US: Big Business with Cannabis - Cannabis is the most consumed drug worldwide. In the US states of Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Colorado possession and sale of it are allowed, under various conditions. For those states, legalization means more revenue: Colorado took in just under 53 million dollars in taxes, fees and licenses in the past year alone. Armenia & Georgia: For a Fairer Justice System - In many countries, the possession, sale and consumption of cannabis are criminal offences. In Armenia, the penalties are especially high. The jails are overcrowded, not just because of drug-related crime, but also with people imprisoned for comparatively minor offences. More than 25 percent of inmates still haven't been convicted. Human rights activists like Anna Melikyan want to change that. She's demanding an entirely new approach - alternative punishment methods such as electronic tagging or community service. Questionnaire: Vietnam - Nguyen Thi Duyen is 36 years old and lives in Hue, Vietnam. She works as a bamboo weaver and earns about 7 euros a day. To her, globalization means that her employer's products can be exported abroad. She'd like to travel to Germany some day. Global Ideas: Uganda - Protecting an Ecosystem - Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano, is the fourth highest massif in eastern Africa. Because of its unusual biodiversity the summit of the mountain was declared a nature reserve in 1993, as part of an already existing national park. When that happened, 30,000 people who lived there had to be resettled. Many still don't understand why. A United Nations project has been teaching people alternative methods of farming and earning a livelihood without destroying the unique flora and fauna. Mexico: Fighting the Fat - Many Mexicans are obese. The authorities in Mexico City are taking a creative approach to remedy that. In a pilot project, they're tempting commuters with music and free subway tickets. To get a free ride, the commuters have to do 10 squats - not much, but at least it's better than no exercise at all.
