Experts at the World Health Organization recently gave their reports to several governments within the United Nations that could directly impact how CBD and other hemp and marijuana products are treated by international law.
According to reporting from Marijuana Business Daily, a long-awaited fact-finding report from the WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence made its newest recommendations to members of a special UN committee in charge of scheduling drugs and other substances, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. [1]
Because CBD, along with marijuana and other hemp products are currently classified, or “scheduled,” in the most restricted category, they are internationally regulated in the same way as some of the most harmful substances, like heroin or cocaine.
Even though anyone with exposure to CBD or hemp products can see clearly this is absurd, this classification has wide-sweeping and unfortunate negative effects on the international economy for cannabinoids and hemp products.
Luckily, the new report from the WHO’s committee bodes well for those in the CBD market, as well as those interested in humane treatment of cannabis users more generally. According to the report, the WHO recommends that cannabis generally should be moved from a Schedule IV to a Schedule I classification, reflecting its non-threatening nature and simplifying regulations. [2]
For CBD products, the report recommends removing them from the classification system completely as long as they have a THC content under a certain level. [2]
Cannabis extracts and tinctures, which form the source for many CBD oil offerings on the market, would also be removed from the Schedule 1 classification if the UN follows the WHO recommendation.
These changes, if adopted, could radically free people to work between international borders to produce, research and sell cannabis products. This would lead to huge economic growth beyond even what has been achieved since many individual countries have continued to expand interest in the industry within their borders.
While the recommendations made in the new WHO report are promising to CBD and cannabis users worldwide, the timing may be less than ideal. According to reporting from the Marijuana Business Daily, the WHO report in question was expected to reach the UN commission by last year.
Because the report came out late in January 2019, the commissions at the UN may not have time to review the information by the time of the assembly’s yearly meeting in March. This could mean the rescheduling of CBD and other cannabis products may have to wait until 2020. [1]
Still, these developments show that at least on some level, representatives from around the world are beginning to give the credit these life-changing and natural supplements deserve.
Sources
[1] https://mjbizdaily.com/world-health-organization-rescheduling-cannabis-clarity-cbd/
[2] https://mjbizdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Annex-1-41-ECDD-recommendations-cannabis-22Jan19.pdf