United Nations Removes Marijuana From Most Strict Global Drug Category, With U.S. Support - Grow Life 420

United Nations Removes Marijuana From Most Strict Global Drug Category, With U.S. Support

December 02, 2020

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

A key United Nations (UN) panel approved a World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation to remove marijuana from the most restrictive global scheduling category on Wednesday.

With the backing of the U.S. government, the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) adopted the proposal to delete cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention.

This doesn’t mean that member nations are cleared to legalize marijuana, however, as it remains under the separate Schedule I of the international drug control system. But advocates say it demonstrates an evolution in how the international community views cannabis policy, and it could promote research into the plant’s therapeutic potential.

WHO made six recommendations on global cannabis policy last year—and CND has held numerous meetings on the proposals. After numerous meetings and delays, members finally held votes at a meeting this week.

The proposal to remove marijuana from Schedule IV was arguably the most consequential of the reforms, and is the only one that was approved. (The international scheduling system differs from that of the U.S. in that the country’s most restrictive category is Schedule I.)

Here’s a rundown of the votes on the WHO’s cannabis recommendations:

APPROVED: Remove marijuana from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention.

REJECTED: Add THC and dronabinol (synthetic THC medication) to Schedule I of the 1961 Convention and, if approved, delete them from Schedule II of the 1971 Convention.

REJECTED: If the second recommendation is adopted, add tetrahydrocannabinol to Schedule I of the 1961 Convention and, if approved, delete it from Schedule I of the 1971 Convention.

REJECTED: Delete “extracts and tinctures of cannabis” from Schedule I of the 1961 Convention.

REJECTED: Add footnote to clarify that CBD products containing no more than 0.2 percent THC are not subject to international control.

REJECTED: Add “preparations containing dronabinol” to Schedule III of the 1961 Convention.

The vote to move cannabis out of its restrictive scheduling status was close, with 27 countries in favor, 25 against and one abstention.

Russia, China and Pakistan were among those nations that opposed the reform.

The U.S. said in October that it would be supporting the WHO recommendation to remove cannabis from the restrictive global drug scheduling category—though it was opposing the other cannabis reform proposals, including the one to clarify that CBD is not under international control.

Despite supporting the main scheduling recommendation, however, the country circulated a proposed joint statement to other member states that claimed consensus on the notion “that cannabis is properly subject to the full scope of international controls of the 1961 Single Convention, due in particular to the high rates of public health problems arising from cannabis use and the global extent of such problems, as identified in the critical review by WHO.”

It also stipulates that “no Party shall be precluded from adopting measures of control more strict or severe than those required as a result of this decision, if such measures in its opinion are necessary or desirable for the protection of the public health or welfare.” The language seems to attempt to leave room for countries to continue enforcing more restrictive cannabis policies regardless of international rules.

While the WHO’s CBD recommendation would simply offer clarification that cannabidiol products containing no more than 0.2 percent THC isn’t a controlled substance under international treaties, the U.S. and the vast majority of other countries voted against the measure.

The U.S.’s support for the recommendation to remove marijuana from Schedule IV represents a departure from its position as articulated in a government document that Marijuana Moment obtained earlier this year. The document stated that it’s “possible that civil society, the media, and the general public will view deleting cannabis from Schedule IV as a first step toward widespread legalization of marijuana use, especially without proper messaging.”

If the recommendation on CBD had been adopted, it could have had far-reaching implications in the U.S. In 2018, the FDA determined that CBD does not meet the criteria for federal control—except for the fact that international treaties to which the U.S. is party could potentially be construed as requiring it.

FDA has on several occasions solicited public input to shape the government’s position on the international scheduling of marijuana and cannabinoids. The agency initially requested feedback on the proposal in March 2019 and then reopened that comment period five months later.

GOP Lawmakers Slam Marijuana Legalization Vote Planned In Congress This Week

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.

The post United Nations Removes Marijuana From Most Strict Global Drug Category, With U.S. Support appeared first on Marijuana Moment.



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Kyle Jaeger, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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