As the United Nations discusses cannabis, there are three important justifications for reprogramming

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While the United States is struggling with its own problems of cannabis legalization, the subject remains topical on the world stage. Prior to 2018, Uruguay was the only country to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes and, in the past year, several other countries joined, namely Canada, South Africa and Georgia. A handful of other countries have set up some kind of legal system for medical cannabis.

Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed to strengthen recommendations reprogramming cannabis, THC and CBD under international treaties. With this new development, some cannabis-based products would no longer be included in the Single Convention on Narcotics List IV – the strictest designation available. This international treaty was ratified in 1961 and still has 186 States Parties.

That's why this week meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Austria is particularly important. Prior to the meeting, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the public an opportunity to comment on WHO's recommendations. In addition, they announced that the comments received by the agency would be taken into account in the preparation by our emissaries of the position of the United States on the various proposals to be debated.

Like nearly 2,000 others, I wanted to express my opinion as the United States debated this important issue on the international scene. I rarely like to be as referent here, but as I wrote to the FDAIt is extremely important to remove cannabis from cannabis – both nationally and globally. And there are three main reasons why.

1. We must absolutely ensure that the financial system opens its doors to the cannabis industry, and the current calendar is a barrier to entry.

Due to regulatory conditions and international treaties, which include cannabis in the most restrictive programs alongside drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, no state-level legalization has succeeded in diverting the financial sector from school. In most cases, banks, credit unions and credit card networks have kept their distance, even if huge profits are waiting to be collected. This left cannabis an industry only in cash.

Allowing cannabis companies to access financial systems is not only good business sense, it is also essential for safety, security and transparency. For example, a cash dispensary or cannabis retailer makes this business – and its employees, owners, sellers and others – a recurring target because of the high levels of cash they dispose at any time.

It is truly amazing that a sector generating $ 10.4 billion in revenue last year can not access financial resources like almost any other business. The disorganization of the national and international market will begin to correct what is wrong.

2. The so-called "war on drugs" has been a failure and too many minority groups in the United States have been sanctioned for cannabis use.

Fifty years ago, Gallup surveyed the American public about their attitudes towards cannabis for the first time. In this survey, only 12% of the population was in favor of legalization.

In fifty years we have come a long way. Today, a 66% record Americans are pro-cannabis, influenced by changes in cultural attitudes, scientific advances, but also by the total failure of the "war on drugs".

We know that minority groups have been most affected by this effort, and there is a myriad of evidence to support it. the ACLU found that while black and white communities use cannabis at about the same rate, black communities are almost four times more likely to be arrested. Hispanic communities are also disproportionately affected, which explains why 77 percent of all cannabis sentences.

The postponement of the work would allow a fairer and more equitable economy of cannabis and American society.

3. Current programming regimes hinder the research we sorely need.

We learned a lot about the main cannabis compounds and the health benefits people feel when they consume it. THC and CBD become familiar terms, used with comfort and ease. But, considering everything we know, we did not even scratch the surface.

As long as cannabis remains in its current schedule, research is strictly controlled. We need to expand our ability to learn about cannabis products and not prevent further research by ignorance.

It is encouraging that agencies are beginning to take steps to correct the wrong regulatory regimes that have been in place for decades. As we continue to debate these issues on the world stage, I can only hope that these three points are part of the debate.

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While the United States is struggling with its own problems of cannabis legalization, the subject remains topical on the world stage. Prior to 2018, Uruguay was the only country to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes and, in the past year, several other countries joined, namely Canada, South Africa and Georgia. A handful of other countries have set up some kind of legal system for medical cannabis.

Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed recommendations to reorganize cannabis, THC and CBD under international treaties. With this new development, some cannabis-based products would no longer be included in the Single Convention on Narcotics List IV – the strictest designation available. This international treaty was ratified in 1961 and still has 186 States Parties.

This is why the meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Austria is particularly important this week. Prior to the meeting, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the public an opportunity to comment on WHO's recommendations. In addition, they announced that the comments received by the agency would be taken into account in the preparation by our emissaries of the position of the United States on the various proposals to be debated.

Like nearly 2,000 others, I wanted to express my opinion as the United States debated this important issue on the international scene. I rarely prefer to be a reference here, but as I wrote to the FDA, it is extremely important to override cannabis – both domestically and globally. And there are three main reasons why.

1. We must absolutely ensure that the financial system opens its doors to the cannabis industry, and the current calendar is a barrier to entry.

Due to regulatory conditions and international treaties, which include cannabis in the most restrictive programs alongside drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, no state-level legalization has succeeded in diverting the financial sector from school. In most cases, banks, credit unions and credit card networks have kept their distance, even if huge profits are waiting to be collected. This left cannabis an industry only in cash.

Allowing cannabis companies to access financial systems is not only good business sense, it is also essential for safety, security and transparency. For example, a cash dispensary or cannabis retailer makes this business – and its employees, owners, sellers and others – a recurring target because of the high levels of cash they dispose at any time.

It is truly amazing that a sector generating $ 10.4 billion in revenue last year can not access financial resources like almost any other business. The disorganization of the national and international market will begin to correct what is wrong.

2. The so-called "war on drugs" has been a failure and too many minority groups in the United States have been sanctioned for cannabis use.

Fifty years ago, Gallup interviewed the American public about their attitudes towards cannabis for the first time. In this survey, only 12% of the population was in favor of legalization.

In fifty years we have come a long way. Today, 66% of Americans support cannabis, influenced by changes in cultural attitudes, advances in scientific discoveries, and the total failure of the "war on drugs".

We know that minority groups have been most affected by this effort, and there is a myriad of evidence to support it. The ACLU has determined that, while white and black communities consume cannabis at about the same rate, black communities are nearly four times more likely to be arrested. Hispanic communities are also disproportionately affected, accounting for 77% of all cannabis sentences.

The postponement of the work would allow a fairer and more equitable economy of cannabis and American society.

3. Current programming regimes hinder the research we sorely need.

We learned a lot about the main cannabis compounds and the health benefits people feel when they consume it. THC and CBD become familiar terms, used with comfort and ease. But, considering everything we know, we did not even scratch the surface.

As long as cannabis remains in its current schedule, research is strictly controlled. We need to expand our ability to learn about cannabis products and not prevent further research by ignorance.

It is encouraging that agencies are beginning to take steps to correct the wrong regulatory regimes that have been in place for decades. As we continue to debate these issues on the world stage, I can only hope that these three points are part of the debate.