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Society

In France, “Cannabis Social Clubs” Start Growing In Defiance Of Pot Laws

Worldcrunch

LES INROCKUPTIBLES (France)

PARIS - French marijuana activists are stepping up their fight to legalize the drug, opening several "Cannabis Social Clubs' across the country.

Known as a CSC, they are cooperatives of regular marijuana users who grow the plant for their own consumption, explains French magazine Les Inrockuptibles. The goal is to be able to get the drug without supporting drug trafficking. Plants are cultivated in gardens, on balconies or even in members' closets. These not-for-profit organizations advocate a "controlled self-production" and are hoping to able to supply cannabis for "therapeutic" purposes as well.

The weed will be free and split equally among all members in exchange for a yearly 25-euro membership fee. These clubs first appeared in Spain and are already spreading to Belgium, countries where marijuana possession, consumption and production for personal use aren't criminal offences. In France, there are bans against presenting the drug in "a positive light," as well as its production, possession and even consumption.

"Those who take this personal risk will no longer have to face authorities on their own," Dominique Broc, a marijuana activist and one of the leaders of the French CSC project, told Inrockuptibles. According to Broc about 150 clubs are already active or about to start producing and he is hoping the movement will spread across France. "The best thing to do with cannabis is not to take it, but the worst thing is to ban it," he adds. Though France has one of the toughest legislations on marijuana in Europe, it is also the country where teenagers smoke it the most.

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Economy

Soft Power Or Sportwashing? What's Driving The Mega Saudi Image Makeover Play

Saudi Arabia suddenly now leads the world in golf, continues to attract top European soccer stars, and invests in culture and entertainment... Its "soft power" strategy is changing the kingdom's image through what critics bash as blatant "sportwashing."

Footballer Karim Benzema, in his Real Madrid kit

Karim Benzema during a football match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium on June 04, 2023, in Madrid, Spain.

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — A major announcement this week caused quite a stir in the world of professional golf. It wouldn't belong in the politics section were it not for the role played by Saudi Arabia. The three competing world circuits have announced their merger, putting an end to the "civil war" in the world of pro golf.

The Chairman of the new entity is Yassir Al-Rumayan, head of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. Add to this the fact that one of the major players in the world of golf is Donald Trump – three of the biggest tournaments are held on golf courses he owns – and it's easy to see what's at stake.

In the same week, we learned that two leading French footballers, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté, were to join Saudi club Al-Ittihad, also owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. The amount of the transfer is not known, but it is sure to be substantial. There, they will join other soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo.

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