Weed and the UN: Why international drug laws won't stop legalization

Cannabis is clearly the elephant in the room at UNGASS
Vice (US)
Wednesday, April 20, 2016

cannabis-treatiesUnder the outcome document for UNGASS that was drafted by diplomats in Vienna and formally adopted at UN headquarters in New York, weed still remains strictly banned by the treaties that govern international law. The intransigence is a real problem that threatens to undermine the legitimacy of all types of international treaties. John Walsh, the senior associate for drug policy at the Washington Institute on Latin America (WOLA), is hosting one of two weed-focused "side events" scheduled at the UN. "Cannabis is clearly the elephant in the room at UNGASS," Walsh said. "It's there, it's huge, but no one wants to talk about it."