Victory at the UN: the therapeutic value of cannabis recognized for the first time
The United Nations has recognized the medical and therapeutic properties of cannabis.
The vote was held this morning in Vienna by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the UN's executive body on drug policy. The resolution was approved by a simple majority of the Commission's 53 member states . All the European Union states – with the exception of Hungary – and many states in the Americas voted in favor, while the majority of countries in Asia and Africa voted against it.
Cannabis has been removed from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which includes narcotic substances that are “particularly harmful and of extremely limited medical or therapeutic value.”
This is a historic decision from a political point of view and very important for research. This change will facilitate research on the medical properties of cannabis, which has active ingredients that have shown promising results in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain and cancer.
The decision came at the suggestion of the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommended that the UN approve the medical recognition of cannabis. The vote comes two years after the WHO's recommendations , after being postponed several times due to differences between states in favor of the change and those who wanted to maintain the prohibitionist status quo.
Cannabis, however, remains in Schedule I , which includes prohibited substances. There is therefore no change in the international law that prohibits its recreational use.
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs could vote on other resolutions regarding cannabis as early as today. The vote that could recognize that CBD (the most therapeutic active ingredient in cannabis) has no narcotic value and could therefore be freed from all international restrictions and controls is particularly anticipated.
The Dolce Vita editorial team will follow the updates from Vienna, ready to inform you.
