The UN issues a “warning” to the US about state laws on adult use and proposes repeal

The United Nations (UN) Narcotics Agency issued a press release on March 9 stating that US laws governing adult use of cannabis are inconsistent with the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (with roots in Reefer Madness) and that the “trivialization” of youth harm from cannabis is a major cause for concern.

The United Nations’ International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said that in its 2022 annual report it “warned” that the surge in adult-use efforts in US states “violates the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs” and the sends the wrong message to the youth.

“The most worrying impact of cannabis legalization is the likelihood of increased use, particularly among young people, according to estimated data,” the INCB wrote. “In the United States, it has been shown that adolescents and young adults in states where cannabis has been legalized use significantly more cannabis than in other states where recreational use remains illegal.”

The 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs stipulates that UN member states must implement the provisions of the Convention on their territory. US state laws don’t seem to carry much weight. “The internal distribution of powers between the different levels of a state cannot be invoked as a justification for non-performance of a treaty,” states the convention.

The INCB continued, saying: “There is also evidence that the general availability of legalized cannabis products is reducing risk perceptions and the negative consequences of their use. New products such as edibles or vape products that come in attractive packaging have fueled the trend. INCB notes that this has contributed to minimizing the effects of cannabis use among the general public, particularly among young people.”

“The expanding cannabis industry is marketing cannabis-related products to appeal to young people and this is a major concern, as is the way the harms associated with the use of potent cannabis products are downplayed,” said INCB President Jagjit Pavadia.

Pavadia continued, “There is evidence that cannabis legalization has not been successful in discouraging young people from using cannabis, and illegal markets persist.”

The legalization of cannabis for adults — not the candy-flavored Adderall that is sometimes used by six-year-olds — is the concern of the United Nations in the US.

Ironically, the 1961 Single Convention can be traced back to the Reefer Madness era in the US and should not be used as a true metric according to NORML.

“Proponents of cannabis policy reform have been mildly angered by the United Nations’ extreme anti-cannabis advocacy and propaganda since the 1970s, and arguably after America’s original drug czar Harry J. Anslinger, in his final act as a lifelong anti-cannabis zealot As a 30-year-old federal drug guru, he watched as President John F. Kennedy hooked the world, and then the American-dominated United Nations, on America’s reefer madness by signing the Single Convention Treaty in 1961,” wrote the former acting president of NORML, Allen St. Pierre.

The report then says that instead of legalizing adult use, the US should decriminalize and penalize cannabis as an alternative.

According to the INCB, the United Nations offers more than enough leniency: “The convention-based system gives states significant flexibility to protect young people, improve public health, avoid unnecessary incarceration and tackle illicit markets and related crime. “