Following its first-ever critical review of cannabis, in January 2019 the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) issued a collection of formal recommendations to reschedule cannabis and cannabis-related substances. 53 member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) are set to vote on these recommendations in December 2020.
Eagerly awaited, the ECDD recommendations contain some clearly positive points, such as acknowledging the medicinal usefulness of cannabis by removing it from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs; clarifying that cannabidiol (CBD) is not under international control; and addressing some long-standing scheduling inconsistencies.
But the ECDD recommendations also reveal problematic underlying evaluation methods and scheduling procedures along with a very questionable rationale for keeping cannabis in Schedule I. Moreover, the recommendations leave many questions unanswered regarding levels of control for different types of medical cannabis preparations. The potential repercussions of those more questionable aspects of the ECDD recommendations trigger legitimate concerns that merit a close examination by governments and by civil society.
Below is a list of key materials (co-)published by TNI on this subject:(December 2020)
Press release - UN green lights medicinal cannabis but fails to challenge colonial legacy of its prohibition (December 2020)
In a historic vote, the United Nations (UN) has finally recognised the medicinal value of cannabis. TNI and other civil society partners welcomed the move, but also expressed disappointment that this reform does not go far enough, as cannabis remains categorised internationally alongside drugs like heroin and cocaine. Find the press release and video statements here.
Statement — Potential fall-out from the vote on the WHO cannabis recommendations (November 2020)
The WHO has now given an unequivocal sign of support for medical cannabis programmes. A rejection by vote does not invalidate the assessment that there is sufficient scientific evidence to prove that cannabis is an effective medicine (at least for a number of medical conditions). That conclusion reached by the WHO experts stands no matter how the political vote turns out in the CND. Learn more from this statement by Martin Jelsma.
Policy briefing — The WHO’s First-Ever Critical Review of Cannabis (March 2019)
Published two months after the ECDD released its recommendations concerning the status of cannabis and cannabis-related substances, this policy briefing outlines the history of WHO-led cannabis review, and the main implications of the ECDD’s recommendations issued in 2019. Read the briefing
here.
Statements — Key points to raise about the WHO cannabis recommendations (June and August 2020)
In March 2020, the CND decided to postpone the vote on all WHO cannabis-related recommendations to the reconvened session in December 2020. In these two statements (
June and
August 2020), Martin Jelsma presents several key points for governments and civil society to raise leading up to the vote in December, covering detailed arguments around the ECDD’s scientific assessment, pharmaceutical preparations and traditional medicine, and matters relating to potentially regressive voting outcomes.
Advocacy note — Cannabis rescheduling: What could it mean for Africa and the Caribbean? (June-August 2020)