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peppertree's JournalArgentina: Government legalizes self-cultivation, sale of medicinal cannabis
Argentine President Alberto Fernández has signed legislation authorizing the self-cultivation and retail sale of medicinal cannabis.
The bill creates a Cannabis Program Registry (REPROCANN) to issue permits for “controlled solidary cultivation,” legalizes the sale of medicinal cannabis in pharmacies, and expands its public access - currently restricted to those with severe epilepsy.
“It is imperative to create a regulatory framework that allows timely, safe and inclusive access and protection for those who need to use cannabis as a therapeutic tool,” the bill stated.
Past the Paradox
A limited legalization of medicinal cannabis was first enacted nationwide in Argentina by Law 27.350, signed by Fernández's predecessor, Mauricio Macri, in 2017.
But Law 27.350, according to Congresswoman Carolina Gaillard of the center-left Front for All (FdT), who co-authored both the 2017 bill and the current one, “was restrictively regulated by the Macri administration, not allowing self-cultivation or access (to cannabis) in other ways.”
“This created a paradox wherein, having a cannabis law, those who sought it for treatment had no legal access to it: they had rely on the black market, or overseas.”
During Macri's 2015-19 tenure, arrests for minor possession of narcotics - mainly cannabis - tripled to 10,000 annually.
Meanwhile, under the Macri-era “Simplified Shares Society” policy at least 40 shell companies were created by one drug trafficker alone - by which around $30 million was laundered in 2018.
“(Former Security Minister) Bullrich chased the small fish to fatten the statistics,” Security Minister adviser Gabriel Fuks charged.
“Building up statistics only based on seizures is not a serious policy.”
At: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/20/11/18345191/argentina-government-legalizes-self-cultivation-sale-of-medicinal-cannabis
Advocate Valeria Salech (left), Congresswoman Carolina Gaillard (third from left) and other activists stand in front of Argentina's Security Ministry earlier this year during their campaign to legalize medicinal cannabis.
Gaillard's bill, signed last night by President Alberto Fernández, legalizes both the cultivation and retail sale of medicinal cannabis for any chronic condition.
She co-authored both today's bill, as well as the nation's first legalization bill in 2017 - which, she notes, “did not allow self-cultivation or access (to cannabis) in other ways.”
Evo Morales makes triumphant return to Bolivia
Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indigenous president and one of Latin America's most prominent leftists, has made a triumphant return to his home country after being controversially driven from power one year ago.
The socialist leader, 61, crossed the border from Argentina on Monday to begin a 625-mile odyssey through the heartland of his support, accompanied by a festive, flag-flourishing convoy of vehicles.
"Today is one of the most important days of my life," he wrote on Twitter as he embarked on his return journey. "To be returning to the country that I love fills me with happiness."
Morales' return comes one day after Luis Arce, his former economy minister, was sworn in as Bolivia's president, delivering a major victory to the nation's socialist movement and its allies.
Arce, 57, surprised observers last month by winning the first round of the presidential election with 55% of the vote.
A soft-spoken, low-key figure, he assumes power in a nation that is politically polarized, and where the economy and health system have been severely battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
At: https://www.npr.org/2020/11/09/933139632/evo-morales-makes-triumphant-return-to-bolivia
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales (right), who was ousted in a violent right-wing coup a year ago, waves to supporters while crossing the border into Bolivia with Argentine President Alberto Fernández.
Morales lived in Buenos Aires' co-operatively run Bauen Hotel for most of his year-long exile, and has on numerous occasions credited the Argentine president for saving his life.
"Thank you my Argentine brothers and sisters - and thank you, brother Alberto, for being with me and guaranteeing my security," Morales said.
Joe Biden plans to cut taxes, boost health care and reduce college debt during his first term
A Joe Biden presidency will potentially impact the personal finances of millions of Americans, from how much they pay in income taxes, to whether they can pare college debt – or afford college at all.
Those who stand to benefit most are the middle class and low wage earners, experts say, while the affluent will likely pay more.
"Biden ramps up government spending on education, health care and other social programs, the benefits of which largely go to those in the bottom half of the income distribution,'' Moody's Analytics wrote in a report for investors issued before Biden was officially the president-elect.
"Meanwhile, he meaningfully increases taxes on the well-to-do, financial institutions and businesses to help pay for it."
At: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2020/11/09/biden-presidential-win-family-budget-taxes-health-care-impacts/6124816002/
President-elect Joe Biden during a campaign stop at a Michigan factory.
Biden's "economic re-write" features traditional Democratic policies such as more spending on education, health care and other social programs - with tax cuts for most Americans, and tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations.
Bolivian President Luis Arce sworn in as socialists regain power: 'We have reclaimed democracy'
Bolivia’s new president, Luis Arce, has vowed to rebuild his country’s battered economy, revive ties with leftwing neighbours and serve one term only, as he prepared to take office after October’s landslide election.
Speaking to the Guardian before his inauguration on Sunday, the UK-educated economist was cautious about characterising his victory as proof that Latin America’s leftwing “pink tide” of the early 2000s was bouncing back after a period of rightwing dominance.
Since 2018 the left has returned to power in Mexico and Argentina, while leftwing economist Andrés Arauz is well placed to win Ecuador’s presidential election in February.
But Arce’s win did represent a resurrection for the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, which some observers thought was doomed after its figurehead, Evo Morales, was driven abroad last November after what supporters call a US-backed coup.
Arce, 57, a former economy minister under leftist former President Evo Morales, inherits a dire economic situation - with GDP falling 11% this year and unemployment as high as 30% in sectors such as construction.
At: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/08/luis-arce-bolivia-president-elect-left-morales
Bolivian President Luis Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca greet legislators and guests moments after their inaugural today.
His predecessor Jeanine Áñez, who proclaimed herself president during last November's violent coup, has earned plaudits for ultimately yielding to calls for elections.
Arce won the October 18 elections with 55% of the vote, nearly twice the 29% earned by centrist former President Carlos Mesa.
10 million Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus
Source: New York Times
The United States reported its 10 millionth coronavirus case on Sunday, with the latest million added in just 10 days, as most of the country struggled to contain outbreaks in the third and most widespread wave of infection since the pandemic began.
Case reports have soared in the last week, shattering records. The seven-day average of new cases now exceeds 100,000 per day, far more than any other country. The United States accounts for about one-fifth of all reported coronavirus cases in the world, a total that is nearing 50 million.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/08/world/covid19-coronavirus-live-updates#10-million-americans-have-tested-positive-for-the-coronavirus
Arkansas police chief resigns after saying 'death to all' Democrats on social media
According to Kevin Elliot, mayor for the city of Marshall, Police Chief Lang Holland has resigned after remarks he made on social media.
On the social media site Parler, Holland made several remarks regarding his political bias. Some of these comments read, in part:
"Do not forget what these Marxist Democrat bastards have tried to do. When you see one in public get in their face do not give them peace. Throw water on them at restaurants. Push them off sidewalks. Never let them forget they are traitors and have no right to live in this Republic after what they have done"
Holland also said on several occasions "death to all" Democrats in response to other posts.
The mayor said Holland's remarks do not reflect the people of Marshall.
In another post, Holland threatened to shoot and kill Black Lives Matters supporters and Antifa supporters.
"The Marshall community does not in any way support or condone bullying or threats of violence to anyone of any political persuasion! We condemn it," the statement read.
At: https://www.khou.com/article/news/nation-world/marshall-police-chief-resigns-after-threats-of-violence-on-social-media/91-40feda4d-f0da-49cd-a984-09d81798d11c
Marshall, AR, Police Chief Lang Holland: Law and disorder
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez congratulates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and American voters
Argentine President Alberto Fernández joined numerous world leaders and dignitaries in congratulating Democratic nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who were declared the projected winners of the U.S. presidential elections shortly after 11:00 a.m. EST.
"I congratulate the American people on the record turnout in the elections, a clear expression of popular will," Fernández declared on Twitter shortly after the announcement.
"Greetings to Joe Biden, next president of the United States, and Kamala Harris, who will be the first female vice president of that country," he concluded.
Positive relationship
Despite marked ideological differences, the center-left Fernández, 61, enjoyed a relatively positive relationship with outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump.
While President-elect Biden was backed by most of Argentina's wide political spectrum - particularly among Fernández's supporters - Fernández himself was careful not to endorse, or appear to endorse, either candidate.
Trump is widely believed in Argentina to have been helpful in negotiations with the IMF over the $45 billion borrowed by Fernández's predecessor Mauricio Macri in 2018-19, as well as with bondholders during the successful refinance in August of $66 billion in U.S. law Argentine bonds.
This support surprised many observers in Argentina, given that Trump had supported the right-wing Macri - with whom he's enjoyed a 35-year friendship.
Trump's top Latin America point man, Mauricio Claver-Carone, admitted on July 28 to have facilitated the record IMF bailout largely to prop up Macri's failed re-election bid.
https://twitter.com/alferdez/status/1325137847565869057
Celebrated Argentine filmmaker Pino Solanas dies at age 84
Tributes have been pouring in for filmmaker, activist and politician Fernando Ezequiel 'Pino' Solanas, who passed away in Paris at the age of 84. Solanas had been admitted to hospital prior to be treated for COVID-19.
A socialist at heart, Solanas had become a sensation in Argentina and in international film festivals, combining his concern for the working class with a strong message of environmentalism and respect for women's rights.
Solanas survived threats to his life by the Argentine Anti-Communist Alliance in 1975 and the fascist dictatorship installed in 1976, and a 1991 shooting following sharp criticism of privatizations being carried out at the time by President Carlos Menem.
Solanas was one of the pioneers of "Third World Cinema" which turned the lens away from neoliberal and neocolonial narratives. His work has received accolades from film festivals in Berlin, Cannes, Havana, Venice, and elsewhere.
From film to politics
Born in the upscale Buenos Aires suburb of Olivos, he first earned renown with The Hour of the Furnaces - a 1968 documentary on the liberation struggle in Latin America as seen through an Argentine lens.
His 1971 interview of exiled populist leader Juan Perón remains among the most often-referenced historical footage in Argentina and among Argentine history students.
An attempted abduction in 1976, during a dictatorship he fiercely opposed, led to his 8-year exile in Paris - an experience he adapted into his acclaimed musical Tangos: Gardel's Exile (1985) upon his return.
Solanas' South (1988), set amid the dictatorship, earned him a Best Director nod at the Cannes Film Festival. His surreal The Journey (1992), a critical view of President George H.W. Bush's Latin America policy, won a Technical Grand Prize at Cannes.
The Cloud (1998), a dark comedy lampooning the "K-shaped" recovery in Argentina at the time, earned a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Solanas returned to documentaries afterward, notably Memories of a Pillage (2004) - a chronicle of the country's 1990s free-market bubble and its 2001 collapse.
In Journey to the Fumigated Towns (2018), Solanas depicts the fallout from agro-toxins in rural Argentina, as a result of corporate farming. His last work, Let It Be Law (2019) chronicles the struggle for abortion rights in the country - a right that appears poised for passage by Congress and its enactment by President Alberto Fernández in 2021.
Solanas, a key figure in Fernández's center-left Front for All alliance in the 2019 elections, served in Congress in 1993-97 and 2009-13; he was elected senator in 2013, serving until last year and becoming a leading critic of right-wing President Mauricio Macri.
"Enormous grief for Pino Solanas. He died while fulfilling his duties as Argentina's ambassador to UNESCO," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "He will be remembered for his art, his political commitment and for his ethics, always at the service of a better country.”
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who last year awarded Solanas a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kerala Film Festival, called him "an inspiration to a democratic country like India."
At: https://english.madhyamam.com/entertainment/revolutionary-argentine-filmmaker-solanas-no-more-597079
Argentine film-maker Fernando "Pino" Solanas, 1936-2020.
Solanas' activist films became favorites both among local audiences and film and Spanish-language students internationally.
His Project South party - which he named after a fictitious party in one of his films - has been a steadfast advocate for the environment, women's and labor rights, and economic nationalism.
Geoffrey Palmer, British star of 'As Time Goes By,' dies at 93
British actor Geoffrey Palmer, known for the long-running series “As Time Goes By,” “Butterflies” and “The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin,” has died peacefully at home, his agent told the BBC. He was 93.
In “As Time Goes By,” Palmer co-starred with Judi Dench. The two reunited in the 1997 James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies.”
Other notable films he was in include “A Fish Called Wanda” (1988), “The Madness of King George” (1994), “Mrs. Brown” (1997), and “Paddington” (2014). His last appearance is in “An Unquiet Life,” a film currently in post-production.
At: https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/geoffrey-palmer-british-star-of-e2-80-98as-time-goes-by-e2-80-99-dies-at-93/ar-BB1aLrmP
British actor Geoffrey Palmer, with co-star Judi Dench from the hit 1992-2005 sitcom “As Time Goes By.”
Democrat Bourdeaux flips Georgia House district
Source: AP
Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux has flipped a suburban Atlanta congressional district, defeating Republican Rich McCormick.
Counting of absentee ballots and in-person votes cast early continued long past election night, forcing a tense wait before the race could be called.
Bourdeaux, 50, had come close to winning in 2018, falling fewer than 500 votes short of defeating Republican incumbent Rob Woodall in that race.
Woodall didn’t seek another term in the district northeast of Atlanta.
Bourdeaux is a college professor who previously worked in government. She emphasized expanded health care in her campaign and used the momentum she built two years ago to push past McCormick, an emergency room physician and Marine veteran making his first-ever bid for office.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-stacey-abrams-georgia-70bae5e37036c65f6da0db832871f2e4
Congresswoman-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux: Second time's the charm
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