The WHO, World Health Organization, has loudly called for the reclassification of the marijuana plant and Cannabis resin down from Schedule 1V. The cannabis classification is the most restrictive category since 1961 of a Drug convention or treaty signed by countries worldwide, which is a bold move by the WHO since many countries have been lobbying for the decriminalization of the plant and its use for decades. 

What is The WHO Cannabis Classification 

The view of the WHO is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and its compounds should be reclassified as Schedule 1. And be removed from the classification in the drug treaty of 1971. This information was made public by Cannabis reform advocates and reported by Mr. Tom Angell. 

The report further indicated that the WHO; because Schedule 1 and 1V are classifications of harmful and dangerous drugs, with no known benefit medically. Different from the Federal rankings for drugs by the US standards. The WHO explicitly wants the changes for their classifications of CBD products of 0.02% THC to reflect their wanting it to not be under “international control.” 

Based on the classification

The WHO states, based on the Schedule 1 classification of Cannabis extracts and tinctures, they, be reclassified as Schedule 111. This is also true for pharmaceutical compounds containing THC. 

Based on the document posted by Tom Angell, the only conclusion to make is; the World Health Organization has formally stated they were wrong about the war on Cannabis and its benefits, for this to be so loudly announced by the WHO. It comes at a time when most of the world’s countries are changing policies and legislations to decriminalize Cannabis and its products mainly for medical use. Recreational use is still on the table for lengthy discussions and lobbying, so the convention stands now! 

Many influential voices have come together to advocate for the changes…

Their voices are certainly heard. One such voice is the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, which has made it known that CBD products do not fall under federal control. President Trump has said he agrees states should set their laws concerning Cannabis and its uses. Mr. William Barr, the Attorney General nominee, agrees with the President and has indicated his support by not prosecuting companies that fall under the rescinded guidelines.

As reported by Tom Angell: “The WHO’s new cannabis rescheduling recommendations come in the form of a letter, dated January 24, from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the body’s director-general, to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.” End Quote. 

Many countries have spent thousands, if not millions of dollars, on Cannabis research.

To prove the need to relax the use of the drug. Although there is much more to learn about this drug, the benefits outweigh the risks. 

For the WHO to be advocates of Cannabis, they are also saying; with control and proper guidance, there should be more plusses than minuses for using the drug. This is a win for many people. They have been advocating for decades for Cannabis to be decriminalized, and more research is done to understand what it has to offer. 

Sources: 

1. This article from Marijuanamoment.net

2. This page from drugs.com

If you’ve ever delved into the world of cannabis, what was your first sliver of knowledge?

Chances are, it was steeped in social taboo. Some people’s initial experience with cannabis comes from the counterculture. A teenager might see a “bad-boy” friend roll up, take a big toke, and suddenly become a wise guru. While others might come from a more scientific point of view – learning of the cannabis plant’s cannabinoids or its endocannabinoid system.

In either of these cases, the world is seen through an interesting lens: one that is significantly divorced from reality.

People who learn through the counterculture lens might come to see cannabis as a way of rebelling or sticking it to The Man. In some cases, they might even see it as a “sacred herb.”

In more scientific circles, cannabis is often seen through the eyes of an enthused medical student whose professor has just given them their first glimpse into the raging cancer battle that is currently waging within our bodies. For them, cannabis is their first real introduction to how the human body works; its endocannabinoid system and those nasty cancer cells that need some hardcore cannabinoids thrown at them.

These lenses look at cannabis as something special: a topic to be explored and revered.

But there is another lens:

Looking through this particular lens, cannabis is criminalized due to the power of propaganda. History also shows us that when influential people want something outlawed for their economic gain, it’s generally not too difficult to do so. One of the most prominent examples in recent times is big tobacco, which for decades silenced research about the health risks of cigarettes while simultaneously spending millions on media campaigns aimed at convincing Americans that there was no credible evidence against smoking. This campaign successfully delayed any meaningful government regulation until the 1990s.

Why does cannabis remain a Schedule I substance? What is preventing us from exploring its actual value to modern medicine?

To answer these questions, we need to look no further than the history of this misunderstood plant.

The United States has been growing cannabis since before it was even a country. It’s been a staple crop in the American garden for years and was used for everything from rope to cloth long before the Revolutionary War. It’s likely that cannabis came to America with its early European colonists (many of whom also grew hemp) and even became an important cash crop up until the Civil War. Although cannabis was widely available throughout America at this time, it had already become a popular topic in Europe through an exciting series of events.

In 1841, a French mental patient named Jean-Pierre Chabloin became the first to describe cannabis as “smoking pleasure” and thought it could be an effective treatment for his condition (whatever that was).

Just ten years later, cannabis was widely available as medicine throughout Europe. By this time, European physicians were beginning to prescribe the plant for various conditions, including muscle spasms and epilepsy.

Around this time in Europe, new processing technology began to emerge. This gave way to the birth of an industrial cannabis product that would soon find its way across the Atlantic Ocean: hashish.

The word “hashish” originates from the Arabic word “Hashishin,” a derogatory term used to describe the first Muslims fighting against the Crusaders. Later, European travelers visiting India began to adopt this word, and it slowly spread through Europe as a euphoric drug associated with royal Orientalism.

In 1845, French psychiatrist Jacques-Joseph Moreau published his study on the effects of hashish. He hypothesized that the plant was responsible for inducing a unique mental state, and it must therefore contain some special agent.

This theory ushered in a new era of cannabis research throughout Europe and gave rise to an even more potent version: hash oil. By boiling the cannabis plant, chemists could produce a thick oil that was much more potent than the hashish of old. This new product became immensely popular among European medical circles, and it wasn’t long before doctors across Europe began prescribing this hash oil for their patients.

It’s important to note that while these European physicians had great success using cannabis to treat their patients, they still had no real idea what was actually in the oil that made it work. European scientists isolated chemical compounds within cannabis and determined that they must be responsible for some of these medicinal effects. Still, there wasn’t a comprehensive understanding of how this worked until years later.

Around the same time European researchers were busy isolating chemical compounds from cannabis, American physicians began to experience their success with the plant. In the mid-1830s, a doctor named William O’Shaughnessy introduced cannabis to Western medicine after successfully treating rheumatism and muscle spasms in India.