The United Nations accept the World Health Organisation’s recommendations to reschedule cannabis

On the 2nd of December in Vienna, the United Nations Commision on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has approved the World Health Organisation Expert Committee (ECDD) recommendations for rescheduling cannabis.

The vote — which was specifically related to recommendation 5.1 — means that cannabis will be removed from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Schedule IV is the most restrictive categorisation given to a drug under the auspices of the CND.

Cannabis will be admitted into Schedule I, which notably loosens regulation for the medical cannabis industry as the UN now recognises that cannabis could hold medicinal value. This has wide-reaching, positive implications for the scientific and medical research of cannabinoids moving forward.

The votes were tightly contested on the floor, with 27 members in favour of the new proposed recommendation, 25 votes against and 1 abstention. The other five recommendations have all been rejected, including recommendation 5.5, which if approved would have removed cannabidiol from international drug control.

But regardless of future results, this long-awaited news will have the cannabis industry and researchers alike celebrating considering the difficulties of proposing eased regulation under the UN’s authority. This result comes 59 years after cannabis was categorised into the most stringent schedule under the 1961 convention, which was included alongside drugs such as heroin.

Due to the power and respect that the UN holds around the world, there is hope that this new reclassification of cannabis into Schedule I will act as encouragement for other countries to push the legalisation of medical cannabis and CBD products.

It is not expected that this result will affect the international control of medical cannabis across the world, as Schedule I also requires the most strict level of enforcement.

Background to the World Health Organisation’s recommendation for rescheduling cannabis

Back in January 2019, the World Health Organisation Expert Committee on Drug Dependence’s (ECDD) made recommendations to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to make adjustments to the way in which cannabis is scheduled:

5.1 Cannabis and cannabis resin

This is the recommendation that was approved by the UN today. From previous scientific findings, the ECDD advised the CND that cannabis should remain a Schedule I substance and should avoid a change to Schedule IV under the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs (1961).

The most restrictive categorisation — Schedule 4 — is implemented when a drug has very limited or no medicinal value and is regarded as dangerous to the population.

It was stated in the report that preliminary findings have shown that cannabis is effective in some patients for relieving symptoms of spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients, and reduced seizures in epilepsy patients. A comparison was also drawn against other drugs under the Schedule 4 categorisation, and they found that cannabis did not share the same ill-effects as these substances, and therefore should remain a Schedule 1 drug.

The following five recommendations were all rejected by the CND.

5.2 Dronabinol (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; Δ9-THC) & 5.3 Tetrahydrocannabinol (isomers of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol)

It was recommended that both dronabinol and tetrahydrocannabinol (plus its isomers) be removed from the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971) and placed into Schedule 1 of the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs (1961).

For the purpose of simplicity of scheduling, the EDCC recommends grouping all forms of THC and cannabis and cannabis resin under one regulation (Schedule 1 of the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs (1961).

The reasoning given in the report was that the dangers of THC and its forms are similar to those of cannabis and cannabis resin, so it makes more sense to categorise all these substances together.

It also stated that it would provide consistency and would simplify chemical testing between variants of THC and its isomers, as it is particularly difficult to differentiate between these chemical compounds.

5.4 Extracts and tinctures of cannabis

In section 5.4 in the report, it was recommended by the EDCC that extracts and tinctures of cannabis should be removed from Schedule 1 of the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs (1961).

The EDCC devised this recommendation due to the therapeutic benefits found in scientific research. It was also stated that there are various preparations and concentrations of delta-9 THC within extracts and tinctures, with some not producing a psychoactive effect.

Ultimately they believe extracts and tinctures are easier to control, and the medical opportunity is too significant to permit any form of restriction.

5.5 Cannabidiol preparations

The EDCC finally gave more clarity on the regulation of pure cannabidiol after years of uncertainty. The conclusion from the long-awaited critical review recommended cannabidiol to not be categorised under any drug control regulation.

5.6 Pharmaceutical preparations of cannabis and dronabinol (delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol)

The EDCC has recommended that pharmaceutical products containing delta-9 THC (dronabinol) which have been made either using chemical synthesis or using a preparation of cannabis should not be now categorised under schedule III.

They noted that this can be only be applied to pharmaceutical preparations thats THC content can not be recovered in a way in which will constitute a risk to the public. This means that the listed preparation cannot be abused or altered in a way which would compromise the health of others who have not been prescribed the product.

The European Commision deem CBD to be food rather than a narcotic following the UN’s rescheduling of cannabis

The European Commission has released news today confirming that CBD products containing less than 0.3% THC will be classified as a Novel Food instead of a Narcotic.

This news comes after months of deliberation in the European Parliament and will be celebrated by CBD businesses around Europe who had their livelihoods in jeopardy if it was to classify CBD products as a narcotic.

In a statement exclusively released to Alphagreen, the EC said: “In light of the comments received from applicants and of the recent Court’s judgment in case C-663/184, the Commission has reviewed its preliminary assessment and concludes that cannabidiol should not be considered as a drug,”

“As a consequence, cannabidiol can be qualified as food, provided that also the other conditions of Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No178/2002 are met.”

The decision was likely bolstered by the United Nations Commision on Narcotic Drugs decision to reclassify cannabis as a Schedule I drug. This means that the United Nations (UN) now believe that cannabis could hold medicinal value, which holds wide-reaching significance across the globe. Cannabis was previously classified in the most restrictive category, Schedule IV, alongside heroin.

This new position was likely also supported by the Food Standards Associations decision to allow CBD businesses to continue to submit their Novel Food applications in the UK. It was anticipated that if the EC had not followed this decision, the UK would be the leaders of the CBD industry in Europe following the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1.

“This is awesome news for our friends in Europe and will take the industry to new heights,” says Alexej Pikovsky, CEO and Co-founder of Alphagreen, a global vertically integrated e-commerce platform with more than 130 top quality brands on its site, “It is a massive step in the right direction towards a future where CBD is considered a safe and natural alternative to other medications.”

The news now means that current CBD businesses can resubmit their application for Novel Food status, while also allowing a new wave of entrepreneurs to enter the CBD industry. This will also come as a relief to industrial hemp farmers, whose majority of revenue is gained from cannabinoid extraction.

Summary

In what was a historic day for the cannabis and CBD industry globally, here are the main talking points:

• The European Commission announced today that it deems CBD to be a Novel Food rather than a narcotic.
• This is great news for CBD businesses and hemp cultivators that reside in Europe, as if CBD was classed as a narcotic, there would be little hope for trading moving forward.
• The decision was likely taken due to the combination of the CND accepting the WHO recommendation to reschedule cannabis, and the FSA’s decision in the UK to continue classing CBD as a Novel Food.
• CBD businesses and traders can now apply for a Novel Food licence, which will keep the CBD industry thriving.
• The CND accepted the WHO’s recommendations for rescheduling cannabis, meaning the plant will now be recognised in a Schedule 1 categorisation.
• Votes were tight — 27 members voted in favour, 25 members were against and there was 1 abstention.
• The vote was only based on a decision for recommendation 5.1 — the other 5 recommendations will be decided on in the coming weeks and months.
• Businesses and researchers in the cannabis industry will be celebrating this news as it means that the UN recognises cannabis and hemp to have medicinal value.
• There is hope that the re-categorisation of cannabis by the UN will have significant ramifications for the rest of the industry, in that it will push governing bodies to permit medical cannabis prescriptions for those who need it.