Proposal on the position to be taken on the scheduling of substances under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances

Summary:

On 7 January 2019 the European Commission presented a proposal for a Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the Union at the 62nd session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs regarding the scheduling of ten new substances.

Further information:

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) regularly amends the list of substances that are annexed to the Convention on Narcotic Drugs and to the Convention on Psychotropic Substances on the basis of recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

On 7 December 2018 the WHO recommended to add 10 new substances, which were critically reviewed by the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, to the schedules of the Conventions.

The CND, in its sixty-second session taking place in Vienna from 18 to 22 March 2019, will adopt decisions on the scheduling of these 10 substances under the Convention on Narcotic Drugs and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, respectively.

Background:

The United Nations (UN) Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 aims to combat drug abuse by coordinated international action. There are two forms of intervention and control that work together. First, it seeks to limit the possession, use, trade in, distribution, import, export, manufacture and production of drugs exclusively to medical and scientific purposes. Second, it combats drug trafficking through international cooperation to deter and discourage drug traffickers.

The UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 establishes an international control system for psychotropic substances. It responded to the diversification and expansion of the spectrum of drugs of abuse and introduced controls over a number of synthetic drugs according to their abuse potential on the one hand and their therapeutic value on the other.