Berlin, 2020-12-02: At today’s session of the CND (Commission on Narcotic Drugs – December 2–4 in Vienna), cannabis was removed from Schedule 4 of the international narcotics conventions. This simplifies the handling of cannabis. Other proposals for the reassessment of cannabis and cannabinoids were rejected or no longer considered.

Jürgen Neumeyer, Managing Director of the Industry Association Cannabiswirtschaft, stated in an initial comment: “With the adoption of WHO Recommendation 5.1, cannabis is downgraded from Schedule 4 to Schedule 1 of the international narcotics convention. The former status as a ‘generally not marketable narcotic’ now gives way to a simplified marketability of cannabis. Recognition of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis appears to have prevailed. This is also an important step towards implementing scientific findings in many nation states. Following this international impulse, we expect worldwide relief in dealing with medical cannabis. We welcome this greatly, as importers, cultivators, and distributors can expect fewer bureaucratic hurdles in the future. Acceptance of the other WHO proposals would have been even better. Nevertheless, today’s decision is a clear step towards international deregulation of cannabis overall,” Neumeyer continued.

“It is very regrettable that clarifications regarding cannabis extracts and tinctures as well as industrial hemp and CBD were not adopted. We adhere to the scientific findings of the WHO and look forward optimistically to the pending consideration of WHO Proposal 5.0, which explicitly states that ‘preparations considered as pure cannabidiol […] should not be included in the conventions.’ Unfortunately, the scientific perspective on cannabis and cannabinoids as represented by the WHO has not yet been adopted worldwide. However, it remains part of the debate. There are still major challenges ahead. Together with the recent ECJ ruling, the scientific guidelines of the WHO should guide political discussions in Germany and Europe,” Jürgen Neumeyer concluded.

You can find the summary of the WHO recommendations and the voting results here.

The vote followed an independent scientific assessment by some of the world’s leading experts convened by the WHO in 2017-2018, who reviewed scientific findings on cannabis from around the world.

The BvCW has also compiled WHO statements on this topic here.