The UN is trying really hard to get a global ban on weed advertising

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The United Nations (UN) is calling on its member states to band together to ban cannabis companies from promoting their goods anywhere in the world.

In its most recent World Drugs Report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recommends that member states adopt a “comprehensive ban on the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of cannabis” to “ensure that public health interests take precedence over business interests” . The report recommends that the ban be based on existing regulations against tobacco advertising and apply in all legal systems.

In the report, the UNODC argues that the weed advertising ban is necessary because fewer and fewer adolescents believe that cannabis use poses significant health risks. The organization also carries out the old rhetoric, “Weeds are stronger than ever,” noting that the total THC levels in weed products were four times higher in 2019 than they were in 1995.

“There is a clear discrepancy between the risk of harm perceived by adolescents from using cannabis and the potential risk that cannabis products could pose to their health as potency increases,” the report said. “Additionally, in some jurisdictions in Canada and the United States, other cannabis products, such as cannabis concentrates and edibles, may be 70 percent or more effective, making the substance more potent and making the user more susceptible to adverse health effects.”

It’s definitely true that the THC levels in cannabis products are getting higher every year, but peer-reviewed research studies have shown that using cannabis products high in THC is no greater health risk than using low THC cannabis. One study even reported that highly potent pot concentrates don’t even get people higher than normal potency herb.

Despite this standard prohibition language, some activists believe that this report is indeed a good sign that the UN is grappling with global cannabis reform. Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst at the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, told Marijuana Moment that this proposal could potentially mark the very first time the UN has “engaged in the regulatory debate – that is, advises on good practice – rather than simply describing or to condemn. ”

Rolles believes the statement is “a tacit acknowledgment that the game is over” and that the UN will not “turn the tide” on cannabis reform. “The fact that they are getting into the regulatory debate at all, and have never done so before, feels significant … It feels like a major change and a break with the past.”

Last year, the UN Narcotics Commission (CND) removed cannabis from List IV of its drug planning system – a category reserved for dangerous, addictive drugs like heroin and fentanyl. By reorganizing cannabis as a List I drug, the organization has officially accepted the fact that there are valid medical uses for hemp and marijuana.

Although the UN is currently recommending that all member states issue their own bans on cannabis advertising, it does not have the power to actually enforce those bans. This recommendation may also be a little redundant considering that Canada and most of the US states that legalize cannabis have already put strict advertising requirements into their adult use laws.