A decision by Rena Lalgie, the Governor, to reserve assent on the Government’s controversial flagship cannabis legislation plunged Bermuda into uncharted constitutional waters. But the Governor urged Bermuda officials to work with the British Government to find a compromise in comments which seemed to suggest she was trying to avoid a constitutional crisis. David Burt, the Premier, has previously stated that if the move to legalise consumption and production of the drug was not granted Royal Assent it would “destroy” relations with London. The Governor said in a statement that the Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 appeared to her to be “inconsistent” with what she understood to be obligations held by the UK and Bermuda under UN Conventions. (See also: Government says it is waiting to hear from UK on cannabis law)

From 16 to 18 October 2019, representatives of member states, intergovernmental organisations, and civil society attended the 6th Intersessional Meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. On 17 October 2019, representatives of coca and opium growers from Colombia (Pedro Arenas) and Myanmar (Sai Lone of Myanmar Opium Farmers' Forum) delivered statements highlighting the situation of communities involved in the illicit cultivation of coca and opium in both countries. Read their full statements.

Ningún país del mundo se ha atrevido a abrir el debate sobre legalización de las drogas en las Naciones Unidas. Esa alternativa, necesaria y lógica, habida cuenta de los consabidos desastres que ha entrañado el régimen prohibicionista, no ha tenido ninguna cabida en el sistema internacional de fiscalización de estupefacientes, edificada sobre la Convención Única (1961) a partir de la cual, los 183 países que la ratificaron se obligan a prohibir y sancionar todas las conductas relacionadas con la producción, comercialización y consumo de estupefacientes, exceptuando solamente los usos médicos y científicos. Una modificación sustantiva requiere de un nuevo consenso global que no se avizora en el horizonte de las formales discusiones internacionales. Colombia es el país más indicado para tomar la iniciativa y poner sobre la mesa.

Lo que sucedió en el 66º Periodo de Sesiones de la Comisión de Estupefacientes de las Naciones Unidas, en Viena (Austria), es histórico: después de 62 años de vigencia de la Convención Única de Estupefacientes de 1961, en la que desde el principio, en la primera lista de cuatro, la hoja de coca está catalogada como estupefaciente, el país anunció que en dos meses (en mayo) presentará el pedido oficial de revisar la calificación de la hoja de coca como una forma de droga: “Bolivia solicitará a las Naciones Unidas, a la Convención de 1961, a activar el proceso de examen crítico de la actual clasificación de la hoja de coca como estupefaciente en la Lista 1”, anunció el vicepresidente David Choquehuanca.

No pressure, Colorado and Washington, but the world is scrutinizing your every move. That was the take-home message of an event today at the Brookings Institution, discussing the international impact of the move toward marijuana legalization at the state-level in the U.S. Laws passed in Colorado and Washington, with other states presumably to come, create a tension with the U.S. obligations toward three major international treaties governing drug control.

The Transnational Institute (TNI) has always believed in the need to find global answers to global problems, been a strong defender of multilateralism and an advocate of a well-functioning United Nations which stands as the guarantor of universal human rights. On the drugs question, our position is straightforward: drug control should respect human rights. An accessible but comprehensive primer on why TNI believes that human rights must be at the heart of any debate on drug control.

Illegal drugs including cocaine, heroin and cannabis should be reclassified to reflect a scientific assessment of harm, according to a report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The commission, which includes 14 former heads of states, said the international classification system underpinning drug control is “biased and inconsistent”. A “deep-lying imbalance” between controlling substances and allowing access for medicinal purposes had caused “collateral damage”. Such damage included patients in low- and middle-income countries forced to undergo surgery without anaesthetic, to go without essential medicines and to die in unnecessary pain due to lack of opioid pain relief. (See also: What is the most dangerous drug? |Regulation on substance abuse disproportionate to health risks, says report)

The president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is questioning whether the agency’s decades-old drug conventions are outdated given global policy developments in recent years involving drugs such as cannabis. During a presentation for the 2019 INCB annual report, President Cornelis P. de Joncheere discussed the developments taking place with regard to cannabis and synthetic drugs. “We have some fundamental issues around the conventions that state parties will need to start looking at,” he said. “We have to recognize that the conventions were drawn up 50 and 60 years ago.” De Joncheere said 2021 is “an appropriate time to look at whether those are still fit for purpose, or whether we need new alternative instruments and approaches to deal with these problems.”

La Junta Internacional de Fiscalización de Estupefacientes (JIFE) ha recordado al Gobierno de Uruguay que el uso recreativo del cannabisva en contra de la normativa internacional. La JIFE sostuvo una reunión telemática con altos funcionarios del Gobierno uruguayo centrada en la ley adoptada en 2013 que legalizó el consumo recreativo de cannabis, informó este organismo de Naciones Unidas, que vela por el cumplimiento de los tratados internacionales sobre drogas. La Junta recordó que la Convención Única sobre Estupefacientes de 1961 establece que el uso de cannabis debe limitarse a actividades médicas y científicas, y que otras normativas prohíben su "producción, distribución o venta". (Véase también: Legalización de cannabis en Uruguay incumple tratados, ¿cuáles?)

La falta de acuerdo entre los países miembros aboca a la Comisión de Estupefacientes de la ONU (CND) a un nuevo aplazamiento de su decisión sobre la propuesta de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) de rebajar la fiscalización internacional del cannabis para facilitar su uso medicinal. La presidencia del 63 periodo de sesiones del CND ha presentado una propuesta para que sea aprobada en la mañana de este miércoles por el plenario reunido en Viena en la que insta a aplazar la votación hasta el mes de diciembre a fin de "aclarar las repercusiones y consecuencias" de las recomendaciones de la OMS. Éste es el segundo aplazamiento de la votación sobre la rebaja de la fiscalización internacional.

La ONU aprobó uno de los mayores cambios en política de drogas de las últimas décadas al reconocer las propiedades medicinales del cannabis y eliminar esa planta de la clasificación de los estupefacientes más peligrosos, aunque su consumo con fines recreativos sigue prohibido. La mayoría simple de los 53 Estados de la Comisión de Estupefacientes -el órgano Ejecutivo de la ONU en políticas de drogas- decidió retirar el cannabis y su resina de la Lista IV de la Convención sobre drogas de 1961. El cannabis estaba hasta ahora clasificado en las listas I y IV, esta última reservada a las drogas más peligrosas y bajo control más estricto, como la heroína, y a las que se otorga escaso valor médico. (Véase también: La ONU da luz verde al cannabis medicinal pero no desafía el legado colonial de la prohibición)

La Commission des stupéfiants des Nations unies (CND) a approuvé le reclassement du cannabis hors de la catégorie des drogues les plus dangereuses. Le Maroc a fait partie des 27 pays ayant voté pour. Coordinateur du Collectif marocain pour l’usage thérapeutique et industriel du kif, Chakib Al Khayari, estime que le vote du Maroc doit être replacé dans son contexte national. Il rappelle que «l’arsenal juridique marocain est déjà doté d’un texte de loi, qui permet de cultiver le cannabis à des fins scientifiques, avec une permission du ministère de la Santé». Il souligne ainsi que même si le royaume a rapidement fait partie des signataires de la Convention unique des Nations unies sur les stupéfiants, «nous ne sommes pas dans une prohibition totale de l’exploitation de cette herbe».

The Czech cabinet recently approved drug policies that include introducing a strictly regulated cannabis market. The details of the plan are still being fine-tuned – but there already obstacles in sight. The exact rules are now being drafted by an expert group. The state’s drugs policy chief, Jindřich Vobořil, said previously that taxation on legalised cannabis could bring no less than CZK 15 billion into the state coffers annually. The authorities in Germany are discussing a similar move. However, they recently had to tone down their intentions somewhat following concerns from the European Union.The Czech government’s plans could run into similar obstacles. Another aspect is that all elements within the five-party Czech government coalition may not be in unison on the matter.

India has voted in favour in the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention. It was only under American pressure that the Indian government banned all narcotic substances, including marijuana, in the 1980s. But today there is a change of heart in the US itself. The House of Representatives just passed a legislation that would decriminalise marijuana and expunge non-violent marijuana-related convictions. At least 15 American states have legalised recreational cannabis while 35 states in all have legalised medical marijuana. India too must reverse course and decriminalise marijuana. A BJP government ought to be more inclined towards upholding what’s been for long an Indian tradition anyway. (See also Indian Express editorial: Clear the smoke)

Luxembourg met a possible hurdle in legalising cannabis as a parliamentary question brought to light that the current plans are in violation of international drug control treaties. The Grand Duchy is a signatory of three United Nations treaties, which together form a global drug control framework, and which lay down that cannabis may only be used for medical or research purposes. Canada has run into trouble with the International Narcotics Control Board - the guardian of the treaties - over its legalisation of recreational cannabis, and Luxembourg faces a similarly damning verdict. The government is now discussing the issue with UN authorities and with Canada, the country whose model to legalise cannabis it wants to follow, health minister Etienne Schneider in answer to a parliamentary question.

En 1961, la Convención Única sobre Estupefacientes de Naciones Unidas dispuso “que la masticación de la hoja de coca quedará prohibida dentro de los 25 años siguientes a la entrada en vigor de la presente Convención”. El politólogo neerlandés Martin Jelsma, una de las mayores autoridades en políticas internacionales con respecto a las drogas, dice que con el retiro y posterior reingreso de Bolivia en la Convención del 61 (con la reserva sobre el masticado de coca), se debatió más la relación entre derechos humanos y de pueblos indígenas y las políticas de drogas.

The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) met to vote on several rescheduling recommendations on cannabis. Morocco provided an important “yes” vote to remove cannabis from the UN’s Schedule IV category of drugs that have limited or no therapeutic use. The vote concluded with a 27-25 majority, meaning that without Morocco’s “yes” vote, the cannabis recommendation likely would not have passed. “Morocco’s vote today means that the country has joined the community of forward-looking states recognizing the historical error of denying the medical usefulness of cannabis,” the Transnational Institute’s (TNI) drug policy expert Tom Blickman said. (See also: Potential fall-out from the vote on the WHO cannabis recommendations)

Traditionally, the UN and governments have measured progress in drug policy in terms of flows and scale; principally the numbers of people arrested, hectares of drug crops eradicated and the amounts of drugs seized. For years now, IDPC and many civil society colleagues (in particular the Global Drug Policy Observatory (GDPO), CELS, the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, and the Social Science Research Council among others), have advocated against such an approach, because of its inability to truly assess the real impacts of drug control policy – especially for communities affected by the illicit drug trade on the one hand and by drug policies on the other.

UN member states have agreed to hold a Ministerial Segment immediately prior to the 62^nd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) ‘to take stock of the implementation of the commitments made to jointly address and counter the world drug problem, in particular in the light of the 2019 target date’ set out to eradicate or significantly reduce the overall scale of the illegal drug market. This advocacy note outlines the key issues for consideration by member states as they reflect on what has been achieved since the adoption of the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action, including in light of the implementation of the UNGASS Outcome Document, and the implications for the next phase of the international drug policy regime.

Download the publication (PDF)

La Junta Internacional de Fiscalización de Estupefacientes (JIFE), de la Oficina de Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito (UNODC), recordó a México que es firmante de tratados internacionales que contemplan que la marihuana solo se puede comercializar por motivos médicos. "Esperamos que el Congreso mexicano tome en cuenta esos factores y haya una ley (de consumo de cannabis) que cumpla los acuerdos internacionales", dijo a Efe Raúl Martínez del Campo, miembro experto independiente de la JIFE. A raíz de un mandato de la Suprema Corte de Justicia, el Congreso mexicano está tramitando una ley para regular el consumo lúdico de marihuana en el país, que busca crear un mercado legal de cannabis y combatir la crisis por el narcotráfico.