What does the United Nations’ decision about medical cannabis mean?

At the end of November, a commission from the United Nations voted to remove medical cannabis from the category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, where the substance was listed along with other much heavier and addictive substances, such as heroin. The decision was put to a vote by the Commission for Narcotic Drugs, which consists of 53 member states and is based in Vienna. They took into account the suggestions from the World Health Organisation on reclassifying marijuana and other derivatives from the product.

So what does this new decision mean? In general terms, it means that the restrictions concerning cannabis and cannabis-based products will start loosening, positively affecting companies such as Fast Buds. The vote doesn’t have an immediate impact: international controls will stay the same for now, since governments still have the final word over the classification of cannabis and other jurisdictions. However, since countries generally take global conventions as their guide, with the United Nations being the main referent, it is likely that more and more countries will turn to the guidelines stated by the organisation. If huge influences such as this are beginning to change their minds about cannabis, it’s not unreasonable to believe that in the near future things will start to change in government and in society too. Perhaps those who are relatively closed-minded about marijuana might rethink in the wake of the United Nations stating that it isn’t as dangerous as they thought.

The news is positive for the research field as well as it means that science should have an open door to analysing all of the possible medical effects and benefits of consuming the plant. Though changes are happening, some strings remain to be pulled for a full highway to new discoveries.

Meanwhile, marijuana-based products should start to become more readily available, since the Commission for Narcotic Drugs has suggested that cannabidiol (CBD with  2% or less of Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) shouldn’t be subject to international controls. Once the proposed measures become effective, buying CBD products should become much easier.

While this doesn’t mean that legalisation is about to explode all over the world, the weather looks promising. Such changes won’t take place overnight – baby steps – but this new measure might take it to baby kilometres! It’s all a matter of patience. For now, cannabis is doing the work for itself and showing through research and science exactly what it can do. A matter of months or perhaps years will bring new modifications and more countries approving and legalising more and more cannabis products.

The editorial unit