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Marijuana is no longer on the most dangerous substances list thanks to the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
This week, a vote was held years after a recommendation from the World Health Organization that removed marijuana as a Schedule IV controlled substance — the same designation for drugs such as heroin.
The measure passed by a 27-25 vote.
“One of the original reasons for the WHO making these recommendations were to open up the path to research and medical product development,” a member of the global industry analyst group Prohibition Partners told NPR. “Today’s results will hopefully encourage much activity in this field which will in the future enable further liberalization of cannabis and patient access.”
Unfortunately, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told NPR that the reclassification won’t change the drug’s status under the Controlled Substances Act but it could be a step forward towards wider legalization.
Progress? We can smoke to that.