World Health Org to discuss marijuana

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The international health body is beginning to take marijuana more seriously

Following on the heels of Canada’s legalization of marijuana across the country and the continued expansion in the U.S. and other countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) is apparently ready to take a closer look at marijuana. Depending on how the discussion goes, it could have a big impact on how the United Nations (U.N.) view cannabis and cannabis laws.

The WHO will tackle marijuana during a meeting scheduled for November. It’s the second time this year that the organization has taken a serious look at the topic and will be built around a “critical review of the…cannabis plant and resin; extracts and tinctures of cannabis.”

Among some of the topics to be explored will be whether or not cannabidiol (CBD) should be removed from scheduling from within the framework of International Drug Control Conventions. The WHO will also look at tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and extracts, as well as Delta-9-THC. According to the WHO, “There is sufficient information to progress Delta-9-THC to a critical review…to address the appropriateness of its placement within the Conventions.”

It would appear that the WHO is already on board with CBD. It could conceivably look at including other cannabinoids on a list to be rescheduled, which would have a global impact on how marijuana is perceived.

In the U.S., for example, federal lawmakers have argued that marijuana could not be legalized because of certain U.N. treaties. If CBD, THC and cannabinoids, in general, are descheduled, this could completely alter a country’s ability to introduce federal marijuana legislation.