What Does the UN Say About Legalizing Weed? The 2020 Vote, Explained

The UN doesn't tell countries to legalize weed, but it did move the needle: in December 2020 its Commission on Narcotic Drugs removed cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention, officially recognizing its medical value. Cannabis still sits in Schedule I, so the international drug-control framework hasn't gone away, and how far each country goes with legalization is still up to that country.

The UN's stance has shifted over the decades, following the changing attitudes and policies of its member states. From the first drug conventions of the 20th century to the debates of the last few years, the organization has pushed strict control and regulation as the way to prevent misuse and illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, cannabis included.

How the WHO pushed the UN to rethink cannabis

In January 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) released six key recommendations on cannabis, including pulling it out of the strictest tier of the UN drug-control treaties. It was a big step toward rethinking global cannabis policy.

The vote that kept getting pushed back

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was originally supposed to vote on the proposals at its March 2019 session. But according to press reports, a lot of countries asked for more time to study whether they'd back declassifying cannabis as a narcotic and to pin down their positions.

The delay said a lot about how complicated and controversial cannabis still is on the international stage.

What the WHO actually recommended

Among other things, the WHO said that cannabidiol (CBD) preparations with no more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the compound that gets you high) shouldn't be under international control at all. Member states shot that one down anyway, for a few different reasons.

Some argued that CBD isn't under international control to begin with, so there was nothing to change. Meanwhile, CBD has become a wellness staple in recent years and spawned a multibillion-dollar industry.

Medical and recreational cannabis keep spreading

At the time of the vote, more than 50 countries had medical cannabis programs, and Canada, Uruguay and 15 US states had legalized recreational use. Mexico and Luxembourg were also weighing it, a clear sign that acceptance and regulation of cannabis were trending up worldwide.

How different countries explained their votes

After the vote, several countries explained where they stood. Ecuador backed every WHO recommendation and called for cannabis production, sale and use to have “a regulatory framework that guarantees good practices, quality, innovation and the development of research.”

The United States, on the other hand, voted to take cannabis out of Schedule IV of the Single Convention but favored keeping it in Schedule I. Its delegation said that decision was “consistent with the science demonstrating that while a safe and effective cannabis-derived therapeutic has been developed, cannabis itself continues to pose significant risks to public health and should continue to be controlled under the international drug control conventions.”

The countries that pushed back

Arguing against loosening the rules, countries like Chile said there is “a direct relationship between cannabis use and an increased likelihood of depression, cognitive deficits, anxiety and psychotic symptoms,” among other concerns.

Japan raised red flags too, saying non-medical use of the plant “could lead to negative health and social impacts, especially among young people.”

The UN and cannabis regulation: a historic shift

After 60 years of rejection, three years of scientific review by the WHO and two years of diplomatic back-and-forth, on December 2, 2020, the UN recognized the therapeutic properties of cannabis and cannabis resin by removing them from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the category reserved for the most dangerous substances.

What it means for Latin America

For the biggest cannabis producers in the Americas, like Mexico and Paraguay, the change could be a huge opportunity to drive legal, scientific and industrial reform.

The decision opens the door to new medical research and to the cannabis industry, creating friendlier conditions for developing and selling cannabis-derived products.

A win for science over politics

“This is phenomenal news for millions of patients around the world and a historic victory of science over politics,” said Kenzi Riboulet-Zemouli, a researcher who specializes in the issue, in a statement posted on his organization's website (FAAAT think & do tank) on the day of the vote. His point: drug policy should rest on scientific evidence, not on prejudice or political agendas.

The UN's old cannabis doctrine

The UN's longstanding position on cannabis was “a relic of the most extreme international drug laws inherited from the moral standards of the 1950s,” the expert said.

It was tied up “with racism, intolerance and disrespect for Indigenous peoples and cultures that were the hallmark of the colonial era,” Riboulet-Zemouli added. The move matters even more given that cannabis was placed in Schedule IV “without ever having been subject to any scientific assessment,” he noted.

“With this decision, the UN closes 60 years of denial of what has been documented as one of the oldest medicinal plants humankind has domesticated,” the French-Algerian researcher said from Barcelona on the day of the vote. It's a reminder of how long cannabis has been used as medicine, and how much therapeutic potential is still on the table.

The UN's change of heart is a real step toward global recognition of cannabis as medicine, and a landmark moment in the history of international drug policy.

The bottom line

The UN recognizing the therapeutic properties of cannabis and pulling it from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention is a major milestone. Still, with so many competing views and so much complexity, the debate over how to regulate cannabis isn't going anywhere anytime soon.