Ship nabbed carrying 20 tonnes of cannabis

A French navy boat tows the Tanzanian merchant ship Luna-S in the direction of the port of Toulon on September 12, 2013 (AFP, Franck Pennant)

The French navy says it has made a record cannabis seizure in the Mediterranean sea after intercepting a ship carrying 20 tonnes of cannabis worth up to 50 million euros.

"To the best of our knowledge it is the biggest seizure by the French state in the Mediterranean," vice-admiral Yves Joly told a news conference in Toulon on Thursday.

The market value of the cannabis was "between 40 and 50 million euros ($53 and 66 million)," said regional customs head Hugues-Lionel Galy.

The Luna-S, a Tanzania-flagged vessel, was intercepted by the French navy on Sunday in international waters between Sardinia in Italy and Algeria.

The eight-member crew, who claimed to be Syrians, set the cannabis on fire and a part of the clandestine cargo was destroyed.

The ship was towed by a French vessel and arrived in the southern port city of Toulon on Thursday.

The men will be tried in France and could face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.

Tanzania had authorised French authorities to stop and inspect the ship and try the suspects.

The Luna-S left Morocco and appeared headed for Egypt.

Source

This post brought to you in part by howtogrowweed420.com

GW Pharmaceuticals to expand marketing authorization for Sativex to France

GW Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: GWPH, AIM: GWP, "GW" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, announced that it has submitted an application under the European Mutual Recognition Procedure (MRP) seeking to expand the marketing authorization for Sativex® into France for the treatment of spasticity due to Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

This new regulatory application follows a Decree signed by the French Minister of Health in June 2013, which amended national legislation in France so as to permit a prescription cannabis-based medicine, subject to approval by ANSM, the French regulatory authority. As with previous Sativex MRP filings, the UK regulatory authority, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is acting as the Reference Member State.

Sativex is already approved as a treatment for MS spasticity in 21 countries, including 17 countries in Europe. The medicine is currently available on prescription in the UK,Spain, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Austria, Poland, Sweden and Italy with launches currently in preparation for a further 8 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Sativex meets a significant unmet medical need for patients with Multiple Sclerosis and we look forward to working with the French authorities so as to allow this important medicine to be made available in France," stated Justin Gover, Chief Executive Officer of GW Pharmaceuticals. "The submission of this MRP for Sativex in France builds on the recent commercial launch in Italy and continues the momentum of expanding Sativex availability throughout Europe. We see this growth as important validation of patient and physician acceptance of Sativex in meeting the needs of people with Multiple Sclerosis."

Almirall, an international pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Spain, is the exclusive distribution partner for Sativex in the European Union (excluding the United Kingdom) and E.U. accession countries, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Turkey and Mexico.

Read More

Grow Cannabis Indoors