Since the beginning of the 20th century, most countries have enacted laws against the cultivation, possession or transfer of cannabis. These laws have impacted adversely on cannabis cultivation for non-recreational purposes, but there are many regions where handling of cannabis is legal or licensed.
Now, in a recent reviewing series of the United Nations commission, the CND has decided to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drug.
As cannabis was listed alongside deadly, addictive opioids, including heroin. Well, on Wednesday, the UN commission was set up to remove cannabis for medicinal purposes from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs.
Cannabis has been listed as a dangerous narcotic substance for the past 59 years with such strictest schedules that even many countries avoid it for medical purposes.
In a session chaired by Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan, approximately 53 members of CND have voted to remove cannabis from the list, and now with 25 votes against and 27 votes in favor, CND has recognized the medicinal and therapeutic potential of cannabis. Although one CND member 'Ukraine' was absent from the voting procedure. India has too voted to remove cannabis from the list alongwith the United States and the European States.
Ambassador Khan @ambmansoorkhan, @CND_tweets Chair, opens the 63rd reconvened session – starting with the voting on @WHO scheduling recommendations on cannabis and cannabis-related substances @UNODC @UN_Vienna. Webcast: https://t.co/KMteoWuPpF pic.twitter.com/HOdQvhcZ8X
— CND (@CND_tweets) December 2, 2020
The UN official said, "The CND zeroed-in on the decision to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs where it was listed alongside deadly addictive opioids, including heroin."
Along with twenty-five countries who voted 'No' in the review, China, Pakistan, and Russia also were against cannabis listing out the dangerous narcotic substances. With the historic win, UN officials further said, "The CND has opened the door to recognizing the medicinal and therapeutic potential of the commonly used but still largely illegal recreational drug."
Well, from the past six months in India, a rage was taking place about the consumption of Cannabis by several film stars who were verdicted in the Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide case.
The Narcotics Control Bureau of India has also charged Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik and other film stars in the drug probe, who were caught by the agency for using such substances. Well, now after listing out from the dangerous narcotics substance category, we have to wait and watch for the Indian government's next step towards the new amendment related to narcotic substance law.
