Did the UN vote to classify cannabis as a ‘medicine’?
Thursday, April 8, 2021
By Victoria Eavis
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NO
The U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted on December 2, 2020, to remove cannabis from the strictest drug-control list, Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it had been listed alongside dangerous, addictive drugs with little to no therapeutic value, such as heroin.
This reclassification does not certify cannabis as a "medicine," contrary to claims in some social media posts.
The drug will remain on Schedule I, which includes drugs that carry a risk for abuse, but have notable potential for therapeutic uses.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
UN Office on Drugs and Crime Final act of the UN conference for the adoption of a single convention
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