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U.S. House Reps Call on United Nations to Deschedule Pot

U.S. House Reps. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, and Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California, introduced a resolution on Friday “instructing the United Nations to deschedule cannabis from Schedule 1 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, and treat cannabis as a commodity similar to other agricultural commodities,” according to a press release.

“Many countries would deschedule cannabis and reevaluate how cannabis is classified if the U.N. did so,” Mace said. “Cannabis has been shown to be effective in the treatment of numerous medical conditions such as epilepsy, PTSD, cancer pain relief, nausea, and chronic and terminal illnesses. Descheduling at the U.N. would support global research into how cannabis can treat a wide range of ailments and conditions.”

Lee said that scientific research “has shown that cannabis has wide-ranging positive effects on chronic illness treatment.”

“The classification of cannabis as a schedule one drug is outdated, out of touch, and should be addressed not only in the United States, but around the world. The United States should be leading the way on cannabis reform on the global stage, and descheduling at the United Nations would be a great start,” Lee said in the press release.

A treaty that “aims to combat drug abuse by coordinated international action,” the Single Convention of Narcotic Drugs has more than 60 signatories.

“There are two forms of intervention and control that work together. The first is to reduce drug possession, usage, control, import, export and manufacture of drugs for medical or scientific reasons. Second, it combats drug trafficking through international cooperation to deter and discourage drug traffickers,” according to a description of the treaty on the United Nations’ website.

Mace is a new member of Congress and has become a vocal supporter of legalization among Republicans.

Mace submitted a November bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level. It also allows states to establish their own policies. This legislation would make cannabis a Schedule 1 drug in the Controlled Substances Act. It would also treat marijuana like alcohol.

“My home state of South Carolina permits CBD, Florida allows medical marijuana, California and others have full recreational use, for example. Each state is unique. All of these factors must be taken into consideration when cannabis reform is at the federal level. And it’s past time federal law codifies this reality,” Mace said in an announcement at the time. “This is why I’m introducing the States Reform Act, a bill which seeks to remove cannabis from Schedule I in a manner consistent with the rights of states to determine what level of cannabis reform each state already has, or not. “This bill supports veterans, law enforcement, farmers, businesses, those with serious illnesses, and it is good for criminal justice reform. A supermajority support ending cannabis prohibition. This is the reason why there are only three states that have any cannabis reform. States Reform Act is a special effort to protect Americans and their families while removing federal interference in state cannabis laws. Washington must provide the framework that allows state governments to decide on their cannabis policies moving forward. This bill does that.”

Earlier this year, Amazon endorsed Mace’s bill.

“Like so many in this country, we believe it’s time to reform the nation’s cannabis policy and Amazon is committed to helping lead the effort,” the company said in a statement in January.

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