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Uruguay: Rodrigo Ferrés, president of the Drug Board and deputy secretary of the Presidency, has told media that proposals to allow the sale of recreational cannabis to tourists have failed for now and must be studied further before they are adopted. Proposals to allow non-residents who are legally in the country to purchase recreational cannabis and access cannabis clubs have been discussed for many months.

Thailand: MP Supachai Jaisamut of the Bhumjaithai Party, who has pushed cannabis legalisation, said the committee vetting the cannabis and hemp bill should be finished by August and does not anticipate any delays, press reports. The committee will also seek input from the public to improve the bill.

Belgium: The government has notified fellow EU member states through the TRIS Database of a bill to ban pouches containing nicotine or cannabinoids. The stated aim of the ban is to prevent both known and potential adverse health effects of these new products, discourage their use by young people and avoid possible negative effects on anti-tobacco efforts. The standstill period to submit comments will end on 16th September.

Spain: The Congressional Health Committee yesterday approved a subcommittee report on medical cannabis, opening the door to it being dispensed in pharmacies, press reports. A proposal to include recreational cannabis use in the report was rejected. The ruling Socialist Party, which initially suggested that cannabis should be dispensed only in hospitals, is now expected to introduce a bill to regulate medical cannabis.

Indonesia: Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, has floated the idea of a study on the legalisation of medical cannabis, press reports. Dasco said his party, Gerindra (Great Indonesia Movement), would cooperate with the Ministry of Health to conduct the study.

EU: The European Commission Civil Dialogue Group on arable crops was meeting today to discuss prospects and developments in the hemp sector. The group held a joint meeting in March with the expert group for agricultural markets, when they discussed cannabis and hemp-derived ingredienst in cosmetic products, CBD as a novel food, and the impact and implications of the Kanavape case on the internal market.

US - Texas: The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s ban on smokable hemp is constitutional, reversing a lower court’s decision. The plaintiffs, producers of smokable hemp products, claimed the ban was unconstitutional because it violated their “due-course rights” to earn a living producing such products. However, the supreme court rejected this argument, essentially on the basis that producing smokable hemp products has never been legal in Texas.

US - federal: The SAFE (Secure and Fair Enforcement) Banking Act has been removed from the America Competes Act, press reports. Provisions to allow financial institutions to deal with state-legal cannabis businesses were included in the version passed earlier by the House of Representatives but have been removed by the Senate and will not make it into the final version of the bill.

Thailand: Prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has banned the use of cannabis and hemp on military bases, press reports. Military personnel are allowed to use cannabis for medical purposes only.