participants in the European drug trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zulema Tomás</span>

Elizabeth Zulema Tomás Gonzales is a Peruvian cardiovascular anaesthesiologist. She served as the country's Minister of Health from 7 January to 15 November 2019.

References

  1. Alarcón, Julia (13 July 2018). "El Gobierno de Gibraltar aplaude la prohibición de las 'narcolanchas' por parte del Gobierno español". Europa Press. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. Martin Booth (16 June 2015). Cannabis: A History. St. Martin's Press. pp. 282–&#91, full citation needed &#93, . ISBN   978-1-250-08219-0.
  3. Alarcón, Julia (30 April 2019). "2018: el año del narcotráfico". Diario de Cádiz. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  4. Cañas, Jesús A. (16 May 2018). "El Campo de Gibraltar bate récords en el decomiso de hachís". El País (in Spanish). ISSN   1134-6582 . Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  5. "Green light for cannabis-based MS medicine". Gibraltar Chronicle. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  6. "CRIMES ACT 2011: DRUGS (MISUSE) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2019" (PDF). Gibraltar Gazette No. 4626 of 16 October 2019. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  7. "Doctors cleared to prescribe medicinal cannabis products". Gibraltar Chronicle. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.