United Nations Reclassifies Cannabis

As expected, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous narcotic, signaling some international cannabis laws may change in the near future. 

Using six 2019 recommendations from the World Health Organization )WHO),  the UN removed cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic drugs.  The historic  27 to 25 and 1 abstention vote will open up more research into medical cannabis and open the door for changing laws around adult cannabis use. Additionally, the new policy says CBD is no longer covered under international law, according to UN News).

The United States voted to remove cannabis from the most restrictive drug category, Schedule IV, but thought it should remain on Schedule I because,  “consistent with the science demonstrating that while a safe and effective cannabis-derived therapeutic has been developed, cannabis itself continues to pose significant risks to public health and should continue to be controlled under the international drug control conventions." (From UN News report)  

Due to concerns around mental health and youth access, Japan and Chile were both opposed to the historic move, while Ecuador voted for all 6 of the WHO's recommendations.  

 At the moment 15 states in the US, Canada and Uruguay have adult cannabis laws, with Mexico and Luxemburg expected to soon follow. Over 50 countries have medical cannabis laws, many of those export CBD products. Experts believe the new UN policy will expand those numbers in the coming years.