“Cannabis has to be decriminalized globally” WHO

What will be the consequences of the historic report given by the World Health Organization about the liberalization of cannabis?

Every day a new piece of news appears about cannabis and its properties and apparently the world is quickly realizing the need for an urgent rehabilitation of every part of the hemp plant after years and years of wails.

The latest news about the issue was given by the UN, which has decreed the need to urgently change the approach that has been given internationally to cannabis. Of course the impact of this position presented by the World Health Organization will undoubtedly shed new light on the future decisions that many states should take and certainly the policies about cannabis at the UN.

New WHO guidelines on Cannabis and its derivatives

The statement issued by WHO was published during the definition of the new Cannabis guidelines defined by the Expert Committee on Drug Dependencies of the World Health Organization, a committee of addiction experts for the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The report prepared by the WHO presents some important considerations for the future of cannabis that were exposed in an article published in Forbes magazine on February 1, 2019.

The WHO calls for the decriminalization of the cannabis plant and the resins that are derived and extracted from it. Currently, Cannabis and its derivatives are found in the narcotic table IV, which turns out to be the most restrictive of the Single Convention on drugs of 1961, where even Heroin also appears.

The WHO proposes that THC and its derivatives are also eliminated from the 1971 treaty that refers to drugs and are included in Table I of the 1961 Convention, considering that they are currently simultaneously in Tables I and IV, where the IV identifies the substances considered as particularly harmful and also with medical benefits.

The WHO proposes that THC and its derivatives are also eliminated from the 1971 treaty that refers to drugs and are included in Table I of the 1961 Convention, considering that they are currently simultaneously in Tables I and IV, where the IV identifies the substances considered as particularly harmful and also with medical benefits.

The WHO also proposes that CBD and its derivatives containing less than 0.2% THC are no longer under international control. This initiative had been agreed before, but in the new declarations the concept has been reiterated. Cannabis extracts and dyes would be eliminated from Table I of the 1961 Convention and pharmaceutical preparations containing THC in high doses should be placed in Table III to give the respective recognition as to their value at health level.

What would be the possible results of the recommendation delivered by WHO?

The recommendations of the WHO have an important weight, and in this case they warn us saying that the policies of the governments of the world have been erroneous and unfounded, and that the level of “dangerousness” that has been given to cannabis has been incredibly exaggerated and that his medical and pharmaceutical potential has been completely underestimated.

In practice, WHO declarations are not sufficient to impose legalization in different countries, but certainly this change of addresses can act as a real incentive for those states that are already considering the possibility of decriminalization and even the final legalization of Cannabis.

What we know with certainty is that soon the recommendations given by the WHO will be exposed and evaluated by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations where member countries may decide to reassess their position on cannabis and its derivatives.