News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. August 17, 2023: Here are the cannabis headlines making marijuana news globally and in the Caribbean and Latin America this week in less than 60 seconds:

Germany’s cabinet voted through plans Wednesday to legalize possession of cannabis as well as community cultivation clubs to serve local communities. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the law should be passed by the Bundestag after the summer recess and come into force as early as the beginning of next year.

Canadian cannabis producer Tilray Brands is adding to its alcohol portfolio with the acquisition of eight beverage brands from Anheuser-Busch, including Breckenridge and Shock Top breweries, a cider maker and an energy seltzer. Tilray will pay the equivalent of $85 million in cash for the brands, the company said in a filing.

New York City councilmembers are calling a new law that fines landlords leasing space to illegal weed shops a “game changer.” It’s in response to what members called an “explosion” of unlicensed smoke shops opening up across the city. The city is nowhome to an estimated 2,000 illegal cannabis shops.

People who use marijuana are about half as likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to a new meta-analysis of scientific studies. Researchers at the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran published the study in the journal Phytotherapy Research this month, expanding on the scientific literature examining the effects of cannabis on glucose regulation and insulin secretion that are tied to the chronic disease.

The Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) has granted approval to two local companies for operations in the medicinal cannabis sector.

For the first time, the 2022 Economic Census by the US Census has included options for business owners to identify themselves as part of the cannabis economy. While there are no specific questions about cannabis in the 2022 Economic Census, options to select cannabis as a primary business activity are available to retail and wholesale establishments.

And four cannabis stocks to watch this week are: Tilray, (TLRY), Cresco Labs (CRLBF); Green Thumb Industries (GTBIF) and Cronos Group (CRON).