The move could clear the way for expansion of marijuana research and medical use
A UN commission voted on Wednesday to remove cannabis from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, in a highly anticipated and long-delayed decision that could clear the way for an expansion of marijuana research and medical use.
A review by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which is based in Vienna and includes 53 member states, considered a series of recommendations from the World Health Organisation on reclassifying cannabis and its derivatives. But attention centred on a key recommendation to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it was listed alongside dangerous and highly addictive opioids like heroin.
Experts say that the vote will have no immediate impact on loosening international controls, because governments will still have jurisdiction over how to classify cannabis. But many countries look to global conventions for guidance, and such UN recognition is a symbolic win for advocates of drug-policy change who say that international law is out of date.
