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On Wednesday, a United Nations commission voted to remove cannabis for medicinal purposes from List IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, a list of the world’s most dangerous drugs in which it appeared alongside highly addictive opioids such as heroin. With the decision, the body officially recognizes the medicinal properties of the plant.
The UN recognized the medicinal properties of cannabis on Wednesday in a vote in Vienna by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the UN’s executive body on drug policy. (We recommend: Colombian anachronism against cannabis for adult use)
The simple majority of the 53 Commission states have decided to withdraw cannabis and its resin from Schedule IV of the 1961 Drugs Convention, which means that the medical usefulness of this plant is officially recognized, the recreational use of which will continue to be prohibited in international regulations. In that Convention, cannabis is classified in lists I and IV, the latter reserved for the most dangerous drugs and under the strictest control, such as heroin, and to which little medical value is granted.
Nearly all states in the European Union – with the exception of Hungary – and many Americas added a simple majority of 27 votes to approve the change – one of the most important drugs in recent decades – while most of the Asian countries and Africans opposed it.
[ERRATUM] Brazil was missing from the list of countries that voted “no” to recommendation 5.1. And the Czech Republic was mistakenly listed on the “No” list. With apologies. pic.twitter.com/ouhpPxmWh4
– IDPC (@IDPCnet) 2 December 2020
Experts say that while the vote will not have an immediate impact on easing international controls because governments will still have jurisdiction over how to classify cannabis, the UN recognition is a symbolic victory for advocates of drug policy change. as many countries look to global conventions for guidance. (You May Be Interested: New Attempt to Regulate Cannabis Use Approved in First Debate)
Therefore, this change should facilitate research with cannabis, which has active ingredients that have shown promise in the treatment of Parkinson’s, sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain and cancer.
A WHO recommendation
The vote came nearly two years after a World Health Organization (WHO) ruling recognized the medical usefulness of cannabis and recommended it be removed from List IV.
At the same time, it was proposed to keep cannabis on List I, where narcotics are under international control due to their addictive nature, but accessible for medical activities, a situation in which other narcotics, such as morphine.
This recommendation – now adopted with 27 votes in favor, 25 against and one abstention – was based on the WHO’s first critical study of cannabis, the world’s most popular drug with around 200 million users, according to United Nations estimates. (We recommend: After 4 years of medical cannabis law in Colombia, where were the patients?)
WHO is responsible for the scientific evaluation for the Commission of both the possible therapeutic properties and the harms generated by drug addiction under international control and its recommendations are generally adopted without much controversy.
However, in this case the vote was preceded by a great debate and by several postponements in the last two years due to the differences between the states in favor of change and those who demanded the maintenance of the “status quo”.
EU countries, except Hungary, along with others such as Argentina, Canada, Colombia, USA, Mexico, Uruguay and Ecuador, among others, supported following WHO scientific criteria.
About 50 countries have launched several medical cannabis programs and this UN decision will, predictably, promote this kind of policy, as well as research with the plant.
Argentina has already decided in November to legalize the self-cultivation of cannabis for medicinal use and will allow the sale of oils, creams and other derivatives of the plant for therapeutic purposes, based on the WHO recommendation which has now been officially adopted.
Until now, medical research with cannabis was possible in a limited way, as inclusion in List IV acted as a brake on many laboratories due to the restrictions and different legal criteria applied in each country.
States that voted against change, led by Russia, China, Brazil and Pakistan, believe that relaxed cannabis control is now sending the wrong message.
States opposed to any change believe that this decision trivializes the use of cannabis and minimizes the damage to health it produces, such as an increase in some mental disorders.
The change also comes when several countries like Canada, Uruguay and a dozen states in the United States have legalized the use of cannabis and others like Mexico, Luxembourg or Israel have ongoing legal steps along the same lines. The commission also considered five other recommendations, but a proposal to ease restrictions on cannabis derivatives like THC didn’t garner enough support to pass.
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