Bipartisan resolution directs US to influence cannabis deferral from UN treaty

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

Representatives Nancy Mace (R) and Barbara Lee (D) on Friday tabled a resolution expressing “the sense of Congress” that the United States representative at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs be “the voice that Using the Voice and Influence of the United States,” states should seek to remove cannabis from Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and treat the plant “as a commodity.”

In 2020, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted to remove medicinal cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, following recommendations from the World Health Organization.

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The US voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV, but cannabis and cannabis resin are still on Schedule I.

RELATED: The downside to declassifying cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug

“Many countries would repeal cannabis and reassess the classification of cannabis if the UN did so. Cannabis has proven effective in treating numerous conditions such as epilepsy, PTSD, cancer pain relief, nausea, and chronic and terminal illnesses. Rescheduling the date at the UN would support global research into how cannabis can treat a wide range of ailments and conditions,” Rep. Mace said in a press release on Friday.

RELATED: 5 NATO countries supporting cannabis legalization

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“Scientific research has shown that cannabis has far-reaching beneficial effects in the treatment of chronic diseases. The classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug is obsolete, obsolete, and should be addressed not just in the United States but around the world. The United States should be at the forefront of cannabis reform on the global stage, and a shift at the United Nations would be a great start,” added Rep. Lee.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.