The expert committee on drug dependence of the Wold health Organisation
recommended the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in
2018 to revise the scheduling of cannabis
in the framework of the international drug control system.
According to the recommendations, cannabis should be moved
from schedule 1 and 4 of the 1961 Convention
to only schedule one of the same convention.
this would recognise the medical value of the cannabis plant and resin.
Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC
the main psychoactive substance of cannabis,
should be moved from 1 and 2 of the 1971 Convention
to schedule 1 of the 1961 Convention,
with minimal difference in it's control.
They recommend that cannabidiol or CBD,
another important compund, know for it's therapeutic use
remians unscheduled in the future,
because it has no relevant risk to public health.
Specific pharmaceutical preparations should be placed
in a new entry in schedule 3 of the 1961 convention
as substances posing no risk to public health.
Because of the resistance from some member states,
the vote is still being postponed by the CND
until December 2020.
We interviewed several professionals about the rescheduling of cannabis
at the CND, among them Gilles Forté of the WHO.
Because cannabis was scheduled in 1961
when all this information was not available,
it was about time to review the scheduling,
and to recommend a scheduling that was more
in line with the current evidence.
It's about reviewing the level of scheduling
and making sure that on one hand
we prevent harm from cannabis,
but on the other hand, when there is evidence of therapeutic use,
the cannabis based preparations and cannabis based medicines
are available for people who need them.
Particularly populations like
kids that suffer from epilepsy or
people that suffer from multiple schlerosis.
Any recommendation that the committee will issue
is based on science and is clear of any
political consideration.
And this is what makes at moment
the intarnational drug conrol system relevant,
because at the center of the process
there is an independent, transparent
recommendation that is made on those substances.
- First of all on the recommendations,
many of them are good,
some of use would argue they don't go far enough.
The recommendation is to keep it within schedule 1,
next to the most harmful drugs,
considered by the scheduling system, like heroin and cocaine.
That seems to be a political decision to kep it there, so
how evidence based is that decision...
But it's not a criticism of the ECDD,
it just demonstartes what political pressure they are under.
Even though their mandate is to be independent,
and based in science and evidence.
- For the eform towards recreational cannabis,
it doesn't have much impact.
Cannabis remains in schedule 1.
Although the WHO, the expert committee
did say that it actually doesn't belong there,
but for reasons that it's used worldwide
at a large scale, they keep it there.
Which is procedurally a dubious
debate and from there the program starts.
The whole scheduling system is inconsistent,
the whole excersize shows that
you need another kind of scheduling system.
- So what change will it make in people's lives
or in accessing these medicines at home?
- It's about reducing the barrier
at country level, the regulatory barriers
in distribution and supply,
prescribing and dispensing those medicines.
Another impact of those recommendations
will be also on research and development
of new medicines.
At the moment there are about more than 300
clinical trials that are done on cannabis,
which means that there is a huge interest
in finding out more medical indications
from cannabis.
Although we understand the need for member states
to properly assess and understand the recommendation,
I ask you, dear delegates
serving on this Commission on Narcotic Drugs,
fulfill the mandate of the international drug control system,
to ensure access to medicines.
Medicines capable of relieving human suffering.
We have waited long enough.
Thank you, take care of yourself,
and ensure access for all.
- besides the science that is informing the recommendations
there is also a vote that goes beyond science.
And that involves different other parameters
that are of concern to countries.
- Member states are moving ahead anyway with medical cannabis,
every single day you hear of another country,
that is deciding to do this, so
the fact that here we can not acknowledge
what is happening in the real world
is just another example of...
Yeah, it's a rather out of touch
with reality space in which member states are
discussing drug control polities here in Vienna.