In major shift, UN drug chief questions whether control treaties involving cannabis are out of date
INCB statements have gradually become more progressive views over the years
Thursday, February 27, 2020
The president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is questioning whether the agency’s decades-old drug conventions are outdated given global policy developments in recent years involving drugs such as cannabis. During a presentation for the 2019 INCB annual report, President Cornelis P. de Joncheere discussed the developments taking place with regard to cannabis and synthetic drugs. “We have some fundamental issues around the conventions that state parties will need to start looking at,” he said. “We have to recognize that the conventions were drawn up 50 and 60 years ago.” De Joncheere said 2021 is “an appropriate time to look at whether those are still fit for purpose, or whether we need new alternative instruments and approaches to deal with these problems.”
