WHO asks to remove cannabis from drug list …

The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed eliminating cannabis from the most restrictive list of the drug convention in force since 1961, according to the organization. Cannabis and extracted oils are listed in Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

For WHO, keeping cannabis "at this level of control would greatly restrict access and research on possible treatments derived from the plant". The organization recalled that this list included "harmful substances with limited medical benefits". There is currently a vast debate on the legalization of cannabis, both medicinal and recreational.

At the end of January, the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, had sent a letter to the UN Secretary General, the Portuguese Antonio Guterres, in which he urged the 53 member countries of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to deal with the proposal. in March. At this meeting, countries like Russia and China could oppose; while Canada and Uruguay, who promoted legalization, would accompany the proposal. Even if the change is approved, it does not mean that each country's regulations change in favor of legalization.

Today, it is estimated that the inclusion of marijuana in the list, more than half a century ago, is due to the lack of scientific evidence, which has allowed drug access to relief of diseases. It is estimated that 7% of European adults have used cannabis last year and that world trade concerns 192 million people. Restrictive policies have become more flexible in recent years and this has made it possible that even in the United States, some states allow drug consumption and the boom of a legal cannabis sector that displaces millions of people.