The List Of Legal Cannabis Countries Could Triple In 2022

The first country on earth to ever legalize cannabis for adult use purposes was Uruguay back in 2013. The South American country made history by passing a measure that legalized cannabis cultivation, possession, consumption, and legal purchases through cannabis clubs and licensed pharmacies for residents.

The next country to legalize cannabis for adult use was Canada in 2018. Canada’s legalization move made it the first G-7 nation to do so. Unlike Uruguay, Canada immediately implemented legal adult-use sales and purchases with no residential status required. Last year Malta joined Uruguay and Canada by legalizing cannabis for adult use, albeit in a much more limited fashion. Malta will not have regulated adult-use cannabis sales, at least not at first.

Several countries have a decent chance of legalizing in 2022. While nothing is ever guaranteed in politics, lawmakers in the countries discussed below have indicated plans to legalize cannabis for adult use in their jurisdictions as early as this year.

Legalization On The Move In Europe

No other continent is as ripe for legalization in 2022 as Europe, with at least three countries trending towards legalizing. Activists in Italy submitted over 630,000 signatures in 2021 to put legalization in front of voters in 2022. Italy’s government has indicated that it will not stand in the way of the referendum moving forward. Luxembourg has also indicated that it will legalize in 2022, although the Luxembourg model will be similar to Malta’s policy versus Canada and Uruguay.

The new governing coalition in Germany has also announced plans to legalize in the near future, and their proposed model will involve legal sales. Germany is home to one of the world’s largest economies, so it will be a particularly large domino to fall from an industry perspective. Germany also has a lot of political influence at the global level, and thus it will be a huge domino from a policy perspective.

Legalization already exists in some form on the European continent via pilot programs in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Switzerland also allows low-THC cannabis products to be bought and sold already. While neither nation is expected to fully legalize in 2022, both countries will continue on their incremental path towards full legalization throughout 2022, with pilot program cities experiencing full legalization at the local level.

Legalization On Other Continents

Potential 2022 cannabis legalization is not just limited to the European continent. Far from it, in fact. Virtually every corner of the planet has at least one country on the verge of legalization, except Antarctica.

In 2018 lawmakers in Mexico were tasked with passing a measure that would completely legalize cannabis and create a regulated industry; however, that is yet to happen. This year will hopefully be the year that lawmakers finally make it happen. Like Mexico, South Africa’s top court ruled that cannabis use in a private setting is legal. Lawmakers in South Africa have since worked on building a regulated cannabis industry framework and released a comprehensive cannabis industry strategy to implement this year or next.

Two particularly hard areas to achieve cannabis reform are Asia and the Middle East; however, at least one country in each region is likely to legalize cannabis in 2022. According to Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, their country will pursue ‘full legalization’ in 2022. Israel was previously on track to legalize in 2021. However, political setbacks have pushed back plans to this year. Whether it happens or not, only time will tell. Israel, however, has as good a chance of legalizing this year as any other country.

For more info: Internationalcbc.com