Canada To Legalize Marijuana

The Canadian government will soon introduce legislation next year that would make the sale of marijuana legal. If enacted, Canada would become one of the largest Western countries to allow widespread use of the drug which is considered illegal in many parts of the world. Medical use of marijuana is already legal and some have insisted that legal marijuana would reduce stress on Canada's criminal justice system.

Canadian Health Minister Jane Philpott pledged to keep marijuana out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals. According to her, the Government will work with law enforcement partners to encourage appropriate and proportionate criminal justice measures.

Bill Blair, a former Toronto police chief has been named by Prime Minister - Justin Trudeau as the government's point person on legalisation. According to Blair, the Government would control who it's sold to, when it's sold and also how it's used in order to prevent organised crime from having the opportunity to profit from it.

Zainab Al-Khawaja Bahraini Activist Sentenced Over Tearing King's Photo

AP
Bahraini pro-democracy activist Zainab al-Khawaja has been sentenced to three years in prison for tearing up a picture of King Hamad.

A court gave her the option of paying a fine to remain at liberty until her appeal.Ms Khawaja, who comes from Bahrain's most prominent dissident family, faces other cases next week.

Amnesty International said it would consider Ms Khawaja "a prisoner of conscience" if she were jailed.

"Tearing up a photo of the head of state should not be a criminal offence," Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Said Boumedouha said.

"Amnesty International is calling for this and all of Zainab Al-Khawaja's other convictions to be quashed and all outstanding charges to be dropped."