The United Nations\u2019s (UN) drug control body is reiterating that it considers legalizing marijuana for non-medical or scientific purposes a violation of international treaties, though it also said it appreciates that Germany\u2019s government scaled back its cannabis plan ahead of a recent vote. The global narcotics agency is also taking note of the psychedelics policy reform movement in U.S. states.<\/p>\n
This is mostly par for the course for the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), which has routinely criticized countries for allowing the enactment of cannabis legalization due to their obligations under various Single Convention treaties going back to 1961. But as Germany entered the fold, and the U.S. has continued to move toward marijuana and psychedelics reform, the body is again making its disappointment known.<\/p>\n
INCB\u2019s 2023 annual report, which was published on Tuesday, \u201cunderscores\u201d that member nations are required to \u201ctake such legislative and administrative measures as may be necessary\u201d to criminalize \u201cthe production, manufacture, export, import, distribution of, trade in, use and possession of drugs\u201d such as marijuana under decades-old treaty agreements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Board continues to reiterate its concern regarding the legalization of the use of cannabis for non-medical and non-scientific purposes in several jurisdictions, with other jurisdictions considering similar action,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
To that point, INCB also included a recommendation in the latest report to recall an analysis from its 2022 report that, at one point, suggested that the U.S. is out of compliance with drug treaty obligations because the federal government is passively allowing states within the country to legalize marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe apparent tension between these provisions and the trend towards legalization must be addressed by the signatories to the three drug control conventions,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n Honoured to launch #INCB<\/a>‘s 2023 Annual Report. The thematic chapter highlights opportunities to improve the reach of treatment & prevention services using the Internet & social media, and makes recommendations to address Internet-related drug trafficking. https:\/\/t.co\/gQIRrmowaN<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/G6mbDLmO6w<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jallal Toufiq (@INCB_President) March 5, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Meanwhile, the new report also discusses the board\u2019s ongoing monitoring of efforts to legalize marijuana in Germany. The country\u2019s parliament officially approved a bill to legalize cannabis nationwide<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Board has had ongoing discussions with the authorities in Germany and has taken note of the evolution of the originally planned control measures following concerns expressed by the European Commission, in particular with respect to the provisions on the sale of cannabis in speciality shops to adults for non-medical purposes,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n That\u2019s in reference to changes to the Germany government\u2019s legalization plan that makes it so possession and home cultivation would become legal, while authorizing social clubs to distribute marijuana to members, but not establishing a full-scale commercial market right away.<\/p>\n Overall, while German supporters have said legalization would take effect in April if the legislation is enacted, there are questions about that timeline. The country\u2019s Bundesrat may move to refer the legislation to a mediation committee to address criminal justice-related implications<\/a>\u00a0of the law, which could mean several months of additional discussion.<\/p>\n In the U.S., INCB recognized that while \u201ccannabis remains subject to the highest level of control under the Controlled Substances Act, use of the drug has been legalized in several states for non-medical purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Board has repeatedly expressed its concern that these developments may be inconsistent with the country\u2019s legal obligations as a party to the three international drug conventions,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Board continues to maintain a constructive dialogue with the Government of the United States on these matters,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n The report<\/a> further notes<\/a> that President Joe Biden\u2019s mass pardons for federal marijuana possession offenses are actively \u201cbeing implemented\u201d by the Justice Department.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the presidential pardon does not expunge the existing conviction, it removes civil or legal restrictions, such as on the rights to vote, hold office or sit on a jury, and lifts barriers to housing, employment and educational opportunities,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n Notably, INCB did not mention the parallel presidential directive that\u2019s underway to review the scheduling status of cannabis under federal law.<\/p>\n The reason that lack of mention stands out is because supporters and opponents of rescheduling under U.S. law, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have made competing arguments about the influence of international treaty obligations in the final decision that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is expected to hand down.<\/p>\n For example, a Democratic congresswoman recently implored DEA to \u201creject any argument\u201d that rescheduling marijuana under federal law would constitute a violation<\/a> of international treaty obligations. She also asked the agency to reveal a list of any \u201coutside partners\u201d it has met with to discuss the global implications of a potential cannabis reclassification.<\/p>\n Legal experts recently released an opinion that disputes that assessment. In fact, they argued that\u00a0a\u00a0move to Schedule III would\u00a0better<\/em>\u00a0uphold the country\u2019s broader obligations under international law<\/a>\u00a0to regulate cannabis in a way that protects public health and safety.<\/p>\n Among those who\u2019ve raised concerns about treaty obligations blocking a move to Schedule III is Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), who\u00a0raised the issue in a letter sent to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram<\/a>\u00a0late last month, claiming that any reclassification that puts marijuana outside of Schedule I or Schedule II \u201cwould constitute a violation of the Single Convention,\u201d referring to the 1961 United Nations (UN) Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.<\/p>\n But as\u00a0a coalition of 12 senators pointed out in a separate letter<\/a>\u00a0to Milgram a week earlier, the UN has since revised global cannabis scheduling policies and allowed other member states, such as Canada, to legalize and regulate marijuana without penalty. Those lawmakers urged DEA to legalize marijuana completely.<\/p>\n Additionally, INCB in its new report said that it is monitoring psychedelics policy developments in the U.S. and in other countries, including the legalization of psilocybin services in Oregon and a broader class of psychedelics in Colorado.<\/p>\n \u201cA growing interest in the therapeutical potential of psychedelic drugs and the potential risks in their unregulated use has also been noted,\u201d the report said. \u201cWhile clinical studies on the use of psychedelics are conducted in some countries, most of the health, wellness and tourism businesses involving the use of psychedelics have been operating without much regulatory oversight. Unsupervised and experimental use of those substances, even in microdoses as self-medication, may put some vulnerable populations at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawaii Senate Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Image element courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post UN Body Reaffirms That Marijuana Legalization Violates International Treaties, While Addressing Germany Cannabis Reform And U.S. Psychedelics Movement<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The United Nations\u2019s (UN) drug control body is reiterating that it considers legalizing marijuana for non-medical or scientific purposes a violation of international treaties, though it also said it appreciates that Germany\u2019s government scaled back its cannabis plan ahead of a recent vote. The global narcotics agency is also takingContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73029"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73030,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73029\/revisions\/73030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: UN Body Reaffirms That Marijuana Legalization Violates International Treaties, While Addressing Germany Cannabis Reform And U.S. Psychedelics Movement<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"