A caretaker received a death threat after spotting suspicious activity in the Drakelow Tunnels, which had been turned into a drugs factory, a court heard.

Wayne Robinson, 47, of Kidderminster, denies allowing the tunnels to be used for the production of cannabis.

He told Hereford Crown Court he had rented out one of the former military tunnels under Kingsford Country Park near Kidderminster, to two men – known only as Thomas and Fabian – for £200 a month.

When Robinson saw items, including car bumpers, being dumped near the tunnels he told the pair they needed to clear up, or clear off, he said.

Simunye (South Africa) (AFP) - More than two decades after the end of apartheid, South Africa's youth hoped to be reaping the benefits of the country's fresh start, but a potent drug is taking a heavy toll on the most vulnerable.

Like all mothers, Caroline had big dreams for her eldest son, naming him Tshepo for hope.

"He was my hope," she said, choking back tears. "But now I don't know."

For three years, 19-year-old Tshepo has been hooked on nyaope, a drug that is smoked like a rolled joint.

A Vietnamese mother who claimed she had been “trafficked” into the UK is facing deportation after she admitted helping to grow nearly 300 cannabis plants at a house in Halifax.

Ut Tran, who speaks no English, was living in the lounge of the rented house in Glen Terrace, Savile Park, and sleeping on a mattress in what a judge described as “very meagre circumstances” when police officers went to the property in April.

After forcing an entry into the house the police found three bedrooms and a cellar had been coverted into a sophisticated cannabis-growing operation with smaller plants being grown in the “nursery” in the cellar.

Liberal Party candidate Justin Trudeau has defeated incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper to become Canada’s next Prime Minister. Trudeau’s win is expected to usher in a new wave of political priorities, with marijuana legalization nearing the top of the list.

From the Liberal Party’s website:

We will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.

The U.S. Federal Reserve has asked a federal judge in Denver to dismiss a lawsuit by a credit union asking a judge to force its hand and charter a bank for marijuana businesses, saying that would be "criminal."

"Even transporting or transmitting funds known to have been derived from the distribution of marijuana is illegal," said a motion filed Wednesday by the Federal Reserve in U.S. District Court in Denver.

The motion came in a lawsuit filed by Fourth Corner Credit Union, which was set up last year to serve Colorado's $700-million-a-year marijuana industry. It can't open without clearance from the Federal Reserve.

The government's motion says it does not intend to accept a penny connected to the sale of pot because the drug remains illegal under federal law.

Canada's major marijuana producers are bracing for big changes, with a pro-pot parliament waiting in the wings.

During his campaign, prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau said legalizing the recreational use of marijuana would be a top priority.

But Christopher Enns, who runs a Halifax medical marijuana shop, isn't sure the anticipated new laws will change much for him.

He's licensed as a designated grower, but technically only allowed to supply one or two people. His shop has been raided by police twice.

And while he said he hopes his customers will eventually feel less stigmatized under the new Liberal government, as a small supplier, he's also feeling a little left out.

Australia is making key moves to legalise the growing of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes, the government announced.
Health Minister Sussan Ley said on Saturday that changes to existing legislation that bans the growing of marijuana will be introduced to parliament, with the aim of providing alternate treatment for people with debilitating illnesses, reports Al Jazeera.
“This government is incredibly sympathetic to the suffering of those Australians with debilitating illnesses and we want to enable access to the most effective medical treatments available,” Ley said.
But growing cannabis for recreational purposes will still be illegal in Australia.

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that he is open to the legalization of marijuana during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC.

The senator from Vermont, who is competing against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, said he wants to learn from the experiences of Colorado and other states that have legalized recreational pot use.

But, Sanders said: “I am not unfavorably disposed to moving toward the legalization of marijuana.”

“We have more people in jail today than any other country on earth,” Sanders told Kimmel. “We have large numbers of lives that have been destroyed because of this war on drugs, and because people were caught smoking marijuana and so forth. I think we have got to end the war on drugs.”

CHARLESTON, West Virginia — With his eye on multiple conflicts across the globe, President Obama traveled to the capital of West Virginia on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 21) to talk about a different kind of war: the battle against addiction.

“This crisis is taking lives,” said Obama at the beginning of an hour-long community conversation about the impact of prescription drug abuse in West Virginia and across the nation. “It’s destroying families, shattering lives across the country … white, black, Hispanic, young, old, rich, poor, urban, suburban … One of the problems is too many families suffer in silence.”

REGINA – Marijuana consumers in Regina are hoping Justin Trudeau sticks to his promise to legalize marijuana.

“I think this should be up front because cannabis users that have been using it for years as a medicine have been really downtrodden and looked upon in a negative light,” said hydroponics grower Darin Wheatley.

In his eyes there’s a good way and a bad way of legislating use though.