National
Portugal: Prime Minister, António Costa, resigns over suspicions of corruption
Listen to this article
The Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, presented his resignation this afternoon to the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, following suspicions of corruption, disclosed this morning by the Public. According to the daily newspaper, the PSP carried out searches at António Costa's official residence and at the Ministries of Environment and Infrastructure, because of business related to lithium and hydrogen.
Ministers Duarte Cordeiro (Environment and Climate Transition), João Galamba (Infrastructure) and the former Minister of the Environment, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, were named defendants. Five people have been detained so far: the prime minister's chief of staff, Vítor Escária, a consultant close to Costa, Diogo Lacerda Machado, the mayor of Sines, the socialist Nuno Mascarenhas and another businessman.
António Costa could not resist the suspicions of corruption, which he guaranteed “never heard of”, but stated that this is not compatible with the functions of prime minister, reports the SIC News. At issue is a process that investigates the hydrogen and lithium businesses. The prime minister added that he does not intend to run again for the government of Portugal.
It is not yet known what impact the fall of the government, with an absolute socialist majority, will have on the future of the country, in general, and on the cannabis situation, in particular. The Socialist Party (PS) had announced recently the intention to set up a working group to debate and deepen reflection around the regulation of the use of cannabis for non-medical purposes, by the leader of the PS parliamentary group, Eurico Brilhante Dias, something that will certainly no longer be a priority , at least at this stage.
The Socialist Party had also revealed that it would present its proposal to legalize cannabis next year, something that now, in the midst of a political crisis, is even more uncertain and distant.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]____________________________________________________________________________________________________
What do you do with €3 a month? Become one of our Patrons! If you believe that independent cannabis journalism is necessary, subscribe to one of the levels of our Patreon account and you will have access to unique gifts and exclusive content. If there are many of us, we can make a difference with little!
With a degree in Journalism from the University of Coimbra, Laura Ramos has a postgraduate degree in Photography and has been a Journalist since 1998. Winner of the Business of Cannabis Awards in the category "Journalist of the Year 2024", Laura was a correspondent for Jornal de Notícias in Rome, Italy, and Press Officer in the Office of the Minister of Education of the 21st Portuguese Government. She has an international certification in Permaculture (PDC) and created the street-art photography archive “Say What? Lisbon” @saywhatlisbon. Co-founder and Editor of CannaReporter® and coordinator of PTMC - Portugal Medical Cannabis, Laura directed the documentary “Pacientes” and was part of the steering group of the first Postgraduate Course in GxP's for Medicinal Cannabis in Portugal, in partnership with the Military Laboratory and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.
Thailand has found a solution where European countries still see a problem.
Reading Time: 13 minutes On my second trip to Thailand, I was once again pleasantly surprised. After visiting several...
The Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo promotes "Adapting International Hemp to Japan's New Regulations"
Reading Time: 3 minutes The International Business Meeting “Adapting the International Market...” will take place tomorrow, November 13, 2025.
Portugal: Infarmed updates lists and removes licenses from two more medicinal cannabis companies.
Reading Time: 2 minutes. Infarmed has updated the public list of entities licensed for activities with medicinal cannabis in Portugal. The...
Portocanna strengthens its Hexacan portfolio with a new sublingual solution containing 20% THC.
Reading Time: 2 minutes. The Portuguese company Portocanna announced the launch of Hexacan® Hexa 01 Cannabis Oil Extract THC 20%,...
Cypress Hill confirmed for Rock in Rio Lisboa 2026
Reading Time: 2 minutes. The legendary American band Cypress Hill, whose hits "Insane in the Brain" and "Hits from the Bong"...
USA: Green Thumb Industries workers secure collective agreement after 45-day strike.
Reading Time: < 1 minute Workers at Green Thumb Industries, one of the largest multi-state cannabis companies in the United States...
Switzerland: Pacrim takes control of Medropharm and prepares for a new phase of expansion in medicinal cannabis.
Reading Time: 2 minutes. Pacrim has acquired two-thirds of the Swiss company Medropharm, thus gaining control of the company and its operations.
South Africa: Researchers discover rare phenolic compounds in cannabis leaves.
Reading Time: 4 minutes. Researchers at Stellenbosch University in South Africa have discovered that flavoalkaloids are produced in the leaves of the plant...
Covilhã – Dismantling of two cannabis greenhouses
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Castelo Branco Territorial Command, through the Criminal Investigation Unit (NIC) of Covilhã, in...
Tokyo will host the Japan International Hemp Expo on November 14th and 15th, 2025.
Reading Time: 4 minutes. For the first time since the legal reform, Japan opens its doors to the global hemp industry...
