THE UN DECISION: WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH CANNABIS

 

Medical cannabis, the UN approves after 60 years, the long-awaited recognition. 

Cannabis lovers can finally rejoice after 60 years, the UN has decided to get rid of marijuana from the list of the foremost dangerous drugs, alongside heroin and cocaine. The WHO had proposed an entire series of measures for the International reform of cannabis, and therefore, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs met to vote, changing among other things the tables that, since 1961, classify plants and psychoactive compounds consistent with the danger. Cannabis, which has long been wont to relieve chronic pain, Parkinson’s, epilepsy and even cancer, alongside many other ailments, has many benefits that have prompted more and more consumers to like it and to extend its use. In our country, it’s possible to shop for it for therapeutic purposes, upon the presentation of a daily medical prescription. However, many are unable to receive the therapy they need: consistent with Sole24Ore, Italy needs 1950 kg per annum of therapeutic cannabis, but is unable to completely satisfy this demand and is forced to import the remainder from Holland.

A VICTORY OF SCIENCE

According to the Luca Coscioni Association, this is often a victory for science. Cannabis is not any longer one among the substances considered dangerous, and this is often progress that benefited science, and scientific experimentation, which can probably now progress faster. The European Union has voted compactly and firmly in favour of this change; the countries that opposed the foremost were the Asian and African ones. Leonardo Fiorentini, the national secretary of Forum Drugs, asserts however that cannabis may be a precious resource and cure, for this reason, it’s useless, harmful and counterproductive to form a war on it; The ideological wind of the prohibition still blows strongly within the world, given the narrow margin of votes in favour, he added. On November 19, the EU Court of Justice clarified that CBD, the cannabis compound used for its therapeutic properties, isn’t even to be considered amazing. Indeed, cannabis enthusiasts have known for some time that it’s a good compound, filled with positive effects on the body and the mind starting from relaxation to analgesic, anti-epileptic, anti-inflammatory properties. THC, on the opposite hand, is the psychoactive compound of cannabis, and is the one that can be sold or marketed, given the amazing effects. In Italy, since 2007 the prescription of medical cannabis has been allowed within the pharmaceutical plant in Florence, but the picture remains very vague and subject to many uncertainties. 

BUT SO, WITH THIS NEW TURN WHAT CHANGES? IS EVERYTHING LIKE BEFORE?

As soon because the news was heard, the media spoke of a “turning point” on the road to legalizing cannabis. In fact, however, things remain the same: in fact, cannabis is often extracted, produced and utilized in the medical field, except for non-scientific uses it remains a substance to be kept in check, albeit its therapeutic use is recognized. Cannabis and cannabis are excluded from Table IV, the one which incorporates the foremost dangerous substances; The EU voted in favour of their exclusion, only Hungary being against. Other recommendations into account weren’t approved; Countries like Japan, Thailand and other Asian countries have opposed the inclusion of cannabis extracts and tinctures in Table I (this would have allowed us to not specify the way to prepare them) and this recommendation was blocked. In practice, therefore, it had been a mere formal approval of something that in practice was already administered or recognized, namely the inclusion of cannabis among the therapeutic substances. However, the United Nations continues to think about it a dangerous substance. they need always kept attention on the human and social costs of drug traffic . And cannabis is currently the foremost widely used drug, so… Legalization would in any case be convenient from the purpose of view of the fight against gangland, which is that the first to require advantage of prohibition and therefore the restrictions placed on the marketing of medicine. When it involves heavy and harmful substances, I agree but within the case of cannabis, most international states have medical-scientific experimentation programs on the substance underway. it might simply be the popularity of something already in situ.

IN CONCLUSION…

Benedetto Della Vedova, of +Europa, suggests: “Italy should take the advice of the UN and definitively remove the prohibitionist and vexatious restrictions that still prevent thousands of patients from using and cultivating cannabis for therapeutic use.” Sounds like good advice. If cannabis is so useful for the treatment of a whole series of ailments, the scientific community itself recognizes its importance, to the point of carrying out systematic and rigorous studies to better understand its properties. It is time to adapt to the change taking place.