The EESC warns against 'excessive increases' on the grounds that they could fuel illicit trade, thereby recycling one of the tobacco industry's oldest false narratives arguments against stronger regulation.
The status quo is not an option. We have to ban it here in Boston. Kratom refers to both a tree native to southeast Asia and products derived from its leaves. There is particular concern among officials and experts about 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a potent compound found in kratom. In recent years, products that contain synthetically enhanced amounts of 7-OH have proliferated in smoke shops and convenience stores around the country.
Dutch law gave Oosterhoff the power to grant her request. In 2002, the Netherlands began allowing doctors to administer death to patients who make "voluntary and well considered" pleas to end "unbearable" suffering from any medical condition—provided there is no "prospect of improvement" and no "reasonable alternative" to dying. Eighteen-year-olds are adults and can request euthanasia even over family objections.
If your blinds and curtains are open in the morning as you wake, this can have a positive impact on sleep. A study last year found that getting sunlight before 10am improved sleep quality. Light at night can stop you releasing melatonin, which tells your body it's bedtime. But we need sunlight in the daytime, especially in the morning. It helps our bodies set their biological clocks.
During the inspection, deputies observed cannabis and THC products displayed for sale on the shop's front counter and in a storage room behind the sales counter. Investigators ultimately seized 84.6 pounds of cannabis and THC products, including 15 pounds of cannabis flower, 63.2 pounds of edibles and 6.4 pounds of vape products, according to the Sheriff's Office.
An analysis released Thursday by the Office of Cannabis Management claims that, without action, the shortage of flowered marijuana could reach 365,000 pounds over the next year. Citing the gap between supply and demand, OCM Acting Executive Director John Kagia said the state could issue licenses for 100 additional pot growers this year - while allowing dozens of existing cultivators to grow more flower.
Community-led work is critical to preventing hate and addressing the conditions that allow bias to take hold. These grants support New Yorkers who are doing the hard, meaningful work of bringing people together, strengthening relationships, and helping build a city where everyone belongs.
Fresh research from the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) shows nearly a quarter of Dutch adults, 24%, believe people around them see gambling as normal behavior. Men were significantly more likely than women to share that view. The regulator surveyed 1,000 residents and found that when gambling comes up casually in conversations with friends or family, people are more likely to join in themselves.
In early February, Canadian researchers reported that rates of severe mental illness among young people have risen alongside increased access to high-potency cannabis (Callaghan, et al., 2022). Around the same time, a new book, A Killing in Cannabis (Kohn, 2024), revisited a 2019 California murder and highlighted how violence tied to the marijuana trade has persisted even after legalization. On February 9, 2024, an opinion piece from the New York Times editorial board
During an interview with the force, Mr Allen admitted that he had agreed to allow the package, the contents of which West Mercia Police estimated would have a street value of 20,000, to be delivered, having been asked to do so by a drug dealer. He told the school about it but offered a misleading explanation about the matter, saying he had agreed to receive the parcel but had no knowledge of what it would contain.
With 1.5 billion euros per week in VAT revenue at stake, there are now serious concerns about digital sovereignty. If that revenue of €1.5B a week disappears, the state will have to quickly borrow more on the international capital market. In theory, America could stop this process in the Netherlands thanks to a new tender.
He wanted something in return for returning files to the Dutch police. What he got in return was an arrest. A press release from Dutch police sums it up: On Thursday evening around 7:00 PM, police arrested a 40-year-old man from Ridderkerk on Prinses Beatrixstraat in Ridderkerk for computer hacking. Due to a police error, the man had inadvertently gained access to confidential police documents.
The heavy brick mass of the early twentieth century warehouse stands steady at the corner, its facades still marked by decorative lintels and deep-set openings. Above, two added floors sit within a perforated aluminum veil that glows softly at dusk. The metal skin reads as a light canopy hovering over the old masonry, a precise intervention that contrasts the museum's new public life with its working past. See designboom's previous coverage here.
In 2025, the Netherlands counted 2,748 zero-emission buses in operation (+853 on 2024), with electric buses accounting for 26% of all bus kilometres driven. At the same time, the share of diesel fell to 65% (from 69), according to CROW's latest monitoring of public transport fleets. Still according to CROW's researches, the country exceeded 1,000 units in operation as of 2020.
Solvinity provides the platform on which DigiD, MijnOverheid, and secure communications for Justice and Security run. The CDA spoke of "critical infrastructure for the Netherlands" that must remain in Dutch or European hands. D66 member Sarah El Boujdaini also opposed the sale: "Digital resilience is national security." The concern extends beyond this acquisition alone. Experts had previously demanded transparency about the deal. Municipalities that chose Solvinity because of national control, including Amsterdam, also felt blindsided.
Last year, he and a partner, Matt Stang, purchased High Times, a fifty-plus-year-old cannabis culture brand that had fallen into receivership, for three and a half million dollars. They are in the process of reviving the High Times print magazine, which once published Charles Bukowski and William S. Burroughs, as a quarterly. The relaunch issue, featuring the rapper Rick Ross on the cover, is out this month.
This is part of Wet February, a series about America's increasingly muddled relationship with drinking-and how to sip your way through it wisely and well. Alcohol is my only vice, and boy, it does not feel good to have my vice validated by the new food pyramid, which also suggests that steak is the foundation of a healthy diet. But I can't deny that a happy hour martini makes me feel as if I sparkle,
Many Americans enthusiastically partake in Dry January, but it is rarely pitched as fun. After the holiday stretch of office parties and family gatherings, Americans have come to use the start of every year to abstain from alcohol in the name of health and auspicious beginnings. It's a time of discipline, of cleansing, of embodying your mood board, even if it makes you a drag at parties. And it is also, as weed companies have learned, a marketing opportunity.
Fifteen people suspected of spreading "Islamic State"(IS) propaganda on TikTok were arrested in raids across the Netherlands by Dutch police on Tuesday. The Dutch public prosecution office said the 15 suspects were trying to "incite others to commit terrorist crimes" through IS propaganda, which included calls to join the Islamist terrorist group while glorifying the idea of "martyrdom." Some of the posts were viewed more than 100,000 times, Dutch authorities said.
The Netherlands has the opportunity to build a European data center with 100,000 AI chips and 20 petabytes of storage, but the government is lagging behind in terms of financial commitment. Energy company Eneco and data center party Volt, who together want to build the AI gigafactory, warn that neighboring countries are moving ahead and emptying the EU subsidy pot of 20 billion euros. "While the Netherlands actually has very good conditions," according to Eneco.
The chain of events reads less like a breach and more like an own goal. In connection with a separate investigation, the man contacted the police on February 12 to report he had images that might be relevant. An officer responded by sending him a link so he could upload the files - except the link sent was a download link, effectively giving him access to confidential police documents.