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Although the World Health Organization issued a report in the summer that marijuana is a "relatively safe drug" that does not cause any significant problems, the agency's chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, remains skeptical about the legalization of this plant for recreational purposes. However, it remains open to patients who use cannabis for its therapeutic benefits.
In a recent interview with AFP, Ghebreyesus said, "We believe that people who need it, especially for pain relief, should benefit from it. There should be access. Yet, considering that "any addictive substance is not good for human health, we will not encourage countries to follow those who … legalize it."
The WHO Chief's comments are a bit confusing, given that the Agency's Drug and Dependency Committee said a few months ago that the only negative reactions that can be expected when people consume marijuana are "euphoria, laughter and chatter".
The report went on to explain that not only was cannabis "safe", but also "that it is not associated with acute lethal overdoses". The general message behind the review is that marijuana is not part of the dangerous Schedule I drug classification. Yet, the agency has not yet formulated this recommendation.
The legalization of marijuana is gaining ground around the world. Uruguay and Canada legalized the nationwide leaf for adult consumption, as well as nine US states – a figure that could easily reach eleven at the time of the mid-term elections. The new Mexican presidential administration is expected to usher in a similar concept once it takes office in December.
Perhaps more importantly, there is speculation that the US government will go to work in the coming months to end marijuana prohibition at the national level – this is especially true if Democrats regain United States House. It is therefore conceivable that the issue of handling marijuana such as alcohol and tobacco is hotly debated in 2019.
It is interesting to note that the Trump administration recently asked the public to comment on the cannabis plant and the policies surrounding it. The overall goal was to include these comments in an official statement intended to help WHO "consider whether or not to recommend the application of certain international restrictions to these drugs". More than 20,000 people made their views known to the federal government on this issue. WHO is expected to testify next year as to whether the cannabis plant requires consistent Annex I restrictions in the international drug treaties.
Considering the details of the latest findings from WHO, Ghebreyesus' main concern with the recreational use of the pot is smoking. The agency determined that this specific delivery method was really the only variable in cannabis use that poses a threat to a person's respiratory health. But "when new modes of administering drugs other than smoking become more widely available (eg, spraying, sublingual or oral administration), the associations between cannabis use and cardiovascular events may become less pronounced or even even absent, "says the report.
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