Bipartisan congressional legislators recently filed a measure asking President Joseph Biden to urge the United Nations (UN) to end its marijuana ban. This would be achieved by dropping the plant from the list in the international drug treaty of controlled substances.
The resolution was introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) just as the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) finished its meetings in Vienna. The commission adopted a proposal in 2020 that would take cannabis off the strictest international drug category, the Schedule IV list, while retaining the federal Schedule I classification
The resolution wants the U.S. representative to the United UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs to use the voice, vote and influence of the United States to deschedule cannabis. Furthermore, the resolution also calls on U.S. officials to press the UN to forgive cannabis-related penalties of prior offenders and treat cannabis as an agricultural commodity.
In a press release, Mace said that many countries would be encouraged to deschedule and examine how cannabis is classified if the UN made the resolution. She also talked about the benefits of cannabis in the treatment of medical conditions such as PTSD and epilepsy and how descheduling would support worldwide research of cannabis use in the treatment of numerous conditions.
The United States wants to lead the world in reforming cannabis by having the UN deschedule the substance. According to Barbara Lee, cochair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, its classification as a schedule I drug is outdated and needs to be addressed. She also added that research has provided the positive effects of cannabis in chronic illness treatment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has mentioned that the international treaty obligations have played a role in the agency’s efforts against domestic descheduling. However, Biden has not defended his personal opposition to cannabis legalization for adult use. During his campaign, he pledged to move cannabis to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act, a promise he has yet to fulfill as well as other reform pledges.
The push for descheduling comes after the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) called for an international ban on marijuana advertising last year. Advocates viewed this as a sign that the body was reluctant to embrace the drug’s inevitable widespread legalization.
Also last year the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) chose not to recommend kratom to be internationally banned after a scientific review. This development was celebrated by advocates who have used the plant for therapeutic purposes such as pain management.
Ending cannabis prohibition on a global scale would enable patients to gain access to the medicinal marijuana products made by licensed companies, such as Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF), since many studies are showing that cannabis possesses therapeutic potential.
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