Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination (Topic: Cannabis Removed from ‘Most Dangerous Drug’ Category)

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Cannabis Removed from ‘Most Dangerous Drug’ Category

In a decision that could influence the global use of medicinal marijuana, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) recently voted to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, decades after they were first placed on the list.

At its 63rd session, the 53-member CND has chosen to affirm a World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation from 2019 to remove cannabis from its ‘most dangerous’ category, with 27 Member States voting in favour, 25 against, and one abstention.
However, both substances will continue to remain on Schedule I, the least dangerous category.
The proposals CND rejected recently included removing extracts and tinctures of cannabis from Schedule I and adding certain preparations of dronabinol to Schedule III of the 1961 Convention.
India was part of the voting majority, along with the US and most European nations. China, Pakistan and Russia were among those who voted against, and Ukraine abstained.
The Vienna-based CND, founded in 1946, is the UN agency mandated to decide on the scope of control of substances by placing them in the schedules of global drug control conventions.
Cannabis has been on Schedule IV–the most dangerous category– of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs for as long as the international treaty has existed.

Currently in India, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, illegalises any mixture with or without any neutral material, of any of the two forms of cannabis – charas and ganja — or any drink prepared from it.
Its production, manufacturer, possession to a certain limit, and sale is a punishable offence.

According to the WHO, cannabis is a generic term used to denote the several psychoactive preparations of the plant Cannabis sativa.
The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis is Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
The Mexican name ‘marijuana‘ is frequently used in referring to cannabis leaves or other crude plant material in many countries.
Most species of cannabis are dioecious plants that can be identified as either male or female. The unpollinated female plants are called hashish.
Cannabis oil (hashish oil) is a concentrate of cannabinoids — compounds which are structurally similar to THC — obtained by solvent extraction of the crude plant material or of the resin.

As per drug policy experts, the CND decision would add momentum to efforts for decriminalising cannabis in countries where its use is most restricted, while further legalising the substance in others.
Scientific research into marijuana’s medicinal properties is also expected to grow.
Global attitudes towards cannabis have changed dramatically, with many jurisdictions permitting cannabis use for recreation, medication or both, despite it remaining on Schedule IV of the UN list.
Currently, over 50 countries allow medicinal cannabis programs, and its recreational use has been legalised in Canada, Uruguay and 15 US states, as per UN News.