The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has removed narcotics such as cannabis and marijuana from its list of most tightly controlled drugs.
A majority of members of the United Nations Narcotics Drugs voted to remove it from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Twenty-seven countries voted in favor and 25 members voted against, while one country abstained. Russia was a vocal opponent of the move, calling cannabis “the most abused drug globally.”
Until now, marijuana and cannabis have been included in the list of dangerous and highly addictive opioids like heroin, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended simplifying research on the medical use of cannabis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that cannabis control needs to be simplified to facilitate research into its medical benefits, while marijuana and cannabis have previously been classified as dangerous drugs such as heroin and opium.
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The UN commission has removed cannabis and marijuana from its list of dangerous drugs such as heroin and opium, but it is still not legally legalized.
Marijuana for medical use has exploded in recent years and products containing cannabis derivatives like cannabidiol or CBD, a nonintoxicating compound, have flooded the wellness industry. Cowen, an investment and financial services company, estimates that the CBD industry in the United States will be worth $16 billion by 2025.
